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Dealing with Unfair Expectations
“They want me to do what! Can you believe it? I did not sign up for this!” Spend any time on staff at a church, and I bet you make some form of this declaration, too. Every job everywhere leads to...
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44 Things Youth Workers Might Delegate
This post originally appeared on Tim’s Blog and we thought it was so wonderful that we wanted to share it too! Delegation is the key to accomplishing more. It frees you to begin investing in the areas...
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9 Keys to a Successful Youth Leadership Development Program
Youth leadership development is a topic that needs to be a top priority for any forward-thinking church (or school or community group.) After all, nothing represents the continuity our energy and...
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How to Prepare for a Short-term Mission Trip
First aid kit—check. Liability forms—check. Earplugs and eye mask—check. Tylenol PM—check. These things might be essential for you, the youth minister, as you prepare for your next short-term youth...
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8 Grad Gifts for the Senior in Your Life
It’s that time of year. You’re sending off high school seniors who you’ve guided for months and, in some cases, years. You have done all of the work you can and now they have to go out into the world...
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Creating a Healthy Team Dynamic
I call all of our volunteers LEADERS, because that’s what I expect from them.Click To Tweet They’re not babysitting—they’re leading in our group. And I think everyone who oversees a ministry has the...
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10-Second Tip: Listen
At the NATIONAL YOUTH WORKERS CONVENTION, we stopped youth workers from all across the U.S. and asked them to share a 10-second youth ministry tip. THE 10-SECOND TIP: Take the next 9-seconds to listen...
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Never Say Never
The year was 2010. I had moved more than 400 miles away from home to attend seminary, and I vividly remember thinking, The only way I’ll ever end up back home is if the church I grew up in were to...
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Basics of Confirmation
As with much of youth ministry, confirmation is contextual. Faith traditions, church history, current leadership, and the larger community can all impact how you might establish a meaningful, faithful,...
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10 Ways to Maximize Your Ministry This Summer
As we wrap up another year of student ministry, it is nice to take a little breather and celebrate a job well done! Seriously, YOU KILLED IT! Week in and week out you provided excellent ministry and...
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7 Blogs To Make You Think This Week
Every week we pull our favorite links from across the inter-webs to help YOU become a better youth worker – and bring you a little fun! This week, we are featuring 7 blogs that really made us think....
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Five Reasons Your Ministry Needs Women Leaders
Your youth ministry needs women leaders. No matter what your theology is regarding women leading entire ministry areas, you need strong adult women to help form the young women and the young men in...
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Ideas for Small-Church Youth Ministry: YS Idea Lab with Stephanie Caro
Stephanie Caro is one of the small-church youth ministry gurus who are part of the National Youth Workers Convention. For the last three decades, Stephanie has been an incredible resource to youth...
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Friends with Benefits: When ministry takes your spouse for granted
This happens more often than not in ministry, and it’s possible to justify it by claiming we’re doing “God’s work” or “Kingdom work.” But too often those we love most sit at home while we “run the race...
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How to do Relational Discipleship
Why Relational Discipleship? Almost all of us can look back on our faith journey and think of a few people who were instrumental in our coming to know Jesus as our Savior. Very few people today come to...
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Ministering to the “Too Busy” Student
I can’t even begin to tell you how big of a Pharisee I used to be. I was the worst when students missed youth group. To me, youth group was the center of the universe, and if a teen missed it, he or...
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How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Your Church
This post originally appeared on DARREL’S BLOG and we thought it was so wonderful that we wanted to share it too! It’s one thing to create social media, it’s another thing to create a strategy for your...
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Thoughts About the Recent UMC General Conference
Michael Ratliff works with United Methodist Church youth workers and young people from around the world as the Associate General Secretary of Young People’s Ministries for the UMC. He’s also a...
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I Was The First Black Youth Pastor at My Church
Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 24 years since I began my journey into ministry. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I remember having a conversation with Dr. Jackson, a seminary professor at New...
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When a Student Self-injures
This post is in partnership with the Center for Youth Ministry Training and is a product of the Communicating the Gospel to Youth class, taught by Dr. Andrew Zirschky as part of CYMT’S MASTER OF ARTS...
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