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Building a Ministry Team
We can always do more to reach the next generation together than we ever can alone. We are more effective leaders, and the ministries we lead are healthier when we do ministry as a team. Church work is...
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9th Grade Ladies, Watch Out For WOLVES!
Dear rising freshman, If a senior hits u up… It’s because he respects u and ur great personality! Recently I came across this tweet, retweeted by a few students that I follow. While I KNOW the idea...
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There’s a New Sheriff In Town: Making Changes in a New Church
You know the scene. The outlaw in the black hat walking down the dusty street, then out steps the guy in the white hat. He announces, “I am the new sheriff in town”, with his hand resting on the...
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What about the Ten Commandments?
If I think about the Ten Commandments, what instantly comes to mind are stone tablets, Charlton Heston and the deep, authoritative, all-powerful, voice of God. So when I say the ten commandments are...
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Allowing Your Adolescents to Grow Up
We’re excited to have Dr. G David Boyd as one of our NYWC speakers. This blog post is a great start to the conversations he’ll be navigating in his seminar: Discipleship beyond High School: The...
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3 Ideas to Empower Boys to become Men of God
In today’s society modern media circulates a subtle message of negativity and disgust towards men. It is starting to seem as though this trend is growing in popularity. We all start to see how media...
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Hangout On Air: Multiculturalism in Youth Ministry
Last year’s National Youth Workers Convention YS Explores sessions on Multiculturalism in the Church set off a series of conversations about what diversity and integration should look like in our...
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4 Shocking Things I Wish Every Parent of a Teenager Understood
After 10 years of working with teenagers, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to grab a student’s parents by the shoulders and scream, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? DO YOU NOT REALIZE WHAT IS...
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A New Way to Track Ministry Progress
Student ministry changes lives forever. After serving in student ministry for the last 13 years, I can confidently say that student ministry has drastically changed. From the way students interact and...
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The Unique Challenge of Youth Ministry Without Having Kids
When you think of a youth minister who is married but has decided not to have kids, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Do you wonder if he is selfish and chose not to have kids so that he...
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Selfishly Selfless
Those involved in youth ministry know that “busy” takes on a whole new meaning. It seems as if you are always doing something and have virtually no free time! Then, when you do get free time, you end...
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Creating Student Leaders in Youth Ministry
When I was in my first youth ministry job I began gathering students in my living room once a week. We would spend the time planning the next nights’ service. From games to skits to videos, we did it...
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The Eyes of the Church: The gift of young people
I have found that students are often dealt with in church congregations as the subculture in need of schooling to “fall in line,” while simultaneously being expected to carry the lifeblood of the same...
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28 Leadership Quotes from #NYWC16
Every year thousands of youth workers for training, networking, encouragement, soul care, resources, and much more at the National Youth Workers Convention! Here are 28 leadership quotes that I believe...
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7 Tips to Prepare for a Great Retreat
Retreats are a staple for many youth groups, especially during a busy school season when students need a chance to get away and take a break. A great retreat requires hard work and intentional...
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Where I Belong
I spend most of my life questioning whether or not I fit in. I feel… too short or… not good enough or… unworthy or… incompetent or… too outspoken or… not outspoken enough or… too silly or… sometimes I...
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Reflections on the Racial Reconciliation Experience at NYWC
WARNING! Read at your own risk! This was a hard piece to write, as it forced me to acknowledge and accept some hard truths about myself. If this provokes defensiveness in you, please hang in there....
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In My Weakness, God is Strong: My Journey with ADHD
Fired. It wasn’t the first time that I heard the word; still, it stung. Of course, they didn’t voice that harsh term-fired. Instead, they dressed it up in niceties like, “We need to move in another...
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Pastor, Can I Speak Outside Our Church?
“I want to get my pastor’s permission to do some speaking next year. How should I go about it?” That was the question waiting on my voicemail when I landed in Tampa from my latest speaking engagement....
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Vlog Recaps of NYWC
PAUL TURNER is a long-time youth worker, speaker, and blogger of all things youth ministry. He’s the youth pastor at Pleasant Grove Assembly in Birmingham, AL and writes regularly at...
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