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Book Recap and Review: “Networked Theology”
TITLE: Networked Theology: Negotiating Faith in Digital Culture (Engaging Culture) AUTHOR: Heidi Campbell and Stephen Garner PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016, (192 pages). Digital...
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What to Develop When You’re Developing Your Volunteers
There’s a lot to consider when you’re thinking about volunteer development. You want volunteers that are well-rounded. You want them to be strong spiritually and well-equipped to utilize their gifts....
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More Than Free Pizza
When you have a big, God-sized vision for your campus, your strategies for how you chase that vision have to align. But when you have a small vision, you keep trying the same things over and over again...
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7 Quotes From Christian Leaders Speaking Out
This week, in response to President Trump’s executive order on immigrants and refugees, several Christian leaders have spoken out about the order. We’ve collected just a few for you to read below:...
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A Video Training Series: Meeting Students on THEIR Turf
One of the things the church has failed at for yeeeaaaars now is thinking just because the doors are open students will show up. This is NOT the case anymore. There have been periods of time in church...
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What Dreams May Come: Joseph, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Young People
Throughout my childhood, I had a vivid imagination and dream life. Like most kids, I developed the ability to have rich dreams that became increasingly complex. Thankfully, as these dreams increased in...
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Student Ministry and the Purity Culture
Recently, the blogosphere has been abuzz with denunciations of the pervasive purity culture hailing from the 1990s and early 2000s, and with good reason. While helpful in some—albeit very few—ways, the...
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A Student Taught Me About Hope in a Hopeless World
I think it’s safe to say we live in divided times. You can’t turn on the news, go on Twitter, or even walk through Walmart without hearing or seeing the effects of how deeply broken our nation is at...
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Top 10 Junior High Boys in Your Youth Group
10. Lego Logan He is your super sweet new 6th grader, that still plays with “toys.” If you ask him, he will show you his pocket full of legos. You might even catch a couple of his friends discussing...
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Are Your Students Phone Addicts? (Yes, They Are.)
Bzzzzzt. It’s a familiar sound. In fact, if you’re like me, you’ll hear it from Facebook, ESPN, or Pokémon Go (is that still a thing?) before the end of this article. It’s so familiar that you might...
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Panel Discussion on Barna’s State of Youth Ministry Report
Last week, we gathered youth workers from a variety of ministry settings to share their thoughts on Barna’s State of Youth Ministry Report. The conversation was helpful for any youth worker trying to...
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Who Are Mission Trips About?
It’s an important question to ask: When teenagers go on a mission trip, who is it about? Is it about teenagers leaving their home to serve and grow elsewhere? Is it about a community full of stories...
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Safe Sanctuaries
I was a teenager when I was first immersed in the sexuality conversation. A family member and I had an honest conversation about their struggle with homosexuality. This was back in the 80’s in the...
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Temper Tantrums
Have you ever seen those pictures on the internet of a child throwing a temper tantrum? It’s usually a picture of a screaming child with a caption like, “I wouldn’t let him eat his sock” or “She’s mad...
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When a Student has a Crush on the Youth Worker
Being an early- or mid-adolescent can be a challenging time for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons can be the new, but confusing feelings of intimacy. This new experience of having someone who...
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Revisiting Lament
What do you do when you feel alienated, isolated, frustrated, loss or anxious? As an adult, I turn to my wife, my network of friends, to prayer and contemplation and to my family. I have places where I...
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Practical, Proven and Powerful Campus Ministry
I love campus ministry and have been involved in it for over fifteen years. I remember my very first experience of going to a school lunch with one of my junior highers. I was sitting at a table full...
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50 Themed Event Ideas
1. Sports Night Wear sports jerseys, dress as a favorite athlete, play sports trivia, eat popcorn and hot dogs. 2. Disney Night The theme can be all Disney characters or just a specific movie. Dress...
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5 Things Leaders Need To Do for Their Volunteers
After being in ministry for about 5 years, I began to wonder why the team I was building wasn’t working the best. I was confused why my volunteers were not as excited as I was. I felt like I was doing...
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Future Being vs. Future Doing
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.'” – Haggai 1:7 I think it’s fair to say that many of us, especially the kind that read blogs, think and dream a lot about our...
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