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Language Matters
How we think and what we say has the power to give life or take life. As a counselor, I spend all day helping people explore the connection between their thoughts, beliefs, and actions. This model of...
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Professionalism in Youth Ministry
Youth leaders, as a subset of human beings, are great at a lot of things. For example, they are great out-of-the-box thinkers, highly energetic, relational, and can survive on more pizza and Mountain...
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When singleness is beautiful
I’d like to tell you a story. It’s one of my more painful stories of working for a church when it comes to my singleness. I had an elderly lady walk into my office when I served as a worship...
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Accidental Mentor
I have a standing appointment with Todd every Tuesday morning at 8 am. Todd is not a student. He isn’t a ministry volunteer. He isn’t even a member of our church. Todd is actually a student pastor at a...
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3 Lessons from “Over the Hill”
There is a growing trending among youth workers. They are staying in youth ministry longer. They are choosing to continue on in youth ministry as a lifelong profession and calling. There is an...
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Don’t Settle For Safe: An Interview with Sarah Jakes Roberts
MAINA MWAURA sat down for a conversation with Sarah Jakes Roberts about growing up as a PK, the power of a praying family, and other valuable life lessons she shares in her latest book, “Don’t Settle...
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Why A Zippo Lighter Made Me Cry
“Cary Branscum is looking for you.” It was early and in route to my office when I got the call from my admin that Cary had already been to my office and had something for me. He was excited. Let me...
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Finding Motivation When It’s Gone
Not every season in ministry is a great one. Sometimes things are wonderful, sometimes they are terrible, and sometimes they aren’t bad, you just feel like you have no motivation. I am not talking...
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45 Awesome Drop of the Hat Activites
You finished teaching, but there are still 10 minutes before parents pick up their kids! What do you do? Recently on a webinar with Ryan Frank, we talked about how sometimes we need to stretch the...
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Before They Graduate
As a youth pastor, it’s 100% your responsibility to help students in your ministry graduate and be a positive part of society, be able to function outside of mom and dad’s house and be able to do...
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Youth Ministry’s Deadliest Challenge
Suicide is the #3 killer for kids ages 10-14, and #2 for ages 15-24. Chances are, the majority of us have been affected our ministries or someone in them directly. Last week, we leaned into Ash...
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What to do with New Believers
Can you remember the day you first believed? I was a ten-year-old boy attending a Summer Backyard Bible School for kids in the neighborhood when I first believed in Jesus. God began a good work in me...
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Crazy Kickball (messy game)
This is a favorite of ours for every messy game night. Supplies needed Kickball, 2 children’s wading pools, about 20 cans of shaving cream for sensitive skin, ice, bubble bath for sensitive skin,...
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Young Ministry Leaders: Don’t Wait To Give Your Best Effort
In an older, little book called How to Have a Happy and Successful Ministry and An Active and Growing Church, David F. Cripps gave some great advice to young pastors: Do not wait until you have a...
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Youth Ministry Game: Community Dice Spice
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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3 Ways to Keep Seniors Engaged in Youth Group
Student Ministry can be emotionally draining. One of the reasons it’s so draining is because every summer you have to say goodbye to students you’ve had for several years. Students you’ve come to know...
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Lesson Learned at Last Year’s Dirk vs. LeBron Showdown
Sitting in a loaded stadium watching the Dirk’s Dallas Mavs play LeBron’s Cleveland Cavs-awesome! Lots of energy and “celebrity” watching. I have been watching professional sports for a while now and...
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Vision Casting: How to handle a changing church
Change is the one constant in our universe. Before we can tackle how to handle a changing church we first have to understand why change happens. In organizational development theory, there is an...
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Scatter ball
There are a lot of different ways to play this, and you can find them all over the internet, but this is how we play. Supplies Needed & Set Up 6 Small dodgeballs, best played in an enclosed space...
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Small Church Ministry in a Megachurch World
Today’s climate in both the wider church and youth ministry as a whole is one of pursuit – we are all chasing the big guys. We go to summits and conferences they put on, shell over our budgets for...
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