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Get Off the Fence: Why Students Need You Now
I started volunteering in high school ministry because of the leaders I didn’t have. As a high school student, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of interest in the youth group, particularly from the...
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Ask God to do Ten Things for Summer Camps
This summer, many of us will attend or lead a summer camp. In my role as a denominational leader, I have the privilege of leading six camps this summer. God has helped me put together some fantastic...
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Connecting with Parents During the Summer Months
When was the last time you went out of your way to meet with a parent when their teen wasn’t in any trouble? Summer is often known as the best time to connect with our students but as youth workers, we...
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A Letter to Parents of Youth…
Dear Parents, You have been given, by God, an incredibly significant and beautiful role. You are the spiritual shield for your children. Ephesians 6: 10-12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his...
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Too Much
If you work with middle school or high school students for any length of time, you have probably had “that” conversation. You know what I’m talking about. The conversation usually happens at a time...
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Boundaries: Not Sexy, But Good
I know boundaries is not a sexy topic, but boundaries are my friend and I want to spend some time introducing you if you have never met. My natural, built-in instinct is to look for the boundaries in...
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Are Your Youth Ready to Play Defense?
In high school, I was known as the “church boy.” People knew that a lot of my time was spent at the church, I was always humming worship songs to myself, and there were a lot of social gatherings that...
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No More Jiffy Lube Ministries
You pull your car through the overhead door, stay seated, simply roll down the window and answer a couple quick questions. In 15 minutes or less, your oil is changed and you are back on the road with a...
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Parenting Towards Purity
Many things aren’t the way they used to be and yet some things are as they have always been. So it is with purity. It is almost expected that teenagers and young adults will choose impurity over...
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Wonder Woman and Human Depravity
So you’ve probably seen Wonder Woman by now. If you haven’t, see it! On top of being a great action movie, giving girls a hero, and boys a helpful female hero, it engages deeply in theological...
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Building a Culture of Repentance
The Triad of Life is a distillation of Scripture’s most basic building blocks for the Christian life—a three-pronged, mutually enforcing and informing concept that shapes everything we do as believers....
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Inextinguishable: Ministry with Victims of Abuse
This is a tough one. It’s tough because of the subject matter, and it’s tough because of the fear and anxiety we have around even broaching the subject. But we have to talk about it. According to...
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7 Secrets to Getting More Students to Sign Up For Your Events
We all want to know the secrets to getting more students to sign up for your youth events right? You know the feeling. You’ve spent hours and hours planning an event. You’ve invested time, energy...
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3 Ways to Better Screen Your Volunteers
There’s no question that we need to screen our volunteers, especially those who work with kids. But how do you properly screen workers on a limited budget with limited time? How can you ensure the...
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How to Incorporate Movement Into Your Ministry Time
Movement and activity have countless benefits to your ministry and lessons but can be hard to work in, whether it’s because of space issues, scheduling problems or a particularly inactive,...
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14 Summer Activities and Games
Summer is upon us which means a whole new genre of activities is needed. Whether it is a planned activity that is on the calendar for months or a spur of the moment thought and phone call to a few...
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Leaders Say “Yes”
Every leader faces tough decisions. Some will have to decide whether or not to fire someone today. Others will struggle with figuring out how to find and hire the right person. Leadership is not always...
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Holy Spirit Prayer Stations
A few weeks ago, our youth small groups did a lesson on the Holy Spirit from Francis Chan’s Basic series (great series, by the way, you should check it out). The video went well, the intro to small...
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Chaos Coordinators: A Model of Organic Summer Ministry
Sometimes in youth ministry, we may feel like we are coordinating chaos. No matter how much we do or plan, teenagers often have a mind of their own. So, how often do we take seriously their need for a...
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The problem with “Positive Peer Group”
As a youth minister, I hear this phrase a lot “positive peer group.” Often it is when a parent, with good intentions, is saying that they would like for their teen to be around other teens who will be...
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