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Handling criticism from church leaders, students, and parents
Handling criticism from church leaders, students, and parents can be an ongoing fight. You must develop an internal fortitude and strategy to manage and deal with criticism. There are multiple...
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3 Lessons from Partnering with Churches from Other Denominations
I remember when I was in the 10th grade and going to a small church. I was a part of a very small youth group and I had just recently caught a passion to live for Jesus in every area of my life. I was...
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Trauma and Adolescents
What makes something traumatic for children and adolescents? And why is trauma a big deal? While I have experienced trauma as an adult, my childhood was stable. My parents remain married and still...
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3 Things My Minister Did Right in Responding to Sexual Abuse Disclosure
In June 2000, a courageous 12-year-old family member disclosed to me that my then-husband had been sexually abusing her for years. Since then, based on my experiences and years of research, I’ve...
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High Expectations and First Priorities: Lowering A Teen’s Stress Level
Last year God used a lesson in a way I did not expect. We were discussing expectations and stress with the youth group kids. I honestly expected a fairly normal lesson with normal reactions....
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Using Slack With Your Team Is Simple and More Productive
Have you ever struggled to find the message your coworker sent you? Was it text? Email? Your other email address? Maybe it was sent on social media? We have all been there and found ourselves...
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5 Tips For Campus Ministry
If I had a dollar for every time I heard a youth pastor say that they can’t get on school campuses I would be rich! We all know the public school system is not a welcoming place for religion and it is...
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Life Doesn’t End When Everyone Finds Out
In June 2016, I resigned from my position at a church after eight years in order to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. By the time I resigned, my struggle had grown into full-blown alcoholism. I would...
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Recruiting Volunteers
No matter what, it’s hard to do youth ministry on your own. There’s a lot you can do but at some point, you either realize you need to get some help in the form of volunteers or you end up burning out...
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The summer is over? …so soon?
At the end of the school year, I stop and think, “Man, the school year went by so fast,” and I think about how bored I’m going to be not seeing my young people every waking minute, or how I don’t know...
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How Youth Workers Can Help High School Seniors Plan for College Admissions
Perhaps you’ve never stepped foot on a college campus or it’s been two decades since you’ve attended college. Don’t worry! Every youth worker can be a tremendous source of encouragement (1...
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Collaborative Youth Ministry
Athletics, plays, clubs, parachurch ministries, other youth groups, what do all of these have in common? Well, for many youth workers, what these have in common, are that they are all our competition!...
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Relief and Rehabilitation
When disaster strikes, we feel so many emotions, and we begin to ask how we should respond. As both individuals and as an organization, YouthWorks staff have asked similar questions over the 23+ years...
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Walking Down the Mountain
We’ve all been there. As summer draws to a close and we ramp up for another school year, already it seems like the camp and mission trips highs that our students experienced are beginning to dwindle...
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Are We Doing Youth Discipleship Wrong?
As youth pastors, I think most of us feel like we do an adequate job in discipling the youth in a student ministry. Humbly, we say there is always room for improvement but we are usually somewhat...
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Ministering in the Midst of Natural Disasters
Header photo by Univison. Earlier this week, I awaited a phone call to tell me that friends from Houston had been evacuated in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. When I got the news, it was then my...
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How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge: An Interview with Clay Scroggins
“Great leaders lead with or without the authority to lead. Because every road of leadership forks at the intersection of authority and influence, learning to cultivate influence without authority is...
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3 Ways To Create Student Leadership Opportunities
We all know by now how important it is to put students in positions of leadership in your youth program. If you’ve done it, you also know how potentially messy and complicated it can become. Students...
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Henry VIII – Teaching your boys not to be bullies
One of my favorite places to visit in the London area is Hampton Court, one of the palaces of Henry VIII. It is a beautiful Tudor palace with an incredible garden. Like most of the historic sites...
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Should I Create a Preaching Calendar?
In my last preaching class, I had to create a one-year preaching calendar. This project was massive, to say the least. We had to supply graphics, 52 Sunday morning sermons, 52 Sunday evening services,...
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