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11 Essential Youth Ministry Skills
In building a ministry, the aim should be to build something that lasts…even beyond the tenure of the student minister. Rejoice when your ministry thrives apart from you. Establish a culture of...
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Crafting a One Night Mission Trip
We all know that you lie awake in bed at night with colorful, creative ways to dazzle and impress. You ponder the deeper questions of life: what game could I do with those four boxes of bubble wrap?...
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Are You a Real Pastor?
You finally get the position of youth pastor, and it does not take long before you hear the dreaded (and quite humbling) question: “When are you going to be a real pastor?” My typical response, at...
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Take Your Teens Camping
Would you like to build better relationships within your youth group? Do you wish they would open up more during discussions? Would you like to see them become leaders? There is an easy way to achieve...
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Planning A Personal Spiritual Retreat Day
I’ve been having conversations with more and more people that feel the stress of ministry, life, work, and family. Let’s be honest; it’s all pretty difficult to juggle. I want to be more than I am and...
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10 Apps That Every Youth Pastor Needs
Summer is (almost) here and so are the 15 camps, events, and retreats you have planned for the youth ministry! And, so, if you’re like me, you regularly scan the app store searching for help maxmizing...
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Life After The Retreat
One of my favorite events every winter/spring is our annual D-Now weekend. Seeing students come to know Jesus and others take further steps in their lives to grow their Christian walk. I have the...
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What to Work On (when you don’t know what to work on)
On a very rare occasion in youth ministry I found myself sitting in front of my computer contemplating what to do next. For whatever reason, space in my brain and my calendar was available and, to be...
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Senior Interviews
We all hear the statistics that explain how too many of our students who grew up in the church decide to walk away after they graduate high school. Although one could argue whether these statistics are...
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Replacing Tragedy with Hope
We live in a tragically broken world, and no one is more aware of that than the teens in your youth group. Teens experience the brunt of the problems in the world, and that weight increases enormously...
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14 Podcasts You Need To Know About
With just a tap on the screen, you can be on your way to find inspiration, get new ideas, and grow yourself both professionally and personally. With a great list of podcasts, you can be mentored while...
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6 AMAZING Lock In Ideas
If I ever meet the youth director who invented lock-ins, I may have a few cross words to share with them. These events have been a staple in youth ministries since at least the 60’s and, although they...
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Thriving as a New Youth Worker
A couple months ago my family and I packed up our bags and left our town, family, friends, and church that we’ve been a part of for over a decade. I took a new position in a completely different area...
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I’m Not Your Youth Pastor Anymore
The summer of 2011 I started a role at a church that was paying the previous youth minister’s way through seminary. He had only been at the church a few years, but he made quite an impact. Even though...
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Protecting Your Ministry by Protecting Your Heart
Looking back, I wish I had understood the importance of BEING who God called me to be more so than DOING. Sure, I did pretty good performing on stage and ministering to people I would come in contact...
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Letting a Leader Go
One of the hardest moments for any Pastor/Director is the moment you need to let go of a volunteer leader. Moments like this are so hard because of the nature of volunteer leaders. The fact that they...
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Mission Trips and Missional Living
I grew up in a small church. Our youth ministry was so small, sometimes it seemed like the core group was comprised of only my older brother and myself. I remember our service projects in the youth...
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5 Ways to Protect Your Day Off
Ministry is not a regular 9:00-5:00 type of job. Sometimes it involves early morning breakfast meetings at 6:00 AM to meet with someone before school or work. Other times it involves 4:00 or 6:00 PM...
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5 Ideas For Transitioning Out
After 4 years and an incredible amount of amazing ministry at my church, I felt God leading me to my next step. I watched God do amazing things, and the ministry was still growing and reaching students...
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Addiction | Finding The Way With Students
Walking with an addicted teen is a treacherous journey. It’s not a walk in the park. It’s not a paved road. It’s not even a gravel trail. It’s a mountain pass. It’s full of rocks and cliffs and...
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