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Welcome New Youth Worker | Momentum
Momentum is a very hard thing to build, especially for your new hire. Frequently, momentum is built when there’s a good turn out and teens are excited about what happened. It doesn’t matter if the...
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3 Creative Ways To Use Apps In Your Ministry
Apps are great. You can play fun games, stay productive, catch up on the news and be very social. You can also do many creative things with the variety of apps. Whether it is touching up a photo,...
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Book Review | Review of 4 Views on Pastoring LGBTQ Teenagers
When I first heard about this book published by The Youth Cartel, I had three basic questions before reading it that I suspect most others would ask as well. Will this book give me practical advice?...
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5 Trends from Youth Culture
Bird Box, T-post Challenge, “Meowdy,” Desire for likes, and Desire to Lead It may just be me. It may be that only my students are weird, or different, or odd. However, I would bet that there have been...
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5 Church Trends for 2019
Recently I sat down to lunch with a member of our church. As we sat there discussing life, current events and the church, he made a comment that I won’t soon forget. He told me that he would hate to be...
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Four Ways to Help Busy Families
It seems like families are busier than ever. Most parents are working full time jobs and have a full plate. Then, on top of that, their kids play sports, and are involved in other extra-curricular...
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YS Cares | Overwhelmed – The Wright Family
It was one of those NYWC Moments that Youth Specialties is famous for providing. A youth minister is found to be in critical need and YS mobilizes the youth ministry world into blessing the life of...
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Fuller Youth Institute Feature | 3 Faith-Building Tips Any Youth Leader Can...
I [Kara] used to be afraid of parents of students in my ministry. I was never quite sure what they thought of me or how our ministry was doing with their kids. So I avoided them, and when I did come...
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5 Youth Ministry Trainings To Know About
Maybe the reason you are tired or feel overwhelmed is because you have failed to take the time to stop what you are doing to sharpen your ax. It’s easy to work in the ministry week after week without...
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5 Unconventional Ways To Do Self-Care
Self-care. A topic that comes up often for those in ministry. Sometimes we do not know how to implement it into our lives. Each person is different, because all personalities relax in different ways....
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When The Youth Room Turns Against You | Youth Room Drama
It was a summer afternoon in England (which means it was probably cold & raining). I had been invited to speak at another church’s evangelistic mission. The idea was that throughout the week their...
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A Cautionary Tale: But We Never Did Anything…
This is the story of Billy and me. It’s not a fun story. It’s a hard story. Some of you will find my actions terrible, and some will think they were not “that bad.” I tend to lean towards terrible....
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Job Search Help For Youth Workers
Planned or unplanned, job searching is stressful, frustrating, and exciting all at the same time. Depending on the circumstances of the transition, a lot can ride on the initial planning for what...
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My 5 Star Lesson In Youth Ministry
I was fascinated this year by the Super Bowl. Yes, the game was underwhelming and even boring to watch. Yet, what drew me in was the rosters. In college we are obsessed by recruiting rankings. How...
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7 Ways to Appreciate Ministry Volunteers
Send out a schedule and stick to it. There are few things more frustrating things than hearing about an event hours before it’s taking place. Appreciate your volunteers by appreciating their time and...
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Youth Ministry Pro-Tip: Team Night
“Me think, why waste time say lot word, when few word do trick.” – Kevin Malone. Don’t let this phrase be your Youth Ministry mantra. Sometimes Youth Ministry can feel like a runaway train. We have a...
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Loved Deep Down | Remembering Abbie
I left work and took a familiar route home. As I drove and listened to music, I processed through which families I would see and questions I wanted to ask them to catch up on their lives and worlds....
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When Mental Health Took Center Stage for Me
Like many youth workers, I fell in love with the thought of ministry when I was in high school. I really enjoyed hanging out with my peers and the adult leaders, discussing the Bible and having fun...
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When Church + Leaders Go Wrong
One would be hard pressed to not come across headlines or stories about “failed church leaders” or “church leaders in crisis.” Credible (or once credible) and noteworthy churches and church leaders...
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Half Way There | 3 Questions We Should All Be Asking
In the words of the classic rock philosopher, Jon Bon Jovi, you’re “halfway there.” Winter marks the halfway point of the ministry year, which means that you’ve reached the youth ministry equivalent of...
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