I love developing young leaders. Since I started I youth ministry (100 yeas ago it seems) I was taught to develop a leadership team. My first student leadership book recommended I start a S.A.L.T team, this stands for Student Action Leadership Team. From this point on I was always recruiting new leaders, we would have…
Here’s a thought. Let’s let students lead. “Not as easy as it looks” I said in a previous post. The hardest part is letting go. Letting go of control, letting go of ego, and letting go of the outcome of students leading is tough. So, I have pulled the trigger like never before. We were having…
“Did you say harder? Well, I’m out then, I thought this was going to be easy. I thought I was just suppose to get out of the way and all these kids were supposed to step up.” – Every youth worker who thought releasing students to do ministry would be easy. What are the challenges…
In the heart of every successful team, beyond carefully crafted plays and honed skills, lies a beating pulse – the team culture. While coaches set the stage with structure and game plans, it’s the players who breathe life into the locker room, shaping the atmosphere that can elevate or undermine performance. As former NFL center…
One of my friends posted: Plugging youth into jobs in your youth program is not student-led ministry. Far from it. We’re hearing from God but falling short of understanding. Time to equip youth to lead ministries of their own, not ours. Let me first say that I think the quote is true. Plugging kids into…
I was in the kitchen working on my podcast when I head the t.v talk about students and leadership. Like a magnet, it drew my ears and my eyes to the t.v. where 60 minutes was talking about a boys prep school in Newark , N.J., St. Benedicts Growing up Catholic and watching old James Cagney…
Elisa started youth group in middle school and had been a part our group for a while now. As a freshman, she was involved in the band. Slowly, I started to see her blend into the background. She said she had a lot of homework and was thinking about getting a part time job. I…
You keep calling that one student who used to be very active to come back to youth, but every time you call they tell you they’ve been busy. Yes, they’re busy, they’re busy in another youth group that values them. To the other group they’re not just a number, they’re part of a bigger picture…
Every great gathering has a food component to it. Festivals, the fair, block parties, wedding and even funerals all have food components to them. Food played a major role in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus fed the 5,000 Jesus had dinner with sinners Jesus declared his new covenant over a meal Jesus had a hard conversation with…
If I brought anything to the table over the past 30 years, it’s my God given gift of gab. I love sharing interesting and relevant messages with students. Many of my messages focus on growing in Christ, but I always include the gospel and what it means to follow Jesus. This is part seven in…
