Many youth ministries are in decline and dying. Yes, there are cycles, ups and downs and seasons, but there are some youth ministries that are just plain dying. If you’re one of these youth pastors whose youth group is in decline, I feel for you. I’ve been there. A declining youth ministry is hard on…
I do my best to recycle. I cut up copier mistakes into note pads, I reuse left over wood, and I salvage trash and turn it into something useful. Recycling bins make it easy to sort your stuff; paper here, plastic here, cans here, trash here. If we had one of these sorters in our…
Worship Bands can be a hassle. Personalities, Divas, Want to be the next _____________ (write popular worship leader name here), practice times, no commitment, etc. etc. They can be more trouble than they are worth but I’ve always valued them because it gives kids roles and responsibilities and ways to use the gifts and talents…
I know, we have been told not to make assumptions because it turns us and others into a naughty word, but as youth workers (and any employee for that matter), we do want some assumptions to be made about us because it seems so many untrue assumptions are unintentionally directed at us that make us…
Moment of honesty. I am writing this because I am in the octagon with discouragement right now, and he’s known for cheating. The questions is, who will tap out first. Discouragement in teenagers is not much different from discouragement in adults; it’s simply amplified. Teens can become discouraged because they: – Don’t have as many…
All roads may lead to Rome but not all youth programs lead to discipled young people. Youth Pastors have all kinds of words to describe their youth program, some call it youth group, others call it youth ministry, some call it student ministry but these titles don’t really give a true picture of what is…
I was always taught Summer Jump not Summer Slump. This means that while other churches shut down/wind down for summer, our church was going to grow. I just had to figure out how to make that happen. For the past ten year and two churches I have used the TRIBES outreach program. The 10 week…
This article, as well as graduation forms graduation gift ideas graduation service sample and graduation song suggestions (over 40) Are a part of Launching Well: Graduating Your Senior Class In Style resource. If you are not subscribed to the Youth Ministry Round Up newsletter, subscribe now and receive all these graduation resources. My wife gave a metal impression kit…
I spoke at my friend Steve Swisher’s church, Essential in Virginia Beach, a while back and I thought, “some other church may need this message”. So, I am putting my notes, along with some extra commentary, for anyone who would like to use it with their congregation, youth group or small group. You can watch…
Although we call them spiritual disciplines or habits, we can’t let the “check list mentality” creep into our walk with God by becoming legalistic about it. I think we can agree that the goal of starting spiritual disciplines in the first place is to create a deeper intimacy with God, not keeping a list like…
