I spend my days writing for and training youth workers JUST LIKE YOU.
Off Road Preaching: How To Keep Your Message From Bogging Down
When I prepare a message, most of the time, I usually know where I’m going with it and I have an outline in my head. There are times though when I leave the prepared path and go muddin’ (as they say in the south). In preacher talk we call them...
Thursday Morning Quarterback : Give Yourself A Break
Pic Source I don't know how spiritually ready you were last night to execute your youth meeting or small group, but I was spiritually slacking. I have a lot going on in my life right now. I have trying to get my High School senior son...
Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Ways To “Raise The Bar” In Your Youth Ministry
Pic source Last night I got on a it of rant on Twitter. Part of it was reflection of my own status in life and part of it was my distaste for mediocrity in general. Here is my rant from Twitter: @paulturnertoo We should stop giving out attendance...
Thursday Morning Quarterback : How To Deal With Angry Parents
It's Thursday and maybe you had some drama in your youth program last night. Did I say maybe? There's always something going, sometimes it's big, sometimes it's small, and sometimes it's nuclear, like an angry parent. I have had my share of...
Book Review: Get Your Teenager Talking by Jonathan Mckee
Have you ever had a conversation with a teen that went nowhere? Yep, me too. My go to question for a struggling conversation is "Do you like monkeys?". That elicits some laughter, which breaks the awkward tension, but it does not take us to much...
STEPPS 6: Creating a Youth Minstry Of Contagious Stories
Every youth ministry, not matter the size, denomination, or ethnicity, has a narrative. One year into serving at my current church, a tornado came a stole our church. We spent the next year rebuilding. Our youth ministry remembers that year....
STEPPS 5 : 10 Ways Your Youth Ministry Could Be More Practical
Yes, teenagers should go to church, be in a community of faith, but sitting home and playing video games or doing homework sounds like a more practical idea. If our only answer to the question, "Why should I come?" is "You'll have fun"...
STEPPS 4: Taking Your Youth Ministry Public
Our youth ministry recently sponsored a 5k run/walk for missions. We asked out local police to help out with the run by blocking off the roads as the runners ran. We did not have a huge contingency of runners, about 30. We had a few slower walkers...
STEPPS 3 : When People Care They Share
The third STEPPS principle Jonah Berger shares in Contagious is : When People Care, People Share. How much do your kids care about the youth ministry? You could ask your teens, "How do you feel about the youth ministry?" but those...
Top Ten Tuesday : My Top Ten Favorite Easter Songs
Easter is right around the corner and I like to use music, in addition to scripture, to reflect on what Christ has down for us. Here are my top 10 favorite Easter Songs I'll have on cue this week. The Easter Song By Keith Green I love the...
STEPPS 2 To Sharing What Your Youth Ministry Is All About: Spiritual Triggers
In the days of yore, people would tie strings around their fingers to remind themselves to do something. Today we have apps for that but reminding kids about their faith in Christ and their place in our community, called the church is a reminder we...
5 STEPPS To Sharing What Your Youth Ministry Is All About
I've recently read the book Contagious by Jonah Berger and he lays out five STEPPS every business or group that has a brand, product, or message should think through if they want they want to be contagious. Let me make a distinction...
Thursday Morning Quarterback : Where Was Everyone?
I am starting a new weekly series called The Thursday Morning Quarterback. This phrase comes from the the term "Monday Morning Quarterback" which is/was a term for critics, journalists, and every day fans who like to chime in...
Youth Ministry Nirvana
I experienced a moment yesterday at church that had me thinking I was having an out of body experience, a glimpse of Youth Ministry Nirvana. I was shutting down the church, as I normally do, checking doors, clicking lights etc. and as I walked into...
3 Reasons To Take Your Youth Group To See God’s Not Dead
Warning: Spoiler Alert I took some students to see the movie God's Not Dead. I have to by honest, I did not have high expectations going in based on previous Christian movies I had seen. This is going to be my positive post where I do not come...
The Disciple Project OUTREACH MANUAL
HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR DECAYING YOUTH MEETING INTO A FLOURISHING CITY-WIDE MOVEMENT