10 key habits that contribute to success in youth ministry, drawing inspiration from principles identified by Napoleon Hill for millionaires. Listen to the episode for context and suggestions on how to achieve each of these habits. Have a Definitive Purpose: Know why you exist as a youth pastor. What is your mission within the church…
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 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…
Listen to the podcast here I’ve said many times, one of the roles I have as a pastor is that of talent scout. My goal is to scout out the congregation and build a team that will not only help me accomplish what God has called me to but help those I recruit to fulfill…
I remember standing in front of a group of young people and uttering the words “There’s a new sheriff in town.” How arrogant, stupid and self sabotaging was that?! Even though I said it in a joking manner, the underlying truth was, I believed it. I believed I was the solution to this “problem”. It…
Teenagers, by nature, are inappropriate. Their immature brains, sometimes, come up with terrible things to say and do without any guardrails or filters. I’ve never had to create a formal code of conduct, mostly because I’ve never needed one. The students who came to my youth group were mostly well behaved, I had a good…
I’m not a a soccer guy, but this story I heard from the World Cup caught my attention. The Japanese national soccer team won their game against Germany but that’s not the only reason they made headlines. Pictures of their locker room started floating around because of how immaculate it was, but that’s not all.…
I have played hundreds of games with youth groups, camp groups, retreat groups and more (I have a playlist here if you actually want to see some of them) and I thought about what a burden games are to those who don’t enjoy them or who feel chained to them. First, you don’t have to…
I have been working in youth ministry in the local church, camps and campus ministry for over 30 years, but when I started, no one told me about the risks involved with working with youth. The risks I am about share with you, I discovered on my own. Risks of Youth Ministry should be a…
