I like a busy youth ministry. I like when kids come in and have a job; that’s why I don’t do everything. I leave things undone on purpose so kids will have something to do when they get to the church. I believe in the economy of youth ministry. Youth Ministries are like small cities.…
We recently had a young lady join our youth ministry. She is as sweet as could be, a little shy, but I also sense an inner stength brought on by trial. This past week we kicked off our summer TRIBES and one of our tribe leaders bough shirts for the kids for like $1 a…
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 rabbit trails. Talking and preaching…
Keep in mind that mentoring is a personal and, many times, private affair and everyone’s needs are different. I asked a few people online what they look for in a mentor and they had some great answers. I mixed these with a few of my own thoughts. 1. Imperfection and transparency. My friend George says,…
It is so easy to get caught up in our job of youth ministry and all but forget why we do what we do. I recently read an article by Lisa Earle Mcleod called Why Purpose Matter: Four Business Reasons and One Emotional One, and one quote, which deals with a biotech company and it’s…
You know if someone leads with the words, “Don’t take it personally, but” you are about to be offended. Many of us take our youth work very seriously. Sometimes too seriously. We work hard at these things like peaching, programming and relationship building, and we don’t like to be challenged. We don’t make widgets. Widgets are…
I hate games where you can get punched for doing something that is natural for you to do. There’s the game where you try to get people to look at a circle you make with your fingers. There is the Door Knob game where you have to touch a door knob immediately after you’ve passed…
Some things will never change in youth ministry like middle school boys not taking showers, high school girls in conflict and church politics. Maybe this pandemic has drawn attention to your youth ministry in ways that are not flattering and you’re being scrutinized and evaluated like never before or maybe you’ve been on the battlefield…
You should be competitive but not in competition with other churches or youth ministries. Competitiveness is good. Competition is bad. The difference, I believe, is in the heart. I never wished any harm on any other churches in my area, in fact, I prayed for their success. But, if you’re down about our group, you…
In my naive days, I thought the youth ministry was my world, my silo, separate from other ministries. In reality, the only reason you have this full time, professional, role is because your boss, your pastor, signs those checks. So, try your best today to remove yourselves from harming the relationship that could be the…
