I grew up Catholic, and I didn’t know it at the time, but I was becoming a disciple of the Catholic church. Being a disciple of the Catholic church, or any church, is not the same as being a disciple of Jesus. Churches have philosophies, ideologies and strategies for growth but I would contend that…
Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the mouth – Mike Tyson You had a plan for youth ministry in 2020. How’d that go? Right. 2020 was the biggest punch in the mouth to the plans of everyone on the planet including your youth ministry. You had to answer questions like What is Zoom? How…
Planning local service projects for your ministry? These tips will help you get started. Local service projects for your teenagers can be a chance to embrace the “mission” without the “trip”. It’s using your own backyard as the setting for an intersection of discipleship and service, in a way that can build long-term relationships between…
There is nothing comfortable about real discipleship. It is the role of the the youth pastor, you, to create discomfort in your youth ministry all the while being hospitable. The evangelist Billy Graham used to say of his preaching, “I have come to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.” I believe the youth pastor…
I’ve used responsive readings over the years, in youth meetings, camps, etc. and found them to be powerful tools in helping students interact with God’s word. The back and forth of scripture and response is better than the call and response method such as begging for an amen. Amen is a great word that means…
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou Gifts are not bribery, they are thank you’s. These gifts can range from a free youth group t-shirt to a bag of goodies they can take home with…
Fun does not always mean water parks and crazy games. Fun is a good conversation. Fun is feeling welcome. Fun is meeting new people. Fun is learning something new. Every student has their definition of fun and you need tap into their idea of fun rather than presenting your own idea of what they think…
Who doesn’t want to add people to their youth ministry? Who doesn’t want to add more people to kingdom of heaven? No youth pastor worth their salt, that’s who. When does this process begin? It begins with the first smile, the first welcome, the first high five and, I would add, the first meal. Follow…
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…
When you’re asking your students to bring a friend to youth group, you are asking them to invite someone into your community. If you treat your guests like someone who’s just there to fill a chair and feed your ego, they may attend your meeting(s) but they’ll never join your community. You owe your guests…
