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…
With the new Ant-Man movie, Quantumania coming out, now is good time to plan your own mania night. Mania is just a way to say “hyper focused” on an idea or event. Whatever idea you choose, go all in on it. 5 Mania Meeting Ideas Music Mania Play name that tune (or name that toon)…
Failure is never fun but without it you’ll never learn or grow, but how do you keep your failures from drowning you in negativity and self-loathing? Fear of failure is even worse because it may mean you’ll never try or never step outside your comfort zone. You may not want to hear this but Youth…
When I was a younger youth pastor, I believed sports was the enemy of youth ministry. Sports took athletic students away from my youth meetings, outreaches, retreats, etc. Didn’t those coaches know I needed the numbers!? It’s easy to blame our youth ministry’s sagging momentum and low numbers on sports. Judgement usually followed, “If these…
Every day is, or should be, Thanksgiving, but for teens it’s sometimes hard to be thankful during tough circumstances. So, what can you do to remind them of why they should be thankful? It starts with getting them out self-pity and getting their minds on others instead of themselves. Here are some ideas/projects/crafts that will…
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…
I asked, on Instagram @thedproject, what questions do you have about youth ministery and Matt had a great question, How do you partner with local schools (especially when they’re meeting virtually)? My wife, who is a former school teacher and is currently the CEO of a Boys and Girls Club, came up with a few…
Every youth meeting where you’ve invited guests, you have the chance to add one, or more, of them as a part of your tribe. Yes, you want them to know and receive Christ on night one of their visit, but it may take a guest time to know, understand and respond to the Holy Spirit.…
I have recently finished putting together the four week series The Hunger and Thirst Games for public consumption. The four week outreach will help draw new kids to your youth ministry and connect Christ and culture to reach kids where they are at. I will be adding a few nuggets to make the outreach even…
