I am a bit of a mad scientist. I like to mix and match and test things. My favorite question is “What would happen if…”. I think I get this, partially, from a quote my old camp director Dick Stevens who used to describe his camp as “laboratory of Christian living” I used to call…
I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way. These “secrets” I am sharing with you were secrets to me at the time I discovered them and required a generous amount of butt kicking for me to embrace them. Somehow I got it in my head that my job was to be just the Youth…
Reaching the lost is important but so is reaching the church kid. We don’t always think this way but church kids have as much need to be reached as the lost. Both kids are in isolated worlds. There have been times where having a single focus on reaching the lost put me at odds with…
Before you dive into the rest of this post, keep in ind that these are MY secrets. This post is part reflection and part “here’s a tip if you can use it.” Onward Outreach is in my blood. I have been evangelistic, from a youth ministry point of view, my whole career. Before I was…
When I first took a role in youth ministry, I really did think everything was my job. To often I worked beyond my job description to meet some unmet need. I stepped over lines and assumed roles that were never mine to take. I had no boundaries. If the youth ministry was going to be…
I have been ministering to teenagers for over 30 years now, and my wife and I have led several successful youth ministries over the years. Over the next few posts I want to share the seven “secrets” that made our youth ministries so successful. The obvious reason for our success, and cannot be overstated, is…
I have had a worship band, of some kind, in every youth ministry I have served. I did not say they were all good worship bands, but they were bands. Some were better than others. None were worse, or more fun, than the band I led at a small church in Panama City. I…
I hope you enjoyed my week long series on finding a mentor/coach. Feel free to leave me some feedback as to whether it helped you out. I did some scouting for you if you are looking for ministry mentoring/coaching. I know some of the people on this list and others I do not. You’ll have…
Have you ever felt like you were missing something or rather someone? I have met many young, and old, youth workers who are desperate for that “person” to share the ups and downs of youth ministry but equally need someone to help them develop the skills they need to build a successful youth ministry. Are…
I read an article the other day called “How To Teach Someone A Board Game“. It is a simple, short article; but I think if we borrowed the tips from this article we could teach our ministry volunteers faster, with less mistakes, and with a win for everyone in the end. Make Sure _________________________…
