Giving youth pastors the tools they need to make and shape disciples.

Youth Ministry Round Up #112

1 · 09 · 23

I heard you. Thanks to all of you who took the newsletter survey. The survey is still live and, if you’re new here or missed the first round, I’d love your input to make this newsletter the best it can be in 2023.

Free Ebook: The 10 Excuses Killing your Youth Ministry

Trends

One thing Gen Z obsesses over: fast-casual salads. A Chopt Santa Fe salad or a Panera Baja bowl is the key to our hearts. This healthy, convenient, and cheap menu item is perfect for a generation that values caring for their body. “Y’all better come up here and get one of these!”

How very ‘80s of us! Bulky headphones are all the rage again, after the hype around AirPods has begun to subside. Partially inspired by the Downtown Girl aesthetic mentioned above and partially by popular shows like Stranger Things, it is not uncommon to see campuses swarmed with young people wearing Sony and SkullCandy. Now, for what we listen to: “Un Verano Sin Ti” by Bad Bunny was one of the top albums of the year (2022). Heard at beaches and parties around the world, the album was the first Latin album to top the Billboard 200. The two combined embody every “What song are you listening to?” interview on TikTok. 

Another thing Gen Z is making cool again: books. Reading was seen as “dorky” in the 2000s and early 2010s (though we were all lowkey reading the “Hunger Games” and “Percy Jackson”), but quarantine introduced an era of fearlessly pursuing our hobbies. The hashtag #BookTok on TikTok has over 93.5 billion views, with novels like “It Ends With Us” and “Red, White, and Royal Blue” finding a niche with young people online

more trends on Gen Z at JUV Consulting

Themes (Valentines)

Love thy neighbor: Take time during the month to serve the neighborhood around your church.

Lots of great ideas over at sharefaith

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Articles

23 Books Youth Pastors Should Read In 2023

Your Kids and Their Future

My Three Pillar Process For Youth Ministry

8 Qualities Kids Want In A Camp Speaker

Prayers For A Teenager Struggling With Discouragement

11 Essential Qualities of A Youth Camp Speaker

Videos

Powerful testimony from Bill Quarterback Josh Allen “God’s Real”

Great story of a call to Youth Ministry

What you say!?

Still time to get organized, feel confident and build a championship youth ministry in 2023

My Youtube Playlist of 56 Must Do Game

Need a camp speaker this summer or a retreat speaker this spring, I’d love to serve you

Resources

God, Can You Fix This? (Three Week Series)

Love: A Responsive Reading (I Cor. 13)

Start A Love Revolution

Easter/Lent Bundle

Coming Clean: 40 Day Lent Journal

Insta-Lent Devotions

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