Mike Haynes is a youth ministry veteran and the creator of G Shades. A vibrant contributor to the youth ministry landscape, Mike’s passion is to help students and youth pastors alike see life through the lens of the gospel. He and his wife Anna have five kids spanning elementary, middle, and high school, and he serves as the high school pastor at Christian Fellowship Church in Ashburn, Virginia.
For some youth pastors, theology can feel a little overwhelming. This is especially true for youth leaders who are walking into a youth pastor role without formal theological training at a university or seminary. You love teenagers. Someone convinced you to try this whole youth leader thing out. It’s a little scary figuring out something […]
Most teenagers have a skewed idea of what leadership really is. Some think it’s about being in control. Others believe you need a loud voice, a magnetic personality, or a list of impressive titles to qualify. Many see leadership as something reserved for a few select people—the student council presidents, team captains, or the most […]
If you’re in youth ministry, you know how tempting it is to plan week to week. You find a topic that fits the moment, prep a lesson on Saturday, and hope it connects. Maybe it does. But over time, that rhythm can leave students with a patchwork understanding of faith—disconnected thoughts instead of a deeper, […]
Comparison is the very atmosphere teenagers today live in. Their feeds are full of highlight reels and social hierarchies. All of these sources whisper “you’re not enough… unless you become more like them.” It’s not just draining – it’s spiritually damaging. Comparison steals joy, distorts identity, and creates false standards that students try to live […]
Teenagers are constantly asking the question, “Does this really matter to my life?” It’s the lens they bring to everything, from friendships and school stress to faith and church. And for many of them, the gospel feels like something that belongs in a Sunday sermon, not in the middle of a Tuesday math class or […]
When youth pastors think about curriculum, they usually focus on how it impacts students. Will it engage them? Will it help them grow? Is it relevant to their everyday lives? But there’s a broader question that often gets overlooked: What if curriculum isn’t just for students? What if it can also be used to develop […]
T windows of ines, building friendships, and deciding what they’ll commit to. Whether they realize it or not, they’re also forming patterns that can shape their spiritual lives for the rest of the year.Source New students are looking for a place to belong. Returning students are figuring out how committed they’ll be. Schedules are shifting, […]
If you’ve been in youth ministry long enough, you’ve probably faced a moment like this: You pour your heart into preparing a sermon, only to have a student ask a week later, “Wait… what did we talk about again?” It’s not that your message wasn’t meaningful—it’s that teenagers are constantly bombarded with information. Between social […]
For most students, school isn’t just where they spend the majority of their time—it’s also where their faith gets tested the most. It’s where peer pressure is intense, where their beliefs might be challenged, and where the tension between following Jesus and fitting in can feel overwhelming. But school is simultaneously probably the biggest mission […]
One of the most common tensions youth pastors face is whether to focus more on helping students grow deeper in their faith or on reaching students who don’t yet know Jesus. It can feel like a tug-of-war: do we pour into the students we already have, or do we turn our energy outward and focus […]
