Let’s be real—students don’t check out because preaching is bad. They check out because bad preaching is bad. Somewhere along the way, youth pastors started believing that preaching doesn’t work for teenagers. That they don’t have the attention span. That they need object lessons, endless interaction, and games built into the message to stay engaged. […]
I know you’re juggling a lot as a youth pastor, because I’ve been there too. You’re not alone, and I hope what you find here encourages you. Not all youth ministry curriculums are created equal. If you’ve ever sat down with a resource and thought: “this feels shallow. My students aren’t connecting. I’m rewriting half of this […]
Youth pastors know the weight of choosing the right curriculum. Pick something biblically weak and your students miss out on depth. Choose something too heady and they check out entirely. Find something too generic and they never connect. With so many options and so much at stake, it can feel like walking a tightrope. I […]
If we’re honest, we’ve all been there. It’s Tuesday night and tomorrow’s youth message still hasn’t taken shape. Sometimes we’ve been too busy to plan ahead. Sometimes we enjoy the freedom of choosing topics week by week. And sometimes our students ask such good questions that we want to follow their lead. The truth is […]
I got involved in youth ministry, somewhat, by accident. There was no goal of vocational ministry, no seminary training, no intentional seeking of a job. Rather, there was a military move, a new church just getting its feet off the ground, and a group of students needing to be discipled. There was no man-made plan, […]
I’m a huge basketball fan, so I love it when the shot clock is winding down. The pressure feels good. It’s dramatic and enrapturing. But feeling the shot clock winding down on Wednesday night youth group prep probably doesn’t feel as cool, does it? And, of course, when I say “Wednesday night”, I just mean […]
I’m an Enneagram 3. In case that means nothing to you, it means I function as someone who values high achievement and the appearance of perfection–looking well-put-together. That’s probably why I’ve always been a big believer in strong systems within a youth ministry. And one of the biggest debates in youth ministry is how structured […]
Youth ministry looks different in a small church. You probably don’t have a big production budget. That’s probably an understatement.You might have students spread across multiple grades. Some of them might not even be in middle school yet.You likely have a small (or even volunteer-only) leadership team. Nobody’s getting paid to do this. So why […]
If you’re feeling conflicted, hurt, or even a little lost about what’s happening with Orange, you’re not alone. If you’re not aware of what’s happening with Orange right now, here’s the overview: Last year, it came out that there was sexual misconduct and abuse between Orange’s Founder and the President of Orange. Both leaders resigned […]
In youth ministry, the term “gospel-centered” gets thrown around a lot. Every youth ministry curriculum claims to be Christ-focused, biblically sound, and faith-building. But when you take a closer look, a lot of what’s out there is more behavior modification than true gospel transformation. So what actually makes a youth ministry curriculum gospel-centered? And how […]
