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Why the First 15 Minutes of Youth Group Matter

Picture this: Students walk into your space. A few students are shooting a basketball and celebrating. Three freshman girls are sitting on the couches talking about the next “Edikted” sweatshirt they saw online. Another student is eating a snack. A leader has started playing Uno with a few students, and some middle school boys are […]

How To Respond When a Student Talks About Mental Health at Youth Group

Illustration of a youth leader listening to a student, with the title “How To Respond When a Student Talks about Mental Health At Youth Group.”

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Of course, this is something that’s more important than just one month, but it’s a great reminder that we don’t always know what’s going on beneath the surface in a student’s life. Mental health has become a much bigger topic over the last decade or so. We see students […]

The Opportunity of Atheism: Inviting Teenagers To Follow Jesus Before They Believe

Five teenagers walking together beneath the title, “The Opportunity of Atheism: Inviting Teenagers to Follow Jesus Before They Believe.”

This is probably one of the most unhinged titles of any blog post I’ve ever written. But I believe in this deeply, and the concept has gone viral recently on socials. Atheism is not a threat to Christianity. It’s an opportunity to experience Christianity from a fresh perspective. And when we incorporate this paradigm into […]

Building A Healthy Student Worship Team

Student worship team leading music in a youth ministry room with the title “Building a Healthy Student Worship Team.”

A healthy student worship team gives teenagers meaningful opportunities to use their gifts, grow as disciples and serve the church. One of my favorite parts of youth ministry is seeing students use their gifts to serve. In our ministry, we talk a lot about using the gifts and talents God has given us to build […]

Navigating Discipline in Youth Ministry

Youth leader having a calm one-on-one conversation with a student in a youth ministry space, with the title “Navigating Discipline in Youth Ministry.”

In some ways, youth ministry is the best job or role anyone can have. There’s nothing more rewarding, and quite frankly, nothing more fun than discipling the next generation. When you’re leading in youth ministry, you play games on a regular basis. You order and eat pizza all the time. Watching funny videos, laughing with […]

Raising Up Student Leaders: Empowering Teens to Lead in Youth Ministry

Youth pastor sitting with a diverse group of teenagers at sunset, with the title “Raising Up Student Leaders” and subtitle “Empowering Teens to Lead in Youth Ministry.”

You probably got into youth ministry for pretty much one reason: you want to raise up the next generation of Christ followers. Much of what that entails is you pouring out your knowledge, your expertise, and your relationships with teenagers and adolescents in the next generation. It means that you get to share what you […]

What To Do When Youth Group Conversations Aren’t Deep Enough

Youth pastor leading a small group discussion with diverse teenagers in a warm youth ministry space, with the title “What to Do When Youth Group Conversations Aren’t Deep Enough.”

Have you ever walked into your small group completely ready? You looked over your questions, took notes during the message, and even planned exactly what you wanted to ask. Then everyone sits down. You catch up for a minute, look around the circle, and ask, “So…what did you think about the message?” And…nothing. Suddenly every […]

Why That Student Doesn’t Feel Like They Fit In at Youth Group

Teen sitting apart from a diverse group of students in a youth group room, with the title “Why That Student Doesn’t Feel Like They Fit In at Youth Group.”

I’m sure we all have felt like we didn’t fit into a group at one point in our lives. Maybe it was at church, or at a new school, or even at a new job. Whatever the case, we can all relate to this feeling of not belonging. I believe that a huge need for […]

Partnering With Parents in Youth Discipleship

group of parents, students, and a youth ministry leader sitting together in conversation with the title “Partnering With Parents in Youth Discipleship.”

One of the biggest buzzwords in youth ministry is partnering with parents. It’s something we started to realize a couple of decades ago. Or maybe re-realize. I’m not sure what the right word is there. But at some point, youth ministry began to reestablish the idea that parents are the primary spiritual influence at home. […]