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. […]
The top reason we have a youth group is for the kids. The students are the ones we show up for and who we invest in for 6–7 years. The kids create the culture of your ministry, decide what game is cool, and are ultimately who we serve. But I am going to tell you […]
If you’re reading this, you might be in a bit of a panic—or maybe you’re just trying to prepare for when it happens. But either way, when we hear (or sometimes don’t hear) that a student wants to leave the group. Not only does it make us worry about them, but it can sting as […]
Camp is, without question, the most impactful rhythm in our ministry. It creates a space that students simply don’t get anywhere else. For a few days, they step away from the chaos and noise of school, family, phones, and drama. At camp, our students enter an environment where their attention can shift because they aren’t […]
Here in Michigan, we just got our first fake spring. For those who may not know what that is, it means that for about a week the weather was beautiful. I’m talking sunny skies, a cool breeze, warm temperatures (or Michigan warm, so the 60s), and no more snow. But then my lovely state took […]
I got a group FaceTime call from some of my students at the time. I picked up knowing one of two things would happen: either they’d make fun of me for no reason, or they had a real question about the Bible they wanted to ask. It, of course, was the first one. But as […]
Maybe it was the first time your pastor didn’t make eye contact with you while praising the rest of the staff. Maybe it was when everyone else seemed to get more stage time during announcements except youth group. It could’ve been when leadership asked for input on a church-wide decision and you weren’t consulted. Whatever […]
For most of us, February is the month of love—and also the month of the “sex talk” in youth group. It can be awkward, but it’s so important to talk about. I say this as someone who’s felt the awkwardness firsthand. My first time leading a talk about sex and porn was with our middle […]
A tired, defeated youth pastor emailed me recently asking for advice about behavior issues during youth group. She had already stepped down from her volunteer youth pastor role after a particularly rough night where the students wouldn’t listen. The room felt out of control. Nothing seemed to land. And by the end of the night, […]
It’s a fact: we could not do youth ministry or have a thriving group without our volunteers. Volunteer leaders allow us to disciple students well, run activities smoothly, and round out what our ministries can provide the students we shepherd. But how do we love our volunteers well so that they want to come back […]
