As youth ministers, we often serve as change agents. We begin ministry young, idealistic, eager, and often arrogant. We work in churches that have become disconnected with the culture in which they live and we know that they need to ...
Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18) I've used this scripture every time I've met with a church to do vision planning. However, I have met with a lot of churches without a vision and none of ...
Volunteers, a precious resource we can't afford to lose. —Denise Penn Do your volunteers know how much you appreciate them? They should. Lack of volunteer appreciation is a major reason for high turnover rates among volunteers, and appreciation can be directly tied ...
by Stephen Ingram I love to read. I love to read about all sorts of things, but I especially love to read about ministry and how we have the ability to shape it for the future. Some of the most ...
Meet Travis and Amanda Garner Travis is the Pastor of Discipleship (he just recently transitioned from being the Pastor of Student Ministries for eight+ years) at Brentwood United Methodist Church in Brentwood, Tenn. and Amanda is a Speech/Language Pathologist. The have ...
You've planned an amazing white water rafting trip for your youth group. You've written every devotional, laid out every game, ice breaker, and small group activity. You found a great rafting company that will take care of all the logistics. ...
Editor's Note: This is the first in our short series "Married/Single in Youth Ministry." Over the coming weeks we'll profile three married couples and two single folks to get their insights on youth ministry as it relates to varying stages ...
Editor's Note: This letter is an excerpt from CYMT's book Letters to a Youth Worker, edited by Mark DeVries. Dear Theologian, Yes. You are a theologian. Anytime you open the Bible and read the scriptures, anytime you talk about God ...
Newsflash: You have more to do than you have time to do! Solution: Get help and let go! How do you find and empower folks who can help you with your ministry? What do you need help with? Is there ...
by Jason Sansbury When you've been in ministry long enough (and sometimes when you're just starting out), there are certain "moments" that you'll experience. One of those moments is when the "haters" come for you. I wish I could tell ...
by Peter Carlson Youth group ski trips are often a highlight of the year to both students and adult leaders (especially if your church covers the cost of your leaders’ lift tickets). However, when planning these trips it’s easy to ...
by Andrew Zirschky The careful balance and integration of coaching, church experience, cohort interaction, and the academic study of youth ministry are at the heart of the Center for Youth Ministry Training's (CYMT) mission to educate and equip youth ministers ...
Editor's Note: The following article is a summary of material presented at the Center for Youth Ministry Training's conference From Txt2Speech: Proclaiming scripture to youth in a digital age, held Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn. by ...
by Laura Larsen The first major conference hosted by the Center for Youth Ministry Training, From Txt2Speech, held at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, November 29 through December 1, 2012 was not to be missed. Focused on how to proclaim ...
Editor's Note: The following article is a summary of material presented at the Center for Youth Ministry Training's conference From Txt2Speech: Proclaiming scripture to youth in a digital age, held Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn. by ...
by Mindi Godfrey One of my very dear friends dubbed me "Queen of Plan B." In most situations, especially when working with teens, I have a "Plan B." I hate to be unprepared and caught off guard even though I'm ...
by Samantha Tidball Recently, I had a conversation with someone about his understanding of the function of church. He told me that he once heard a preacher say that the church is about saving souls. This preacher believes that if ...
by Gary Wake If someone’s driving and they have no idea where they are, it’s helpful for them to stop and figure out where they went off track, so that they don’t move further from their intended destination. There are ...
Andrew Root's A Theological Journey through Youth Ministry book series is one of the most exciting things to come off a youth ministry press in years. Thank you to Youth Specialties for turning an off-handed conversation into vibrant, essential theological conversation ...
by Chris Cummings In August 2012 the organization Youth Pastors Anonymous (YPA), a support group for paid and volunteer youth workers in the Nashville area, hosted the inagural youth ministry volunteer team training event, MORE THAN A VOLUNTEER. The idea ...
