As we continue our series on Volunteers, hear from two veteran youth workers and one real-life volunteer on how to recruit, train, celebrate, and retain volunteers better! This resource is a free download of the audio and slides from the ...
Great youth ministry volunteers who passionately care for students, help plan events, teach, and disciple are the common thread among every good youth ministry. If you struggle to find these amazing people, then take some comfort knowing that many other ...
Excerpt from "It Happens: True Tales from the Trenches of Youth Ministry" by Oeland Camp Almost every youth minister has led a trip that turned into a nightmare. During my second year of ministry, I experienced my worst youth trip…so ...
When I was at my second youth ministry job, I thought I knew it all. Here I was, this Southern gal who moved to the great, white Northeast where on my third day, the blizzard of the century (at least, ...
The Need for Innovation At some point in this history of the modern church, the terms “youth group” and “youth ministry” became indistinguishable from one another. Although we’ve all seen a variety of programs and models for ministering to young ...
by Maria Ghianni-Wilkinson During my time as a Graduate Resident in CYMT, I learned so much that helped me grow as a youth minister; I also often found that I had to adapt some of what I was learning to ...
by Paige Bach In my first year serving at a small church, there were fifteen youth regularly attending programming. In my second year, the number dropped to ten. By my third and final year, I had a core group of ...
How to Lead Effective Small Groups by Jeremiah Stone 8/13/19 Establishing small groups can be one of the most challenging, yet fruitful aspects of your ministry. Whether you are at a very large church or a small church, small groups ...
By Andrew Davis 7/30/19 As youth pastors, we must be intentional about how we welcome our new 6th or 7th graders into the youth ministry. Church involvement can be a very positive aspect of the lives of new middle schoolers. ...
By Ryan Nordon 6/25/19 The task of ministry is inviting everyone to the table to experience the good news of the Gospel and God’s grace. It is critical to uphold the invitation to everyone when we are working with a ...
By Kat Bair 6/10/19 Youth ministers have all been taught that when the struggles of a teenager seem like more than you’re equipped to handle, to refer, refer, refer. But to who? And how do you build a mental health referral ...
9-1-1 Youth Trips and Hospital Visits By: Kelly Soifer “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Most Americans will recognize those words from the opening of Dickens’ The Tale of Two Cities, a classic in Western ...
By Karen Jones The Big Trip Question- To Send Him Home or Not to Send Him Home? I was just completing my first year at the large, affluent, urban church. As is often the case when following a much-loved former youth ...
Lent Prayer Station: Seven Places By Dietrich Kirk This prayer guide is perfect to use for your youth group during Lent or as a part of a special Holy Week service. In the 90s, there was a Christian band called ...
By Dietrich Kirk (The WOW Theological Method draws on knowledge from Dr. Andrew Zirschky’s work on theological reflection with youth.) I was walking down the row of hungry people when a man said to me, “Hey, I know you.” And ...
By Dietrich Kirk What should our relationship with God look like? God is full of grace, forgiveness, and love. God is often referred to as a Good Father. Jesus desires to have a deep relationship with us and calls us friend. ...
By Sharon Galgay Ketcham, PhD Justin’s eyes flash with fear, “What if I’m not good enough?” I’m sitting across the table from a high school junior before his theater audition. He hasn’t come to youth group for months, his grades are ...
By: Toby Chastian Several years ago, a volunteer walked into my office and told me that he wasn’t going to be working with my students on Wednesday nights anymore. This young man (let’s call him Doug) was young, energetic, strong ...
By Andrew Zirschky 1/23/19 Teens today are soft. Teens need to toughen up. They’re kids—what do they have to worry about? We love our youth, but perhaps the statements above have run through your mind at one point ...
It's Not a Conference. It's a Conversation. Cultivate: A Thoughtful Youth Ministry Conversation | Jan 24-25, 2019 CULTIVATE Dr. Andy Root: Why we should be talking to youth about racism, gender & sexuality, and mental health. Many youth ...
