by Mike Kupferer No youth ministry is immune to the economic hardship facing our country. In order to be better stewards of our resources (and possibly stay afloat), we all need to learn to save a few bucks. Spending a ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk Mini-Altars Help Students Keep God with Them During the exile, the Israelites came to understand that God didn't dwell in just one ...
by Mike Kupferer It's time for many youth ministries to turn in their budgets for the next year. The economy is tough, and churches are feeling the crunch, too. The most important thing to remember when working on your youth ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk In this short discussion starter, written for middle school youth but adaptable for other ages, participants explore the idea that the church ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk Engage the creative gifts of students in this prayerful activity. Divide your students into small groups of perhaps three or four. Give ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk I'm not a big fan of big back-to-school bashes. They are sort of the bait-and-switch of the youth ministry world: We bring ...
by Terry Carty We all know about the holy habits of worship, prayer, giving, reading the Bible, and the sacraments. These habits are, of course, important, but do we find ourselves simply doing these just out of habit? Ask yourself ...
by Hank Hilliard and Mary Dell Deweese My oldest son, Tanner, played baseball last spring in what is called a "modified coach-pitch league," which is one step up from T-ball. The batter gets seven pitches from the coach (which actually ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk Most of us would love it if we had a group full of young people who loved to pray and were fully ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk This summer, for the first time at my church, instead of taking a "youth mission trip," we took an "all-church mission trip." ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk Sometimes the only way to get a different perspective on Jesus is to force ourselves to see him in a new way. ...
by Brian Kirk A friend from my seminary days recently contacted me to ask if I had any suggestions on ways to engage students in discussion so they wouldn't get bored. A tall order, as the last thing most teenagers ...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk I'm off to church camp in a few days. So as my staff and I put the finishing touches on our planning ...
by Deech Kirk Create a worship experience that your students will not forget. Jesus bled from seven places when he gave his life for our sins. He bled from both hands, both feet, his head, his back, and his side. ...
by Steph Dodge Overview: This activity is meant to model for the students what the early Christians went through meeting in the catacombs to avoid Roman persecution. It requires a lot of preparation and a number of volunteers but it ...
by Hank Hilliard Editor's Note: This exercise can also be used with parents. A pathway has to do with the way we most naturally sense God's presence and experience spiritual growth. You have at least one pathway that comes most ...
by Steph Dodge Overview: This activity will help your youth understand who they are in God's eyes. Materials: Picture frames or small mirrors for each participant Permanent markers Bibles Handouts or PowerPoint slides with verses related to how God views ...
by Joey Willis Christian Theology, Teens and the Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity can be both a comfort and a confusion to the modern teenager. On one hand, they are starting to experience for themselves the complexities of ...
