Our youth director recently shared something that I thought was brilliant. I saw it on her blog, as she wrote about the pain and fatigue any of us can feel in serving God through church: When someone is hurt by a church organization, it’s a special kind..
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The post For Anyone Who’s Tired of Being Tired appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
Here’s a video we use in our youth ministry for a game we call “60-Second Hot Seat.” The game is simple and it highlights a student who comes to our ministry. HOW TO PLAY: 1. Play the video 2. Ask questions ASK QUESTIONS LIKE: •..
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One night when I was in high school my youth pastor handed each student in our youth group a little sheet of neon-colored paper. On it was a list—a list he hoped would encourage the junior high and high school kids he cared so deeply..
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The post Helping Teenagers Move From “I’m Not” to “I Am!” appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
#ScreenFreeWeek I was sitting at a coffee shop yesterday enjoying a café Americano with one of my favorite friends. We were catching up, being stupid, making each other laugh, and absolutely we were people watching, when all of the sudden she hit me over the head..
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The post Challenging Digital Dependency appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
What a unique week of one hot topic in particular. Once Upon a Time endorsed a same-gender “true love’s kiss.” The actor who plays Thor endorsed his 3-year old daughter’s desire to have male anatomy (although, ironically, a woman became Thor in the comics). Target..
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The post Once Upon A Time, There Was a Headline About Bathroom Breaks appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
In the News Wilmington, Del.—A fight in a girls’ bathroom resulted in the death of a 16-year-old girl this week. Amy Inita Joyner-Francis, a sophomore at Howard High School of Technology, died Thursday from injuries sustained during an altercation. Two girls are being questioned about..
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The post Discussion Starter: High School Fight Ends in Fatality appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
The Heroes, Hilarity, and Harshness of 2016’s Blockbusters An article from David R. Smith at The Source for Youth Ministry A break up in the Avengers? A house full of scantily-clad sorority girls? Another alien invasion? Some ninja turtles, a lost blue tang fish, and..
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The post Summer at the Movies: Part 1 appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
Recently, I had the awesome opportunity to offer some training and speaking in a dear friend’s small town in Kansas. After five days away, I sat on the plane ready for home. Plugging into music, a favorite worship song came on just as the plane..
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The post My Students Can’t Pray appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
If it hasn’t happened already, it’ll happen soon enough: the late night phone call from a student or parent dropping a bombshell. “Tim, my dad just beat me up. What should I do?” “Tasha, my mom just left my dad, and I don’t know where I..
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The post Ground Rules for Counseling Students appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
The everyday ways people influence one another is astounding. I see what you see – the pain it can cause, as well as the life it can create. I believe there are seven types of people influencing our decisions daily: Family/Parent Friend/Peer Consultant/Advice Strategist/Planner Positional/Boss Guru/Model..
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In the News Washington, D.C.—Although Malia Obama has been admitted to Harvard University, she won’t begin classes there until the fall of 2017. Like a growing number of graduates, she’s taking a “gap year” before pursuing her college studies. Harvard is among an increasing number..
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The post Discussion Starter: First Daughter to Take Gap Year Before College appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
You suffer through it every year with a sense of guilt, frustration, and pressure. May is notorious for what I like to call the “Senior Slump”. The senior slump is the presence, or lack thereof, of seniors who are slacking off on their commitment to..
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The post Ministering to Senior Slackers appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
Blitz campaigns are meant to reach a target audience with a specific message in a short period of time yielding very direct results. A successful blitz will make you better known to your target audience. Timing also plays a big role in a successful blitz...
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The post Mother’s Day Blitz appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
Originally posted at NEDistrictYouth.wordpress.com. It’s time to register for Simply Youth Ministry Conference (SYMC) 2016 in Chicago! The dates are October 7-9 and the event is being hosted at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. My wife, Amanda, and I have been attendees of SYMC for three years. Each time,..
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The post Why I Love Simply Youth Ministry Conference appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
The Heroes, Hilarity, and Harshness of 2016’s Blockbusters An article from David R Smith at The Source for Youth Ministry For Part 1 of this series, CLICK HERE. Ghosts. Spies. Space odysseys. A team of misfit super villains masquerading as heroes. Some really raunchy animated..
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The post Summer at the Movies: Part 2 appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
Wondering what to do with your graduating seniors? Plenty has been written on that very subject. It’s even all over social media in virtually any forum related to student ministry. You may not need another article on this. And yet the question is still nagging..
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The post Something Different for Your Graduates appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
New episode of Let’s Talk Youth Ministry on questions every youth worker needs to ask! In this episode, we talk about six questions every youth worker needs to ask. I actually believe every leader should be asking these six questions. One of the traits of a great leader..
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Hillary was right. It takes a village. Kara Powell and the research she has helped lead at the Fuller Youth Institute has confirmed in recent years that one of the primary factors in limiting the risk of faith abandonment (or as I like to call..
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The post Helping Teenagers Identify Their Village appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
In the last two months it has seemed like everywhere I’ve turned students have been bringing up the topic of sex. This is not the conversation I expected to have at the end of the school year as we look to summer, graduations, camps, trips and..
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The post Not An End-of-the-Year Conversation! appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
We stood in the middle of an arena while hundreds of junior high students were running around, playing ninja and 4-square with more AXE body spray on than any human should be allowed. The concern on Rebecca’s face was real. She had been leading her..
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The post 3 Ways to Be Intentional in Youth Ministry appeared first on YouthMinistry.com.
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