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Equipping New Believers
“Heads bowed, eyes closed… but THEN what??” I clearly remember the adrenaline infusion the first time I got to help someone invite Jesus to start leading their life. His name was Aaron, and he was a...
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Prom Alternatives: Because prom just isn’t for everyone
It’s the end of another school year. That means we’ve all seen about 1 million senior photos plastered on Facebook pages and at least that many prom pics. Everyone looks wonderful! I can’t believe how...
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Fun Summer Camp Promo Video
Use This Fun Summer Camp Promo Video! My first task in full-time youth ministry was a task for summer camp. I had to take a trip to Home Depot for a bolt and some tarps for slip-n-slide kickball....
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Discussion Starter: Transgender Bathroom Debate Intensifies
Transgender Bathroon Debate Intensifies In the News Raleigh, N.C.—According to new federal guidelines, public schools must let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their...
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Why “Chick Night” is My Most Favorite Youth Event of the Year
NOTE: We understand that this article reflects stereotypes of males and females and not all of your students fit these assumptions. We simply made a statement acknowledging it, gave both genders...
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The Parent Trap
If you could be a fly on the wall at my house at dinner time you would probably bust a gut. I live with three teens ages 14, 15 & 16 as you might remember, and the evenings when our schedule allows...
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Church Media DROP! (Free Church Resources)
Today one of my favorite online tech resources, Church Media Design, was rebranded becoming, “Church Media Drop.” Everything on Church Media Drop is free to use. Church Media Drop was created to help...
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20 Questions To Connect With New Students
I wrote a post a while ago (click here to read), and I mentioned that I have twenty questions ready to go when I meet a new student. I’ve gotten more responses on wanting those twenty questions than...
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Discussion Starter: Climbers Die Chasing a Dream
In the News Kathmandu, Nepal—Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, claimed five more lives recently, but that isn’t stopping long lines of people from attempting the summit. With a short...
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Grouping With Digital Natives
Grouping With Digital Natives Originally posted by our friends at Refresh the Church by Zach Below A few nights ago, my wife and I were reminiscing on our first year in youth ministry. It felt like the...
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Kick Butt & Be Healthy: Two Keys to Success in Youth Ministry
KICK BUTT & BE HEALTHY If you were to wander through our youth ministry offices, sitting on virtually every desk you would see a little plaque that simply reads, “Kick Butt and Be Healthy.” I gave...
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Out-of-This-World Endurance
“I’m not gonna die here.” Sometimes we just have to say that out loud. Matt Damon’s character in The Martian declared it in a key moment early on in the movie. How many things in ministry require such...
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FREEBIES: Printable Fliers + Chicago Experience Guides
Hey, Youth Ministry Nation! As you’ve probably heard by now, Simply Youth Ministry Conference is back at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago on October 7-9, 2016. We want to see you there, so Veronica...
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Discussion Starter: Gorilla’s Death Sparks Outcry
In the News Cincinnati—Soon after zookeepers killed an endangered gorilla to save a boy who’d fallen into its enclosure, outrage and finger-pointing began. On Saturday, a 4-year-old boy crawled through...
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A Trending Conversation about Christians “Coming Out”
Sometimes what trends on social media is news. Other times, “trending” makes you think something is news. I sense this blurry line regarding headlines around Trey Pearson, lead singer for Everyday...
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Your Ministry Mission Statement: Who is it really about?
For generations, youth workers have fulfilled the call to love students into the knowledge of Jesus and make disciples. As I think about the declining number of teens involved in youth ministry and...
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Common Ministry Traps to Avoid
I remember being taught 2 Corinthians 2:11 at a young age. We are not to be ignorant of Satan’s devices, schemes, plots, and plans. He will take full advantage of our ignorance. As sad as it sounds, I...
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3 Ways to Reach Busy Students This Summer
Youth ministry is shifting and changing. It is morphing into something it has never been before, and I am not sure any of us know what it will become. We know that there are some students who want to...
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Peer-to-peer Mentoring: What is it?
It’s Wednesday morning at 11:15 a.m. The freshman class pours into the gym with some juniors and seniors thrown into the mix. Coach hands me the mic, and I ask the students, all 100+ of them, to circle...
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Discussion Starter: Rape Sentence Causes Outrage
In the News Palo Alto, Ca.—Reaction was swift after a Stanford University athlete received a six-month prison sentence for a brutal sexual assault. Meanwhile, emotional letters shared by the victim and...
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