Looking for ways to recognize your volunteers AND share the good stuff happening in your ministry? Sharing volunteer stories is a great way to go. Once a month, sit down with a volunteer and video tape them answering some questions. Ask questions like     – Why did you get involved with the youth ministry?    – [...]

I’ve got a secret – I hate my job. No, not my youth ministry gig, but the part time job I had to take to help pay the bills. I’m a pizza delivery guy. Its not as glamorous as it sounds (and it doesn’t sound glamorous at all!) The one thing I have is a [...]

You might have noticed I’ve not posted very much in the past couple months. That is because I’ve started pursuing my MAR (Masters of Religion) in Educational and Family Ministries.This was the first semester out of four. The sheer volume of writing I had to do was astounding. Its been an enjoyable and enlightening experience, [...]

This is an oldie but a goodie, and a fun one to play during a lock-in. It’s simple. You need a pitch black church. One person goes and hides, and everyone tries to find them. Once a person finds them, though, they hide with them. As more people find them, it becomes quite the crowd. [...]

Volunteers don’t just show up on your doorstep fully prepared to handle all that student ministry will throw at them. Most of the time, their hearts are right but they need to be trained. It is your job to take their passion and form them into great volunteers.

I LOVE the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. Yes, the training is awesome. The worship is off the charts. The fellowship is tremendous. But the best part is how each year I come away from it more in love with Jesus, more in love with my teens, and more fulfilled about my calling.

If you’ve worked with teens in church for any length of time, perhaps you’ve heard someone say they following to you… “Those teens keep talking during church!” “They were passing notes during the sermon!” “Can’t you get those teens to come in from the foyer and sit in the pews?” “Did you see how those [...]