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April 28, 2011 Youth Ministry 1 Comment

Top Youth Ministry Resources

Last week, I did a post entitled “Top Youth Ministry Bloggers” and it was very well received. So this week I thought I would look at the top Youth Ministry Resources on the web. So what do I consider a “resource”? Anything that can be a tool to help you do your job better – lessons, games, videos, ideas, whatever. Also a big plus in these resources is that most provide some or all of their material for free.

Pastor2Youth – Long been one of my favorite resources. Ryan has tons of games, lessons, and resources that have been uploaded from youth ministers just like you. In addition, there is also the Forum where you can come for advice, joke around with old and new friends, and enjoy community.

Simply Youth Ministry/YouthMinistry.com – I debated putting these two separately, but they’re really one resource on two websites. SYM has tons of lessons for not a lot of money, and they also provide a bunch of free stuff as well. YouthMinistry.com has a bunch of ideas and freebies as well. Also, one of the best youth ministry resources comes through Simply – the SYM Podcast. A free hour of training/team each week (almost) that can’t be beat.

Youth Ministry 360 – YM 360 was listed under blogs last week, but Andy, Les and the guys over there also provide great resources. They have lessons, videos, and of course great stuff from the blog.

The Source for Youth Ministry – Jonathan McKee’s website has continually been a “source” of inspiration for me. He has games, forms, movie discussions, event ideas, curriculum, and training. Chances are you’ll find what you’re looking for here at the Source 4YM.

Life in Student Ministry – This is more of a blog, but every Friday Tim offers his “Freebie Friday” with links to free resources across the web. I think he has had over 200 Freebie Fridays so there is a ton of stuff. In addition to the LISM page, Tim also has a Ministry Questions page, where you can get your biggest problems answered from other ministers.

Stuff I Can Use – This is one of the best hidden resources out there. The youth ministry team at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville provides free of charge their lesson material – mp3 file, ppt slides, background image, and bumper videos. If you do not have the budget for your own Youth Ministry tech team, then use their stuff. Its awesome. They also have the “Spin That Wheel” software, which does cost but is worth all 2500 pennies (or $25 for those who can’t do math).

YouthPastor.com – YP dot com provides uncountable resources. Lessons, games, ideas, speakers, videos, and links are all there. They have over 15 years of great stuff gathered.

Youth Ministry Ideas – YMIdeas offers games, lessons, ideas and other resources.

Called to youth ministry – I’ve talked about Called to Youth Ministry before, and they offer all the stuff you’re looking for, as well as good blog posts from a variety of contributors.

So there is my list of the top youth ministry resources. For the most part, these are resources I do use or have used in the past on a regular basis. What resources do you use for ministry? I’d love to see what you use in the comments.

September 17, 2010 Youth Ministry No comments

Friday Favorites: Best blogs from this week

It’s been a while since I listed my favorite blogs from the week. Since then, I’ve added a bunch of blogs to my reader, and then went some time before trying to wade through them. Which meant I had nearly 500 posts to read just to catch up! Hopefully my pain is your gain, and you’ll find something that will help you and your ministry.

Blog Posts from Youth Ministry Conversations

Advice to a new youth minister – This is a post from last week, but I thought that it was worth reading again. If you’re a new YM, you will benefit from these 7 tips.

Dealing with "that" kid – Dealing with a kid that is hard to reach, hard to control, or just plain annoying? These 7 tips will help you approach the EGR teen.

Glow in the dark football – A fun game for when the sun goes down.

Poll: See You at the Pole – See You at the Pole is coming up. Answer the poll about your involvement in SYATP.

Other Great Blogs this week

Stephanie Caro – It’s September: Do You Know Where Your Parents Are? – Stephanie offers some great ways to plug your parents into your ministry and getting them involved.

Josh Griffen – Fall Kickoff Back to School Supplies – JG over at MoreThanDodgeball talks about a sweet way to promote your ministry

Kara Powell – 5 steps to breakthrough negotiation – Some tips to help you deal with negotiation and conflict

Ron Edmondson – 7 ways to lead people older than you – Ron shares some wisdom on how to lead people who have some years on you, which if you’re like 95% of youth ministers will be just about everyone in the church besides the youth.

Danny Ferguson – 10 steps to reach the unchurched youth of your community – Over at Youthministry 360 Danny lays out a path to connect with the youth in your community who do not attend church.

Dennis Beckner – To Coddle or Nudge Hurting students – Dealing with hurting students? Dennis gives some great advice on when to coddle and when to nudge.

Christopher Wesley – What I learned from opening weekend (Part 3) – Christopher has been sharing some stuff he’s learned from the kickoff of his youth programs, and in part 3 he clues us in on some ways to share with parents “How’s this going to help my teen?”

Brian Kirk – Puzzle it out – Brian over at rethinkingyouthministry offers a great community building exercise that you can do with your students.

Mike McGarry – Roadblocks to understanding teenagers – Mike lists a number of excuses that people give for not closes the gap between adults and teens.

Andy Blanks – What you communicate to your students about culture – Andy Blanks of YM360 discussed the two ways we communicate culture (either intentionally or unintentionally) to our students.

Adam Wormann – Drop your numbers by 99% – A Time Out article over at studentministry.org that poses an interesting question – What if God asked us to reduce our numbers by 99%, like He did for Gideon.

Doug Franklin – Getting the Most Out of a Youth Ministry Conference – Doug Franklin of LeaderTrek gives 4 great tips on how to maximize your experience at a youth ministry conference.

Walt Mueller – Thoughts on the 2010 VMAs – Walt shares his thoughts while watching the MTV Video Music Awards, unfortunately the cultural touchstone of our generation.

Catalyst – Rules of Engagement in our office – A fun look at the culture of Catalyst and how their office “works”.