Youth Ministry Category
21 Things Every Christian Teen Should Do Before High School Grad
Posted on December 18, 2014 Leave a Comment
High school students: listen up! You are growing up in a world that expects very little of you and sadly does not challenge you very much to pursue personal growth. You are living in an entertainment culture (think movies, youtube, social media, video games etc.) that does almost nothing to help you develop skills, habits, […]
How to Catalogue the Sermons You Preach
Posted on August 5, 2014 4 Comments
Over the course of a ministry career, a preacher is going to spend countless of hours reading, studying, writing, and delivering sermons. I am of the opinion that most sermons and self-prepared Bible lessons should be saved in a personal catalogue by every Bible teacher. A few reasons you might want to do this are: […]
Two Types of Prayer
Posted on May 29, 2014 1 Comment
Prayer is the most essential ingredient of the Christian life. I hear it said all the time: Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship. If that is true, then prayer is the foundation for that relationship. Communication is what makes a relationship real and living. Without talking, a relationship does not exist. When someone […]
Steps to Developing a Regular Quiet Time With God
Posted on May 22, 2014 1 Comment
I created this 5-step process for our high school students to help them establish a daily quiet time with God. Christians, for more than 2,000 years, have been committed to the practice of getting alone with God on a regular basis for their own spiritual nourishment. It is the building block for having a personal […]
Kill Your Inner Drama Queen
Posted on May 2, 2014 Leave a Comment
There’s no technical definition for the term “drama queen”, yet pretty much anyone can spot a drama queen from a mile away! As I see it, a drama queen is a person (not necessarily female) who has an inordinate desire for attention, even if it is negative. A drama queen relishes having something to talk […]
Youth Ministry Outreach Idea: Cupcake Day
Posted on April 24, 2014 Leave a Comment
One of the most successful youth outreach ideas I’ve used is something we call Cupcake Day. Once a year, our ISCF (Inner-School Christian Fellowship) club at the local high school gives away hundreds of free cupcakes to the students and staff, all for FREE! It’s simple, fun, and reaches tons of people you’d never otherwise […]
4 Dangers of Being a Church Kid
Posted on April 12, 2014 Leave a Comment
Many Christians, like me, grew up going to church. Our earliest memories include attending church. It has been a part of our lives from the beginning and in many ways this is a great blessing. I cannot think of a circumstance where it would be better to not have grown up in church. As far as I […]
I Said Something Wrong During This Week’s Youth Group Message
Posted on March 28, 2014 1 Comment
This past Wednesday night at our youth group meeting, we studied the story in John 11:1-46 where Lazarus dies and then Jesus raises him from the dead. It’s a powerful story – one of the most striking displays of Jesus’ miraculous power in the whole New Testament. But I said something during our study time […]
Ministry and Leadership the Jesus Way
Posted on February 20, 2014 3 Comments
In my own effort to follow in the footsteps of Jesus as ministry leader, I spent some time studying Luke (and Acts) to find some of the key principles that made Jesus the most effective leader in the history of the world. Though I am sure that others can be added to this list, here […]
Preparing a Youth Ministry Budget
Posted on January 23, 2014 Leave a Comment
As a youth pastor, one of the trickiest parts of organizing a healthy youth ministry is figuring out how to disperse your budget. Youth pastors have a reputation as people who are less organized and like to wing-it with stuff, but make no mistake – having a plan in place for your budget is part […]