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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 […]
10 New Year’s Resolutions for Teen Guys
Posted on December 30, 2013 1 Comment
With New Year’s Day just around the corner, here are a few resolutions for teen guys to consider making. I will stop playing video games / surfing the internet until the wee hours of the night…then skipping school or church the next day because I’m “sick”. I will commit to reading my Bible (even if […]
Why You Shouldn’t Be Freaking Out That Young People Are Leaving the Church
Posted on October 3, 2013 Leave a Comment
I hear about it and read about it all the time: young people are leaving the church. Usually the language used is meant to create some sort of panic among Christians. It’s said that there is a “mass exodus” and a “sharp decline” among faith in young people. They leave “never to return” and because […]
No Superstars Allowed!
Posted on September 4, 2013 Leave a Comment
What makes someone a great youth leader? How you answer that question will make a great deal of difference in determining how healthy a youth ministry is. One of the most common perceptions of a great youth worker is what I would call the “superstar” mentality. A superstar youth worker is one who has a […]
Top 10 Rules for Small Group Discussion
Posted on March 7, 2013 1 Comment
One of the things we do at our midweek youth meetings is break into small groups after the teaching time for discussion and prayer. Here is a top 10 list I put together for my youth leaders to help them make the most of small group time. The leader must facilitate. All groups have different […]
The Power of an Organized Youth Leader
Posted on February 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
This post also appears on the great youth ministry blog morethandodgeball.com. ———————– One of the joys of working with youth is how spontaneous and creative the ministry can be. It feels so free flowing and easy going. Most youth pastors cherish this aspect of the ministry, but there is another side that a lot of […]
Gimme Five…
Posted on September 11, 2012 Leave a Comment
Gimme Five is one of my favourite youth ministry games because it is so simple and the kids really get into it. First, you divide the students into teams of 3 or 4 and give each team a pen and pad of sticky paper. Then, you yell out various categories (such as “Gimme five kinds […]
Young Christians: 3 Strengths and Weaknesses
Posted on June 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
Every generation of the Church has its strengths and weaknesses, characteristics than can propel the gospel forward with force or hinder the progress of the Spirit’s work. I recently shared with a retirement community what I view are the three most prominent strengths and weaknesses found among young people (ages 18-30) in the Church today. […]
How relevant is the gospel in North American culture?
Posted on March 22, 2012 Leave a Comment
We sometimes hear people use the language of making the gospel relevant. Christians know already that the gospel is relevant to all people whether they realize it or not. Evangelism is not making the gospel relevant, but rather showing people how the gospel is already relevant to their lives. There’s no debating this. So the […]
Canadian Bible Guy 