Imagine what it’s like to be 15 and showing up at a student ministry for the first time. You just moved to town and your parents want you to make new friends so they heard about this youth group and thought it would be good for you to try it out.  You are so nervous. What if no one talks to you? You hop out of the car. Wait, are you at the right place? You know this is the church, but are you at the right door? Well it’s now or never. You walk in and look around hoping someone says hi. Some random adult comes up and introduced themselves as the youth pastor they were nice, but they had to go do something else so now you’re just standing alone, awkwardly looking at your phone hoping other people aren’t noticing you.

Alright now back to reality. You’re an adult and you work with students. You don’t want any student to feel this way when they show up at your ministry. Here are some simple and practical steps that you can implement to foster a welcoming environment and culture.

1. SIGNANGE – A simple welcome banner or flag can make all the difference. It helps your students know where to go and communicates you are expecting them.
2. HYPE TEAM – Good signage falls flat without warm and welcoming people. Build a team of students and adults who wait outside your environment welcoming students with high fives or holding the door open. This helps students feel seen and welcomed. Remember, people don’t always remember what we say to them, but they do remember how we make them feel.
3. CHECK-IN – Once they walk in where do they go next? A check-in area can help welcome new guests and regular students. It provides the opportunity to identify new students and collect their information for follow up.
4. NAME TAGS – This is an easy step to create a belonging culture. Saying someone’s name is a simple way to create a connection and show students that their name is worth knowing.
5. THE ENVIRONMENT – After they check in, what’s there to do? How about for the athletic student? The artsy student? The musical student? The student who wants to just hang out and talk with their friend? Think through ways you can create a space for every student to feel comfortable.
6. FOLLOW UP – Don’t make students feel forgotten. Use your check-in data to implement a simple follow-up system for new guests. Send them a text or postcard welcoming them. If any student has missed more than 2 weeks of your programming, reach out letting them know you miss them and are praying for them. Intentional follow up helps students see they are important to you and your leaders.

These small changes can make a big impact on your ministry. What are some other ways your student ministry builds a welcoming culture?

Last month, Frank gave DYM Gold Members his latest resource, TikTalk Icebreaker Videos – Thankful Edition, for free! Check it out for yourself. And if you’re a Gold Member, download it right now so you can have some killer ice breaker conversations!

And click here to check out Frank’s other resources as well!

Are you ready for some fun-themed questions to get your students thinking about what they are thankful for? These four new themed icebreaker videos will help your students feel connected and known during your large group program!

This is how it works: These four video-based 1-minute icebreaker questions can work anytime during your program or even during small group time. These questions are designed to help students connect with each other and develop new friendships with some hilarious questions to discuss!

It’s Cyber Monday! That might mean you’ve spent all day shopping and finding just the best deals all over the internet!

Can we suggest some of these for you to think over as well?

Gorilla Glue!

Let’s be real. Your students are going to break something. Somewhere. Somehow. And it’ll be a great story to remember and talk about for years to come… after you put the Misses Higgins Memorial Pew back together.

Buy some glue.

No one needs to ever know.

USB Charging Station!

Your students have been on their phones all day at school. We know it. The teacher knows it. Everyone knows it. So when they get to youth group, they’re going to need to charge those phones for sure! Why not give them a spot to charge their phones in the youth room? Also, as an added bonus, they’ll either all congregate in the same spot for community (win!) or they’ll all have to talk to actual humans because their phones are all charging (also a win!).

Shure Podcast Microphone

Have you started your podcast yet? The lockdown may be over, but there’s still time to make a podcast and talk about whatever you want to with your spouse, your friends, your students, the janitor who helps clean up the church after youth group. Now those would be some fun stories!

Start your podcast now!

Everyone else has one.

Why not you?

Massage Gun

Youth group dodgeball got you hurting? That all night walk-a-thon seeming like a less than stellar idea after you woke up the next day? Chasing after students who ran away once you caught them sneaking off during worship?

Get a massage gun. Not only will it help relieve tired muscles, you can pretend it’s a laser gun. Win-win.

Emergency Survival Kit and First Aid Kit

How much explanation does this one need? You’re a youth pastor. Just make sure the students don’t find the knife. Or the hammer. Or the axe. Or the rope…

Winter Down Jacket with Faux Fur Trim Hood

Honestly, this just seems like a really nice jacket to take on your winter retreat. I don’t think it will serve much as a tool for youth ministry. But it might.

Instant Snow XL Pack

I don’t know. Does this seem irresponsible? Maybe to somebody. Somebody ELSE! This is a bucket of magic that makes FIVE GALLONS of fake snow. What are you going to do with fake snow?

I don’t know but the description says it lasts for DAYS! That seems both extremely epic and super problematic. But who knows, it might make a great story for your janitor/youth pastor podcast!

Have you found any great things to use for you or your youth ministry? Let us know!

In this insightful vlog from Texas youth pastor and DYM Author Nick Clason, we hear three hacks to running your student ministry social media.  Here’s a quick overview of what he covers, but watch for a deeper dive into each of these points:

1. Do Not Turn it Into a Billboard. Ask yourself why you personally get on social media.
2. Use It for Engagement: This is where your students are, so look for ways to create interactions with students.
3. Be Consistent: It can be hard, so be sure to go to DYM to get the resources to help you fill out your schedule.

Nick Clason

Seeds were created to grow…and here’s the thing about growth…Growth takes time. There is a process to growth. It would be silly to expect a seed to become a tree overnight. That’s not how seeds work. That’s not how growth works.

So let me ask you some important questions:

Are the students in your ministry growing?

Do the students in your ministry understand that there is a process to growing more and more into Christ-likeness?

Are the students in your ministry able to identify their next ‘step of growth’ with Jesus?

In my 10 years of youth ministry, this has been one of the most eye-opening lessons.

Poor expectations, whether too high or too low, can stunt (and even destroy) growth.

I’ve seen too high of expectations wreck the middle school boy who came to Jesus with some addictions…only to give up because he couldn’t kill his sin fast enough. I’ve seen too low of expectations enslave the high school girl who came to believe that there was nothing else to following Jesus except inviting friends to youth group.

Sometimes, when we go from series to series, from event to event, from summer to summer, without clearly explaining the process of growing more and more into Christ-likeness, our students can become overwhelmed with where they are failing OR stuck, motionless in their Christ-like maturation process.

We have to help students identify their next step with Jesus. I call this principle the “low bar – high calling” principle.

It is my job (and joy) as a youth pastor to share the good news of the Gospel with hurting, broken, sinful, lost, immature teenagers. The gospel comes with a low bar. It’s the message of grace; it’s Jesus! (Matthew 11:28)

As students mature, I need to remind them of the high calling that comes along with being a disciple of Christ. Disciples live sacrificially, obediently, selflessly, etc. (Matthew 16:24)

Let’s go back to thinking about a seed. Think about the process of growth.

First, it’s planted.

Then, it grows roots.

Then, it breaks through the surface and begins to sprout upward.

At some point or another, it is going to grow a bad branch or two and it will need to be pruned.

When the seed is fully grown into a thriving plant, eventually, it will multiply.

Disciples of Jesus grow the exact same way.

First, we receive salvation. We are firmly planted into God’s family.

Next, we grow roots. We learn identity, stability, and dependency on God through bible reading, prayer, and relationships.

Then, we begin to act like Jesus, living out the fruits of the Holy Spirit, serving, and loving others.

Next, we become serious about killing sin. We desire to prune from the Holy Spirit as we become “Holy as He is Holy.”

Lastly, we multiply. We invest our lives into others and help them identify their next steps with Jesus.

Maybe this is an oversimplification, but I believe that if we called students to a specific next step in their walk with Jesus, we would see fewer teenagers walking away from their faith.

Let’s not set the bar too high.
Instead, let’s correctly identify where students are and call them to the appropriate next step.

Let’s not set the bar too low.
Instead, let’s continually remind them of their high calling in living for Christ.

We expect seeds to grow just like we expect Christians to grow.

Let me ask again: Are the students in your ministry able to identify their next ‘step of growth’ with Jesus?

Brock O’Dell is a high school pastor based out of a local church in Louisville, KY. Brock and his co-author, John Lindsey, are passionate about raising up the next generation of kingdom workers AND resourcing other youth pastors with creative program elements who have a similar aim.

Brock is one of DYM’s featured authors this month! Gold Members got his resource, Beware of the Werewolves, for free! If you want to pick it up, check it out below!

Beware of the Werewolves

A spooky good time for an entire room of students! “Beware of the Werewolves” is an interactive screen game that uses videos each round to mix up your students and have them face off against each other. This is a game of speed and survival (and a lot of fun).

If you’re interested in more by Brock, check out the rest of his products here!

Do you take your students away for a weekend retreat every year? Are you thinking about doing the same retreat that you’ve done the last few years without making any changes? Maybe you want to make it a little more creative this year! Here are some quick tips you can use in order to make your next retreat a little more creative and, hopefully, a little more memorable for your students!

Give Leaders Creative Jobs

Don’t just get warm bodies to come on the retreat! Have leaders come on the retreat and give them really creative jobs. Maybe assign one leader to be the connoisseur of snacks: they give out bananas and granola to students who they see as being kind or encouraging. Have another leader be the Asker of Deep Questions. Print out five or six questions that they can ask students during the retreat to push the theme or to help students unpack the weekend. Or bring an adult whose job is solely to encourage the adults who come on the retreat to minister to students! That way, you have adults ministering to adults who are ministering to students!

Worship Stations instead of Worship Band

Instead of having a worship session, give your students stations that they can be a part of instead. Have one station be a chance to read the Bible, another to write out prayer requests on a poster, and another to have communion in small groups. Fill in the blanks with other ideas that might work with your group. Think outside of singing for a time of worship!

Personal Reflection Time instead of another Session

When I go all in on having students interact with Scripture? Instead of having another teaching session, give students passages to read and questions to interact with, and then have them spend the time you would have spent in the session interacting with the Scripture. Once the time is up, have them come back to share their perspectives and their interactions.

Team Up with Other Churches

Does it feel like you do the same retreat every year? Take some time to reach out to other churches in your area and ask them what they do. Or, even better, try to go on a retreat together! Make a plan for it two years from now and do a really different retreat that both of your churches aren’t used to! You never know what ideas you might come up with when you include other churches!

Take Advantage of the Ride Time

Plan out what adults and students will do on the ride up to the retreat center and on the ride back! Make a specific playlist to listen to. Have adults ask two or three questions to get ready for the weekend. Make the ride back a time of quiet reflection (aka spiritual nap time) or some other thing that makes the carpool there and back something special.

Have another idea? Let’s hear it below!

Need some more ideas for a retreat? Check out these resources from DYM!

INTO THE DEEP

This resource includes everything you need to create a rock-solid retreat for your students. This resource provides insight and direction for every aspect of the retreat process, including preparation, schedules, teaching manuscripts, small group discussions, themed games and activities, graphics, and more. The goal of this retreat package is to allow you more time to spend with your students and less time with your computer!

PRODUCT SET: RETREATS

We want to make your retreat planning a no-brainer! We’ve included the Mountain to Valley Retreat Weekend because of how comprehensive this resource is: 4 teachings, worship sets, PowerPoint files, session schedules, and a ton more – it’s seriously all there! And to help you plan all the details (because retreats are ALL details!), we included a Retreat Planning Bundle that will help you check every to-do list item off your list in half the time.

• How have your youth changed and continue to change since the COVID-19 Pandemic began?
• How can your youth ministry change right now in a way that meets your youths/ new needs?
• What old programs and practices are you ready to let go of as you seek to prioritize new, revitalized, and redefined ideas? What are those ideas?

Emily is a full time Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at a United Methodist Church! Emily has a Bachelor of Arts in both Youth Ministry and Psychology. She is passionate about leading young people to Christ and helping them cultivate a sustainable faith.

Emily is one of DYM’s Featured Authors this month! She just released an amazing resource for our Gold Members, who got it for free! You can still purchase it for your youth group if you want to have an epic Halloween Bash!

HALLOWEEN TRIVIA PARTY

This complete event pack includes EVERYTHING you need to host a massively successful and super fun Halloween Trivia Party! This complete event pack includes a complete leader’s guide, five rounds of themed trivia (25 questions total!), four mini-games, three ways to play and host this event, a Spotify playlist, an answer sheet, a score sheet, and an answer key This clear and detailed event pack will set you up for a memorable Halloween party that your youth will be talking about all year long!

Check out Emily’s other DYM resources as well by clicking here!

October is Pastor Appreciation Month!

But, let’s be real. You probably don’t hear, “I’m so thankful for you!” very often. Or even at all.

Or maybe, during the month of October, you see how other churches recognize their student ministry pastors and then look around and see how your church has seemed to forget that you’re a real pastor.

And, as much as you love students, they are not the best at saying thank you.

Ever.

They may come back and tell you to thank you for all the work you did for them as a youth pastor when they’re forty. But not at fourteen.

Since you may not hear it from anyone else, we want to say: THANK YOU!

So thanks:

• For spending your own money and not getting reimbursed
• For waiting for late parents
• For putting up with that one kid
• For putting up with that one parent
• For putting up for that one kid’s one parent

And for all the stuff that goes unnoticed and unappreciated, thank you! You’re making a difference in the lives of teenagers. God sees it! And that’s what matters!