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5 Dec 2017

Best of 2017: Most Popular Membership Items

By |2017-12-04T20:49:44-08:00December 5th, 2017|Youth Ministry Resources|0 Comments

The Best of 2017 is a collection of lists – best-selling resources, most buzzed about blog posts or products that moved the #youthministry needle this past year. In this edition we carve out the top membership items that are now in the DYM Store. Out of literally a hundred membership items this year, these rose to the very top. Not a member and missed out on these FREE downloads each month? Start your membership today, or at the very least consider grabbing of few of these sure-fire winners:

Best of 2017: Most Popular Membership Item

  1. Welcome to Youth Service
  2. Gif Charades
  3. Odd Man Out
  4. Sirioke: Animated Movies Edition
  5. 7 Video Transition Pack
  6. Fool’s Gold Video

NOTE:  This list chooses to exclude Dead Cat, which one the coveted Game of the Years moniker late last week. Read about it here!

16 Nov 2017

My Favorite Things: 12-Weeks of DYM Resources in One Bundle

By |2017-11-16T08:40:09-08:00November 16th, 2017|Leadership, Teaching, Teaching/Programming, Youth Ministry Resources|0 Comments

One of the most difficult choices I make as a youth pastor is the direction of our ministry. The sermons, the games, the events… it’s a huge job. Have you ever thought “It would be so fun to have someone help me in that process!” If you’ve ever felt like this, let me be that partner for you. Let me help you get into my mind and how I put together series in our ministry.
I put together a bundle of resources from the DYM Store to help you with your next 12 weeks of sermons, games, a monthly event, and leader training. Everything you need for the next season of ministry programs!
Now I am not saying that I know it all, but service (and series) programming is one of my favorite things to do. There’s just something about having a blank calendar in front of you and being able to fill it with intentionality and series arcs so you can take your students on a spiritual journey with the hope that they grow closer and closer to Jesus.
Everything we do in our ministry planning is intentional… as I’m sure it is for you, too. We want to make sure that wherever we are going 1) God is there and we want to follow His direction and 2) our students will actually enjoy going through it.
Every year our team get together and prays through where we will go in the coming year and what comes out of that time together is a fully planned out, week-by-week scheduled program.
In our ministry, we follow this pattern when it comes to sermon series:
  • Topical
  • Jesus
  • Book Study
We feel that through this rotation you are able to cover a lot of Scripture, encourage students in different areas of their faith and challenge them to follow Jesus more closely. We also try to match the games with something that is somewhat related to the topic of the night. (This does not work all of the time and if it doesn’t, a fun, funny game could get the same results.) We always say in our meetings, “Fun breaks down walls” and it could be the thing that opens up a student to the Holy Spirit.
If I were to choose the next 12 weeks of ministry programming, straight from the DYM store, this is what I would choose.* (Note: this isn’t my next 12 weeks because I’m recommending resources I have used and loved.)
HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE
  • This series is by far one of the best series we have done in the last few years. Not only is it a great and unique take on topics (by giving opposite advice), but each topic was on point for what our students needed to hear. This series hits wisdom on dealing with your cell phone, friendships, and relationships… our students were talking about it every week on social media. (I can usually tell when a message hits hard when students take to social media…)

GAME: Cell Phone Shoot Out – Truth or Dare:

  • For whatever reason, our students are WAY into Jimmy Fallon-type games. They love when just a few students are up-front playing an entertaining game and they can just sit back and watch others make a fool of themselves. That is why Cell Phone Shoot Out is always a hit! This one is great when it comes to a friendship series (or you can even pit a BF and GF against each other.)

LEADER TRAINING: The Power of Encouraging Words

  • One of my favorite times of any season is being able to get together with our leaders and do some training. This video teaching is one of the most important we can do. The truth is we don’t know what voices our students are hearing to and allowing to sink into their lives. What we as leaders can use (for free!) are our encouraging words. Helping your leaders know their words are powerful in students lives is priceless.

MONTH 2 HIGHLIGHTS:

SERIES: THAT’S WHAT HE SAID

  • After a very topical and fun series, challenging students in their everyday lives, I’d suggest jumping into a series that takes a deeper look into Jesus’ teaching. I would even encourage students to invite their friends–this series is a great introduction to the life and ministry of Jesus.

GAME: What Would You Do For A Klondike Bar?

  • Bring up one, two or more participants who are willing to do whatever it takes to get a delicious treat. It could be anything from doing 10 push-ups to drinking clam juice to dancing with no music for 30 seconds. (You’ll need a few additional supplies, including Klondike bars, of course.) The game includes eight rounds (of video) which and the winner gets a free Klondike bar. It is amazing what students will do for free stuff. It was hilarious to watch.

EVENT: Extreme Bingo

  • Who doesn’t love bingo? Well, playing extreme bingo is even better! I can promise you one thing for sure: your students will never be more frustrated with you… and it’s a great thing. Using the BOXES tool in the DYM Games App, you can create “Boxes of Doom”: certain tasks, punishments, or “everyone is out” type consequences if they happen when a specific number that is called. Our students loved it, yelled at me, and completed the tasks. It always kept them on their toes and was by far one of the best games we have ever played.

MONTH 3 HIGHLIGHTS:

SERIES: ROMANS IN 5

•  In a world where students are Biblically illiterate, I think we ought to make it a priority to teach students the importance of scripture. This series is great because the outlines are just that: outlines. They are not manuscripts, but instead some main points to help you dive into Scripture yourself and then help your students understand it as well.

GAME: Impossibler 4 Corners:

• The game prompts students to move around the room to the corners marked A, B, C, or D. When the question is presented, students must move to a respective corner,  but here’s the catch: they’re trying to get the answer WRONG. Whatever corner answers correctly is out. If you want to add even more fun and twists, add a dodgeball element to it. As students are switching corners, have leaders play dodgeball. If a student gets hit by the ball, they are out!

• Reading The Bible With Students: What better way to train your leaders or small group leaders as we go through a book of the Bible than to help your leaders learn how to read their Bibles more effectively with students. This was by far one of the best and most practical trainings we have done. We have had more feedback on this training than any other.
Well, there you have it! Just a little look in to how I would put together 12 full weeks of programming and training within my own ministry. I hope it is helpful to you and your ministry. Thank you for letting me partner with you!
If you’d like to purchase this bundle, which include these 3 series, 14 games, and 3 events, CLICK HERE.
Justin Knowles
2 May 2017

DYM Games – Custom Title Graphics

By |2017-05-01T17:55:23-07:00May 2nd, 2017|Games, Youth Ministry Resources|1 Comment

In DYM Games 1.6 we’ve introduced a brand new feature that you’ve been asking for — the ability to add in your own title graphics. Now “Boxes” doesn’t have to be “Boxes”, but can be the “Random Picker of Students”. “Wheel of Destiny” can be “Spin that Wheel of Disgusting Drink Concoctions”. “Pixelate” can be “Kim Kardashian or Kim Jung Un”. “Trivia” can be “Four-Corners Sudden Death addition”. You decide!

To change a title graphic first you have to find or create a title graphic. You can use anything: Photoshop, Keynote, PowerPoint, images pulled from the internet, use your phone to take a picture, whatever! The important thing is that you need an image. Once you have that image, click on the “+” button next to the Title Graphic button inside any game. Add your image, Move it and scale it if you need to and you’re good to go. Now when you click on the Title Graphic button it will no longer show the name of the game (“Pixelate”), but show the graphic you put in there!

Watch this to see it in action!

There you go! Create a game of your own! And, maybe even submit it to the store!

What is DYM Games

DYM Games is your new creative programming sidekick—allowing you to build and present engaging, reusable and customizable games that are ready in minutes and good for groups of all sizes (from 5 to 5,000!). All easily-operated from your computer. We believe DYM Games is one of the best youth ministry tools around–If it’s not already.

Start Your FREE Trial Today

Don’t take our word for it. Try it for yourself! Download the DYM Games app today and you’ll have full access to try Trivia and other great games (including Emoji Hunt, Poser, Survey Says, Pixelate and more!) Build and customize your own incredible and engaging games in just a few clicks.


Download DYM Games


2 May 2017

DYM Games – Trivia

By |2017-05-01T17:53:04-07:00May 2nd, 2017|Games, Youth Ministry Resources|0 Comments

It’s that time again! We’ve worked hard to push out another HUUUGE UPDATE to DYM Games. In this version (1.6.0) we’re introducing Trivia!

Trivia

Trivia is nothing new. You can make a trivia based game in PowerPoint and ProPresenter. But, those aren’t made to do trivia. With DYM Games’ Trivia, you can create a game in seconds. You can edit that game super fast. And there are a few other bells and whistles that aren’t available in those other apps.

  • Games can have as many questions as you want. Each question can have 2-5 possible answers, one being correct.
  • Everything is designed and formatted for you. Choose a theme that works best for that game! Things just work!
  • Choose a background from our selection. Or add your own background!
  • Display the answer chosen by the contestant. Let the computer show if it’s right or wrong.

Check out this video to see Trivia in action!

Other features and improvements

  • Title Graphics are now customizable! You can now make every game your own! Find out more here.
  • New updating engine. Now you’ll know when a new version is ready for you within the app.
  • Revamped login. Now the app is more stable when starting it up for the first time.
  • Tons of speed improvements.

How do I get the update

To update, all you need to do it start up DYM Games with an internet connection. You’ll get a notification that says an update has been downloaded. Simply restart the app and you’ll have the new version!

What is DYM Games

DYM Games is your new creative programming sidekick—allowing you to build and present engaging, reusable and customizable games that are ready in minutes and good for groups of all sizes (from 5 to 5,000!). All easily-operated from your computer. We believe DYM Games is one of the best youth ministry tools around–If it’s not already.

Start Your FREE Trial Today

Don’t take our word for it. Try it for yourself! Download the DYM Games app today and you’ll have full access to try Trivia and other great games (including Emoji Hunt, Poser, Survey Says, Pixelate and more!) Build and customize your own incredible and engaging games in just a few clicks.


Download DYM Games


13 Apr 2017

Introducing DYM University

By |2017-04-12T15:15:03-07:00April 13th, 2017|Training, Volunteers, Youth Ministry Resources|0 Comments

In all my years of youth ministry, I have tried all types of methods and technologies to deliver important training to my volunteers.

Well-trained leaders have always been crucial to my ministry, and it’s always been a tension to get them the training they need. Trained leaders are better leaders.

Which is why I’m THRILLED to unveil this brand-new training tool from Download Youth Ministry:

INTRODUCING DYM UNIVERSITY!

We have created the training. 10-minute on-demand video sessions taught by some of the leading voices in Youth Ministry… Reggie Joiner, Katie Edwards, Heather Flies, Chap Clark, Walt Mueller, the list is pretty impressive and it’s growing every week. Also, Josh Griffin and myself teach several of the courses.

There are some really good courses for you and your leaders. All you need to do is choose the training that’s right for you and/or identify the best next step for each of your leaders.

We’ve made it SUPER EASY for you to SHARE these trainings with your leaders. Now, they can get the training they need and access it anywhere there is internet on their device of choice. So simple.

We’ve also created a church-wide license so you can train ALL of your leaders with this one turn-key tool.
DYMU was created to make your job a little easier while making your leaders a lot stronger. Just add Wifi and DYMU will help you move your leaders from rookies to pros.

We’d love for you to try it for FREE with “Understanding Relational Ministry.”

DYM U Free Session

 

23 Mar 2017

FREE Webinar: Five Steps to a Great Student Leadership Program

By |2017-03-23T13:53:38-07:00March 23rd, 2017|Leadership, Youth Ministry Resources|1 Comment

We are thrilled to bring you this FREE webinar to help you strengthen–or start–your Student Leadership program.

Developing Student Leaders can become a vital part of healthy ministry, and at the same time, it can be easily put-off or overlooked because of the time and energy required to develop and implement.

I’m super excited to invite you to join Doug Franklin, President of LeaderTreks, and Josh Griffin, co-founder of Download Youth Ministry, as they teach Five Steps to a Great Student Leadership Program.

Our hope is to help you continue to create a healthy, dynamic student leadership team, so in this short, 90-minute webinar, we’ll discuss:

  • Capitalizing on existing relationships
  • How to start “Leadership Laboratories”
  • Utilizing challenges
  • Turning failures into positive momentum
  • Maximizing teachable moments

It doesn’t matter if you have a strong student leadership program, or you are just thinking about starting one, the ideas presented will help you make the most out of your time with your student leaders as you equip them to follow Jesus and have a heart for ministry.

Register Now

Brought to you by DYM’s Student Leadership Conference and LeaderTreks.

14 Mar 2017

Free Reproducible Tool To Help Your Students Grow As Leaders

By |2017-03-14T13:40:55-07:00March 14th, 2017|Leadership, Teaching, Youth Ministry Resources|0 Comments

One of my greatest joys in youth ministry is watching students take the next step in their faith by serving others. It’s hard to top the feeling of watching teenagers minister to others in your church, in the community, and, often, around the world.

When I started in ministry, I didn’t think I had the time to launch—let alone grow or develop—a student leadership program. I wanted to, but there was just too much “other stuff” that seemed to occupy my attention.

Thankfully, someone challenged me to invest into a small group of student leaders and I’m so thankful I listened. As a result, our ministry expanded its reach to sport teams, drama clubs, student councils, and families in a way I never dreamt possible.

Now it’s my turn to pass on that same challenge. I want to help you build your Student Leadership teams through our DYM Student Leadership Conference (SLC).


Our friends at LeaderTreks have developed a great quiz to help students find their unique personality type and learn how they can use who they are in leadership roles. You can use this as an exercise during your regularly scheduled Student Leadership gathering or as a challenge or ‘next step’ for a few of your key students.

If you’d like to get a FREE copy of Student Personality Types, the reproducible survey (print and make as many copies as you need!), to use with your group CLICK HERE.

personality type


We’re so excited that Doug Franklin, the founder of LeaderTreks, will be joining us for SLC again this summer!

Whether you’ve spent years developing your student leadership team, or you’re just getting it off-the-ground, or you really want to launch one but are unsure how to begin, this event is a great way to help your students find—or more deeply understand—their role as leaders.

This summer, we’ll be holding the DYM Student Leadership Conference in 3 different cities around the US (Azusa, CA; Granger, IN; and Duluth, GA).

As you look at how you can develop your student leaders, I hope you’ll consider bringing them to one of these life-changing, ministry-shaping conferences.

Your Friend in Ministry,
Doug Fields

2 Mar 2017

Members Only: March Update

By |2017-03-02T15:59:54-08:00March 2nd, 2017|Youth Ministry Resources|0 Comments

DYM Membership March

March has arrived and the Season of Lent officially begins (don’t miss these great new resources to help your students prepare their hearts for Easter), AND 9 brand new DYM Member resources are on your Members Only page (login to check them out)!

Here are your Member Perks for March:

For GOLD MEMBERS:

We released a NEW GAME in the DYM Games App on February 1st and it is already a Youth Ministry favorite! If you haven’t played PIXELATE yet, skip whatever meeting you’re supposed to go this afternoon (your senior pastor said it’s okay) and spend some time creating your own “guess the image” game– choose from modes like blur, zoom, whiteout, and, of course, pixelate! We promise you’re gonna love it! (If you haven’t played any of the games in DYM Games yet… today is your day! CLICK HERE and try it for FREE!)

All the updates to the DYM Games App are amazing! CLICK HERE to watch a demonstration of the new features by Steve and Doug “live” from our DYM Kentucky office!

SPECIAL NOTES ABOUT THE GAMES APP: If you’ve had trouble accessing the update to DYM Games, simply start the DYM Games App with an internet connection. After a few minutes, you’ll get a notification that says an update has been downloaded. Restart the app and you’ll have the newest version! (If you don’t get the notification you can manually update. Uninstall DYM Games and go to DYMGames to download and install the latest version. Don’t worry — you won’t lose any of your settings or DYM Game files. They’re safe and sound.)


For those of you DYM BRONZE, SILVER, AND GOLD MEMBERS, you have NINE MORE ITEMS awaiting! Login to your account and see for yourself:

ONE: Game. Dead Cat. deadcatImagine your youth group was given a cat to take care of…now imagine that in order to keep this cat alive, your group would have to make some pretty ridiculous decisions when faced with even more ridiculous circumstances. The fate of this cat is entirely up to you and your students. Think of ‘Dead Cat’ as a Tamagotchi for the modern age mixed with a “choose your own adventure.” These clever DYM authors have designed this game in a way that it could be played slowly, over 2 months or completed it in one sitting… the choice is yours. It’s one of the most creative games we’ve given DYM Members.

TWO: Video. Light Up the Darkness. A text-driven, scripture-based video challenging students to live out Matthew 5:14. It offers a glimpse of how the world might look if we all lived by Jesus’ call to be the light of the world. This video could be a stand-alone element, or used as a bumper before or during a message on evangelism, outreach, or spiritual disciplines.

THREE: Video Training. Four Powerful Voices in the Life of a Student. As we seek to connect with students and spur them on in their walk with Jesus, there are different voices we as leaders can use to speak truth in to their lives. Brian Berry, a 22-year veteran youth worker, author, and trainer for Youth Specialties, shares the four voices he thinks all students need spoken by the leaders who care for them. If you haven’t been using these 10-minute training videos, they are an excellent resource for your adult leaders to continue to grow and learn.

FOUR: DYM Newsletter Builder. Summer is coming, which means there are TONS of dates and details to distribute to make sure everyone is informed! Let DYM Newsletter make those reminders look slick. You’ll look like you slaved all day in Adobe Illustrator (when you really spent 10 minutes adding in text and photos and then went to grab yourself a cup of coffee!) Wins all around! CLICK HERE to see a brief demonstration of the magic of DYM Newsletter and then CLICK HERE to login to your DYM Member account and experience the wonder for yourself!

FIVE: Mentor Me. A Conversation with Jessica Sanchez.After 14 years in youth ministry—8 of those on Josh Griffin’s team at Saddleback Church, Jessica Sanchez has come to believe strongly in the power—and joy—that comes from working alongside a team of adults who are passionate about seeing God move in the lives of students. She shares 4 key aspects of recruiting, developing, and caring for a healthy volunteer team. She’s humble, wise, and incredibly articulate as she shares all that she’s learned from her years of experience with volunteers. This is one Mentor Me you don’t want to miss!

SIX: Mystery Download. Hipstergrams Vol 1 and 2. Two ready-to-use image packs that feature awesome photos (mostly of young people) paired with Scripture and inspirational quotes. These high-resolution, modern images with captivating fonts are perfect for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Each resource volume contains ten (10) new Scripture images and three (3) quotes (one each from A.W. Tozer, Bob Goff, and C.S. Lewis.)

SEVEN: Student Leadership: Leaders Are Creative.Leaders stay grounded in God’s truth while keeping an open mind as they navigate life. When faced with obstacles or challenges, leaders don’t stop and wait for the perfect circumstances, instead they think outside the box. This lesson will challenge students to be creative as they engage the world around them and overcome the many obstacles leaders face.

EIGHT: FREE Group Texting. What if, instead of having to scroll through the list of names on your phone—or in your head—to remind each leader and/or student about an upcoming event, you could click a few buttons and send one text to a saved list of contacts?! What if you could write three or four reminder texts and schedule them to go out at various times throughout the following days?! Well, if you use DYM Text, you can do all that and more! Remind your students, leaders, and parents of amazing upcoming events, service schedules, and/or deadlines using DYM Text! Visit DYMText. The details are on your Members Only page, so be sure you’re signed in to access this.


And, finally (NINE), for DYM SILVER AND GOLD MEMBERS, your $20 Store Credit is ready for you to spend! Lent begins today and we are so proud of the authors who have written great resources to help prepare students for the glory of Easter. PLUS sermons and series and small group curriculum for Easter. Not to mention, the great games, videos and administration resources that have hit the store recently… We could go on and on, you should check out the New Releases for yourself! For more info on how Store Credit works, click here.

As always, we LOVE seeing your comments and how you’re using DYM stuff. Please keep tagging us on Twitter and Instagram (@downloadYM) so we can see DYM resources in action!

DYM Power-User Tip: the more active you are on social media, the better we recognize your name… which helps as we identify “Insiders” for our DYM100 selections.

It’s not too late to get all this great stuff for yourself if you aren’t a member yet. Visit DYMMembership.com to learn more and sign up.

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