Summer is an excellent time for students and student ministers! One of the most exciting times in a student ministry is when everyone promotes up to the next grade. This usually means the Seniors in high school get a big …
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I can’t get any volunteers. I put it in the bulletin. I put it in the newsletter. We’ve asked from the pulpit. No one cares about working with our …
I am reading a memoir of Eugene Peterson called “The Pastor,” and I love it. In a chapter titled Eucharistic Hospitality, he describes his desire and struggles to be hospitable in an inhospitable world. He asks this rhetorical question with …
As youth workers, I think we do a good job of talking about mental health and teens, although there are always ways we can do better. But what happens when those struggles hit too close to home and you find …
Working in ministry is all about caring for people around us. We tend to treat this as a mind-reading game; we see what happened last week at youth group and adjust from there. We assume that whatever we are planning …
All-Nighters take me out for days. Sore muscles, foggy brain, exhausted body. Is it worth it?
I remember years ago reading a survey of thousands of teens from youth groups around the country; when it came to popular fun events, …
Covid plunged our world into chaos in 2020, but it proved to be a catalyst for incredible growth in our students and change in our student ministry. One blessing amid the chaos was the freedom from expectations of how things …
Students have cell phones. If they don’t yet, they probably will by Christmas. It can be a great way to communicate with them directly, but it can also be an overwhelming tide of communication. 3 am memes, anyone?
Setting some …
Have you ever felt the pressure of being a youth pastor? Every single day, right? As we head into the fall season, there are a lot of pressures that all youth pastors will feel.
Do any of these feel familiar …
This Sunday, I watched as a now 8th grader who, let’s be honest, used to be a big turd, do something awesome. She invited a 6th-grade student up on stage with her to sing for the worship band. This 6th-grade …