I once heard something during The Well For Youth Workers that has always stuck with me. The presenter said, “The Best Kept Secret in Youth Ministry is Follow Up.” The power of that thought has stuck with me over the years because follow up is often an area we just don’t do well. Maybe … Read more
Busyness is an epidemic for students and families. How do you fight this? The single best way is through intentional and effective leadership. Many youth workers complain students are too busy. Since we can’t choose how others use their time, maybe we should go to work on changing ourselves. There’s no silver bullet, but here … Read more
It seems that once a student gets a drivers license, their days in youth group become numbered. It’s hard to compete with school, part-time jobs, and social lives of a mobile upperclassman. I recently heard it succinctly put this way, “older students in our youth ministries will either lead or leave.” It’s easy to become … Read more
Here are three types of people that every team leader needs: Sneezers -The Sneezers are the people on your team who, after catching the vision, understanding the mission and fully believing in the power of what you are doing, uncontrollably share it with other people. They talk about it. They invite people in. They become … Read more
As the old farmer once said, “The problem with cows is that you have to keep milking them.” At times, we plan with the “this should do it once and for all” motto. Anyone who has led people for very long knows that is not the case. It takes consistent nurturing to keep things going. There … Read more
Jesus invited people to pray for him. He invited people to pray for workers in the harvest field. He invited his disciples to pray for him in the garden. And he invited people to be in constant prayer. He expected his disciples to pray. ‘Delegate’ may not be the best word, since it implies not … Read more
It’s the cry of most every youth pastor – “How do I get kids to turn in their registration forms on time?” “Our kids are so bad at getting registered for events!” Here are some thoughts you can try – some of these are field tested and some of them aren’t. As my dad always jokes … Read more
1. Give students an opportunity to talk about their experience. If you are at the event with them, you can debrief each night or during the last evening. If you aren’t there with them, find a time to follow up with them after camp either at church or in your home. Ask open ended questions … Read more
Whether you are a volunteer, a full time or part time paid staff person, or you got asked to fill in for a month five years ago, you may be asking yourself, am I getting too old for this? The answer is “No!”. Here are some reasons, thoughts, and encouragement as you continue to serve. … Read more
Here are a few things that student ministry leaders need to make part of their lives in order to have thriving and healthy ministries: Prayer (March 11:24, Jeremiah 33:3) – Prayer is our lifeline. We need to pray to sense God’s leading in our lives and wisdom as we serve his church. We need to pray … Read more