One of the greatest threats to the large-group worship gathering for students is the monotonous boredom that can mount with a predictable worship experience. A college professor of mine used to say, “Never do the same thing always,” and it was some of the best pieces of advice I ever... read more
YouTube is a video platform that allows users to upload videos and share them with others, either privately or publicly. After creating and verifying your account, you can simply share the video URL through church communication avenues or by embedding the video on your web page. Most students are familiar... read more
I once watched a youth pastor speak to a crowded room of students during a youth ministry event. The 30 minutes that he was on stage was painful to witness. It was not because his illustrations were bad. It was not because of poor exegesis. It was not because of... read more
One of the hidden benefits of having an online presence as a church is the opportunity to have families worship together in the comfort of their own home. The challenge is to supplement a worship service designed for adults so that youth can grow from that experience as well. One... read more
There is a saying that is heard around my church and youth group from my lips often – we are family! And I mean it. And they know I mean it. From the students to the Serve Staff (what we call our volunteers) they believe it. But how do you... read more
A recent Gallup poll shows that the average tenure of a youth pastor in the local church is only 18 months. If this is true, that is barely enough time to memorize the names of the students in the program, let alone enough time to have a long-lasting impact on... read more
Nicolas Herman was born in 1614 in eastern France. His family was extremely poor, which forced him to join the army. During his time in the Thirty Years’ War, Herman had an unusual experience. Staring and gazing at a tree with no leaves or fruit, somehow Nicolas intuitively sensed God’s... read more
My first year in student ministry I worked with middle schoolers. I was fresh out of Bible College and anxious to grow a youth program and see students experience Jesus. We met weekly on Wednesday nights for a typical youth ministry night full of games, worship and teaching. I quickly... read more
DISCLAIMER – This blog post contains some explicitly explained content. This is done for the sake of keeping it’s ideas clear and inequivocabile. Please note that the links referenced will also take you to articles or statistics that may be explicit in nature. Please keep this in mind as you read through this post. ... read more
Beacons and trail markers are a traveler’s best friend. Leader’s lean into these as life lines for clear direction and vision. Whether it is ship captains entering nighttime harbors, sherpas guiding large groups up Everest or 747 pilots landing massive planes on runways, the principle remains truer than ever that... read more
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to catch a plane ride sitting next to Greg Stier, CEO and Founder of Dare 2 Share, from Washington, DC to Denver. He was returning home after a speaking engagement and I was heading to Colorado for a leadership camp/mission trip hybrid... read more
It was my first youth ministry job interview. During the month of March, in my last semester of seminary, I drove to Cincinnati to meet with the church’s administrative board. We talked about the usual kinds of issues, like how to counsel teens, my vision and strategy, and how to... read more