Churchyouthministry.com

17/06/2025

As another fellow youth worker asks, 'Why do so many youth workers not stay in youth ministry very long?' I'm reminded of the survey I did of 100 full-time youth and children's leaders about the support they receive. Important but also tragic.

Dave Thornton with results of his survey into support for paid YCF workers

07/06/2025

I've published a guest blog written by Matt Wan, founder of Cross Connecting about helping volunteers to leave well. I often neglect looking back because there's always so much to be done, but it's important to look back so that we can look forward effectively. And if you're about to leave your full-time post in ministry, read the Leaving Well chapter in my book Raising the Bar.

Is there value in showing our volunteers that their voices matter? Is there mileage is learning from others’ experiences, and making improvements to enable ministries to develop and thrive? Is it worth bearing the pain and hearing where others’ frustrations are with our ministries, so that we ca...

02/03/2025

I've just published a blog to help youth workers speak about the news, in light of the argument between President Trump and President Zelenskyy. Hope it's helpful. I would love to hear any feedback. Thanks.

If youth pastors handle news stories like the Oval Office argument carefully and biblically, we can help young people do the same.

03/11/2024

What's new on churchyouthministry.com? Check it out here: https://davethornton1.wixsite.com/so/30PBoQc1a?languageTag=en

07/04/2024

It was a real privilege to preach at Christ Church Wi******er this morning. You can see my sermon on the Emmaus Road here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0v3_aH6iQk It's also the first time I've ever used Artificial Intelligence in my preaching. I think the evidence is overwhelming. Can you see the bigger picture? If you want to see how I made the visual, you can find out here: www.churchyouthministry.com.

ALL IN Luke 24:13-27 On the road...

30/01/2024

We played the Psalm 139 Escape Room with our own 11-14 group and our 14-18 group last week. It was really well received. Why not check it out with your group? https://www.churchyouthministry.com/psalm-139-escape-room

02/12/2023

I've just rewritten my Christmas Escape Room for in-person use, just in time for Christmas! . You can find it here: https://www.churchyouthministry.com/christmas. Aimed at youth groups, but it was played online by young adults too. I've also just published a Psalm 139 Escape Room too.

12/05/2023

Here's the first training video I ever made for youth leaders. Only one minute of top tips for youth talks. https://youtu.be/jYyvzT9QKAo If I was making it again, I'd probably make it longer, but it's OK for one minute.

A one-minute overview of giving a Bible talk for young people by Dave Thornton.Just the basics to help in Raising the Bar.If you want to find out more, check...

26/04/2023

I've done this talk so many times, starting on a youth weekend, but I now use it for school visits as well. It's a really visual way to do a Bible overview, and you've got to love T-Mobile adverts (other mobile network providers are available). It's all GRACE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0uMK__bQ5w

A journey through the Bible from start to finish, from Eden to Eternity in less than 10 minutes with key terms. It's suitable for church, school and for pers...

26/04/2023

Still can't quite believe that the launch of Raising the Bar was over three years ago - 18th January 2020. It was just pre-Covid. I thought during Covid that I might need to totally rewrite the book. Had it changed youth ministry completely? Should I have had a chapter on Online Youth Ministry (after all, there's a page - https://www.churchyouthministry.com/online-resources on my website!). You know what? It really didn't. The main things are still the main things. The website page is still there, but it feels very outdated today. If you haven't looked at the book yet, you can find it on my website.

25/04/2023

Flashback to January 2020 when the pallet of my books arrived. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but I hadn't really thought about where to store 1000 books...!