Better Youth Ministry

11/02/2020

Carey Nieuwhof writes, “Whatever you do, don’t keep your suspicions of burnout to yourself. Nothing good happens when you’re isolated... It’s tough, but telling someone is the first step to wellness” (Didn’t See It Coming, p. 158).

10/28/2020

In his book, The Day the Revolution Began, N. T. Wright shares this story:

“A Roman Catholic archbishop described how three mischievous young lads decided to play a trick on the priest who was hearing confessions in their local church.

They took turns going into the confessional and ‘confessing’ all sorts of terrible sins and crimes to see how the priest would react.

Two of them then made off in a hurry; but the priest stopped the third one and, as though taking him seriously, announcing that he was going to impose penance on him.

The lad was to walk up to the far end of the church, toward the figure of Jesus hanging on the cross. He was to look Jesus in the face and to say three times, ‘You did all that for me, and I don’t give that much’ - snapping his fingers on the ‘that.’

The young man did it once. He did it a second time. Then he found he couldn’t do it the third time, but instead dissolved into tears. He left the church a changed person.

You don’t have to have a theory about why the cross is so powerful before you can be moved and changed, before you can know yourself loved and forgiven, because of Jesus’s death” (pp. 11-12).

In all of your responsibilities as a youth pastor, don’t neglect the most important one: Help your students encounter and respond to Jesus.

10/26/2020

Your students and volunteers will mirror your levels of excitement, energy, and dedication.

If you work like it matters, they’ll believe that matters. If you work like it doesn’t matter, don’t be surprised when they stop showing up.

10/21/2020

Dealing with disruptive students presents a tricky situation for youth pastors.

The default position in many people’s minds is that you have to accept (or at least tolerate) whatever students decide to do when they’re with you.

They think that correcting students’ behavior might seem too judgmental. Besides that, you wouldn’t want them to stop coming, would you?

I don’t agree with that line of thinking.

Correcting students isn’t judgmental, and sometimes the best thing you can do for a student is prohibit him or her from participating.

If you don’t offer correction when it’s necessary, you’ll end up with a group that is out of control and off-putting to other students.

In my opinion, it’s a privilege to be part of a youth ministry, not a right.

Keep reading on the Better Youth Ministry blog...

One of the most bizarre moments in sports history happened one night at Caesar’s Palace. Boxing fans were gathered there to see the rematch of an epic fight between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. A year earlier, in their first matchup, Bowe had beaten Holyfield to become the new Heavyweight c...

10/16/2020

Which of your students needs to hear this from you? Don’t wait. Write it down. Put it in the mail. Today.

10/14/2020

If you really want to partner with parents, start with this.

10/13/2020

When our expectations aren’t met, we get frustrated and the door opens up to a slippery slope.

The slope has four stages:

• Stage One: Disappointment
You recognize a gap between your expectations and reality.

• Stage Two: Discouragement
Time goes by, but the gap doesn’t shrink.

• Stage Three: Disillusionment
You start to doubt whether you’re right for your role.

• Stage Four: Despair
You lose hope that anything will ever change.

Early in my ministry, I had slipped all the way to Stage Three. I knew that something had to change, or I wasn’t going to last.

Read on...

I was frustrated. It had been a year since I became a youth pastor and I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere with the students. I doubted myself and wondered if I was making any difference at all. Maybe you know the feeling. If you don’t, that’s great! Just know that it can sneak up on you. Yo...

10/12/2020

I’ve watched every Lakers game for the last two seasons (not easy for a guy on the East Coast). I was curious to see what LeBron James could do with another dysfunctional franchise.

I didn’t like how he originally left Cleveland to go to Miami with “The Decision.” But I was intrigued when he went back to Cleveland. Could he really win there?

He did!

Then he went to LA. Could he win a championship with a team that hadn’t won in many years? I tuned in to see what would happen.

All I can say is...

He did an incredible job on the court this season, leading his team to another championship tonight!

10/09/2020

If you were asked to name the most important activity for small group leaders, I wonder what you might say.

When I started thinking about that question, my mind went to the five activities listed by the team at Orange:
• Be present
• Create a safe place
• Partner with parents
• Make it personal
• Move them out

The more I thought about it, though, it seemed like something was missing from the list. Making it personal is about tending to one's own spiritual condition. That's important, but I wondered...

Is there an aspect of a leader's personal expression of faith that could be highlighted as being the most important thing for making a difference with others?

I needed to look deeper.

Read the rest of this post on the BYM blog:

If you were asked to name the most important activity for small group leaders, I wonder what you might say. When I started thinking about that question, my mind went to the five activities listed by the team at Orange: • Be present • Create a safe place • Partner with parents • Make it perso...

10/09/2020

Check out this clip from an interview I did with Paul Turner from the Youth Ministry in Motion podcast. Paul has a great heart for students and I was happy to join him to talk about the importance of for adoloscents and . You can find the whole episode at https://soundcloud.com/yminmotion/apologetics-for-adolescence

10/07/2020

🔎Evaluation is an important part of improvement.

These three questions will help you think through the different aspects of your ministry and make the necessary adjustments. 🔨🔧

10/05/2020

Following Jesus requires faith. Leading a ministry requires skills. Both are important (and necessary).