Volunteers are the backbone of our student ministry. Without them, I’d be dead in the water. Their time investment, passions, gifts, and heart for students make it all work. In a student ministry of any size, a team of volunteers who love Jesus and love teens is the difference between success and failure. With that…
If you’re a youth pastor or leader, how would your students respond if I asked them what the most important thing you want them to know is? There are so many important things you want to teach. So many things you want them to hear, to own, and to hang onto. But I want to suggest…
Does it sound weird to you that a coffee from Starbucks can do more to impact a student than your latest, greatest idea for a youth ministry program? Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but it’s true. There is a really good mini-article in this month’s Group Magazine called The Relational Economy that simply sums up a truth that…
You’ve done it. Sunday morning, you’re late. You’re rushing to get out to the door and get to church. In your haste, you cut yourself shaving. If you’re a man, you’ve cut your face. Women, you’ve cut your legs (or maybe your face…I mean, I don’t know your grooming routine). I spent several years in…
I’ve been asked by three different people in the past two weeks what advice I have for someone who is tasked with starting a student ministry from scratch. It’s a frustrating, intimidating job. My advice is this: Pick a school district and make it your mission field. If you don’t already have any students “built…
