Schools Are Out: Protecting The Most Vulnerable

Whether schools are out for summer break, or as we are experiencing in this current situation where a pandemic has caused the untimely closure of schools, the consequences experienced by kids may be more than you would expect. The educational, health, and safety impact of school dismissal can be especially significant in some of the most vulnerable […]

Summer Of Opportunity

“Losing what we thought our summer would be, just sucks!” I said that to a student a few days ago and almost immediately regretted it. It’s true, the next few months are not going to look anything like we anticipated. No camps, no mission trips, and no fun with our students. With our world in […]

What About VBS?

VBS is a time-honored tradition in churches, and for many, is their single largest event of the year. VBS helps to bring unchurched families into our buildings and allows us to bring Jesus to children during their important formative years. So, what about VBS this year? What are we to do when we cannot bring […]

Grief In Times Of Trauma

In part one, Dealing With Grief, we discussed how we can understand grief. As we move into part two of dealing with grief, one question I often get from caregivers is “What do I do for people who are wallowing in their grief?” While I appreciate the question as it comes from a place of […]

Dealing With Grief

There is an emotion in the midst of everything I do these days. It is like a cloud, heavy and yet undefinable. It comes across like apathy sometimes, and other times it looks like anger. Or sarcasm. Sometimes it even looks like fear. Most people do not have words for what it means to them […]

HOW TO ENGAGE STUDENTS BEYOND ZOOM

It has been several weeks of creating ways to do ministry differently. I imagine by now you have problem-solved some of the challenges of the virtual video platforms and researched solutions. Many groups are experiencing 40% – 60% of their students engaging weekly through the platforms. You may be seeing the same thing and are […]

5 WAYS TO STAY HOPEFUL, FRUITFUL, AND PRODUCTIVE IN SOCIAL DISTANCING MINISTRY

Whether you are serving in youth ministry, children’s ministry, or family ministry, you are now doing ministry differently. The challenges are the same that we face, but each of us is experiencing this time a little differently. Some of us are excited about the opportunity to experiment. There are those of us who are overwhelmed […]

7 Ways To Minister In Times Of Social Distancing

You are in social distancing, so should ministry stop? Absolutely not! Here are 7 ways to minister in times of social distancing.   Share Joy   The air is heavy, and people are feeling many emotions. Share joy with them during this time!   Find videos, photos, memes, or other things that can bring laughter, […]

5 Ways to Hurt Your Ministry In Times of Social Distancing

It feels that the Covid-19 situation has rapidly escalated, leaving us in ministry unsure about our roles. To help you figure out what you should do, let’s look at what not to do. Here are 5 ways to hurt your ministry in times of social distancing.   Pretend Nothing is Happening   The worst mistake […]

3 Ways To Grow Your Children’s Ministry In 2020

A fresh new year. Blank pages on a calendar. This year, it’s even a fresh new decade! What better time is there for dreaming and visioning, both in our personal life and our ministry life? So for 2020, let’s dream about a few things to grow your children’s ministry! 3 Ways To Grow Your Children’s […]