Have you noticed the chaos that followed the announcement by the College Football Playoff selection committee? One school feels snubbed, ...
Read More

Loss is a part of life. Whether it’s a pet, a family member, or a friend, we may find ourselves ...
Read More

All around the country, folks are preparing for a successful new year of school. Buses are running their practice routes, ...
Read More

For many of us, VBS 2023 is over. We've loved seeing volunteers serve, loads of kids on campus, and many ...
Read More

There was a time when I wondered, "Am I doing ministry right?" This feeling went on for years. Yes, I ...
Read More

If you’re one of the Youth, Children’s, or Family Ministers out there whose church provides funding for continuing education, you ...
Read More

Matt, who had been serving as a summer youth ministry intern, was excited to share a devotion with his middle ...
Read More

Many of us will wrap up our school year within the next few weeks. I have always appreciated the transition ...
Read More

Have you ever sat in bad interviews? These happen all the time in our churches. But it doesn't have to ...
Read More

Love it or loathe it, Vacation Bible School looms on our advance planning calendar. Maybe you’re new to ministry altogether ...
Read More

How often do we overlook the potential of young people? Do you know what I mean? It can be easy ...
Read More

We are in another year of ministry. And whether this is your first, fifth, fifteenth, or fiftieth, each year can ...
Read More

You need this job.  You binged the entire Netflix catalog.  Your bedroom/office is becoming smaller every day.  And your budget ...
Read More

It's nearing the end of the calendar year. Some of us are overly busy in Advent and Christmas services, while ...
Read More

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is ...
Read More

Ministry is full of difficult things. The demands, the expectations, the responsibilities, the unknowns, and that to-do list. You know, ...
Read More

For many of us, our summer ministry has ended. You may have led an incredible VBS, inspiring mission trip, or ...
Read More

Ministry in the summer can fly by. Summer can feel like a whirlwind from ending the school year, celebrating graduations, ...
Read More

We've all had it happen. You’re leading a group of teens on a weekend retreat. Let’s say you’ve got 25 ...
Read More

Have you ever double-booked yourself? Or maybe had a complaint from the church finance team because you've lost receipts again? ...
Read More

Have you ever experienced feedback? Even the best feedback can be challenging to receive. Now imagine receiving that feedback on ...
Read More

Short answer, yes. It is perfectly normal to struggle with some doubts about your faith. The more thoughtful answer is… ...
Read More

We Need To Be Prepared In Part 1 of Isolation and Loneliness in Teenagers, we shared normal stressors in the ...
Read More

When I look back on my different ministry experiences, I don’t think about the books I read, or the conferences ...
Read More

Not Just Okay - It's Necessary Whether we realize it or not, it's not just okay, but necessary to hold ...
Read More

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in youth ministry—a lot! Many of my mistakes came when I first started as ...
Read More

It can be a difficult task to make a difference in a student’s life. Sometimes, it can feel like there ...
Read More

Teenagers tend to naturally leave their parents in the dark. Should we do the same as Youth Ministers? And how ...
Read More

You know the urge. You look around the youth room, your program, or even the team and think - I ...
Read More

Have you ever thought that ownership and talents go together? Perhaps the teens in your youth group are just looking ...
Read More

Have you ever tried to do long-range planning, only to discover you get too busy to put that plan into ...
Read More

Did you know that poor planning can actually lead to ministry burnout, conflict, and a failing ministry? Planning is more ...
Read More

When my son Paul was in first grade, we moved from the Washington, DC. area, to Pittsburgh, PA. I had ...
Read More

Imposter Syndrome. This is the name that is given to that overwhelming feeling that you are a fake, a fraud ...
Read More

How will you continue to navigate this season? March 8 was the first Sunday that many churches throughout the world ...
Read More

Right now, spirituality is a struggle for many of us. I’ve recently been following Jon Steingard, former lead singer of ...
Read More

We have all been there as youth ministers… attempting to discern when and why to change churches. Hopefully, these ideas ...
Read More

It’s time to set the annual calendar for the youth ministry. Who do you invite to the meeting- church pastor, ...
Read More

I do not know who needs to hear this but give yourself a break. You are doing the best you ...
Read More

“Losing what we thought our summer would be, just sucks!” I said that to a student a few days ago ...
Read More

Whether you are serving in youth ministry, children's ministry, or family ministry, you are now doing ministry differently. The challenges ...
Read More

You are in social distancing, so should ministry stop? Absolutely not! Here are 7 ways to minister in times of ...
Read More

It feels that the Covid-19 situation has rapidly escalated, leaving us in ministry unsure about our roles. To help you ...
Read More

Sometimes it is good to stop doing that - by that, I mean what you have always done or what ...
Read More

It is probably safe to assume that you would like to see your youth ministry grow. No matter who you ...
Read More

You may be your ministry’s worst enemy. A few weeks ago, in part one, we discussed one way you may be ...
Read More

You are a rare breed. Not many people would give up their Saturday to spend it with middle school students, ...
Read More

You know that you need a team of leaders. To get this team, you will have to recruit people. It ...
Read More

You could possibly be the worst enemy of your youth ministry, volunteer team, and students. As leaders, this is never ...
Read More