"If those two are allowed to keep coming, then my boys will not be coming to youth group anymore." This father's words were as hard as rock, and I knew it wasn't an idle threat. The anger that seeped through h...

There's something about cramming a bunch of young, animated guys into a church van and heading off somewhere in search of some fun and spiritual impact that excites a few people and terrifies the sane ones. For...

I had an interesting reminder recently of the simple importance of presence when it comes to ministry with boys. The reminder came in the form of a high school junior pointing out a time I'd sat in a diner for ...

Youth ministry is a lot of fun. I know that's not an earth-shattering statement, but it's worth a reminder. It's a blast to get to spend time with energetic and creative young people. It seems like they're...

"But we're just kids. What do you expect?"His words were meant to deflect my challenge and excuse whatever behavior I had just called out, which I honestly can't remember, and I'm sure was nothing terribly unru...

This past weekend, I got to take my family out to a local lake for a few hours. In the midst of losing flip-flops in the muck, my boys really got into digging a hole just above the water line. It started with a...

From insurance requirements to background checks to safe volunteer training, church safety is a big deal these days. There are many resources available to help us keep our students safe and protect ourselves an...

From theoquest: Sometimes we think leaders are the ones with all the answers, but the truth is that leaders sometimes don't know what to do, either. If we did, we'd never make a bad decision. The king of Jud...