Every now and then we're fortunate to gather wise youth ministry minds together and ask them to reflect on a REALLY BIG QUESTION. Recently, we tossed a couple big questions about student leadership at for youth...

A band named the Byrds in 1965 had a huge hit called "Turn! Turn! Turn!" The lyrics began: "To everything, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn" was based on the passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, "To...

It was all over in a matter of hours... Gone were the conversations revolving around poverty, hunger and injustice during our mission trip. They were replaced by the purchasing of our wants that had become n...

The conversation would be similar each week as I walked through the plan for that night and it would always end the same before I left the office.  I be would asked about my lesson.  Each time I would hear th...

What has five eyes, eight feet, scales, and spotted stripes?  Middle school ministry!  Okay not really, but sometimes it feels that way.  And yet I am convinced that this is one of the greatest opportunities...

I visited a church recently that was promoting a women’s conference. There were posters hanging in the lobby, where there was also a special table where you could register for the conference. They had put was...

When I first started out in youth ministry I desperately wanted the students in our church all to feel like they were part of a bigger family. I naively believed that if I could get students to show up to enoug...

As an 18-year-old freshman in college, I learned to rock climb.   Steve was the experienced climber with all the equipment. Brad and I were the cocky friends who were ecstatic to learn the ropes of cli...

Youth workers tend to be huge fans of opportunities that stretch students spiritually, if not also a variety of other ways. We're often in our sweet spot when we see teenagers growing beyond what's comfortable....

Our family frequently takes long road trips. Whenever we pass a deer sign, my son taps me on the shoulder and says, "There's a deer." I explain to him that it is only a drawing of a deer, and the sign is cautio...