Ok, so I know that Thanksgiving is behind us. Still, there's plenty of things to be thankful for. This year, I'm thankful for... 1. The glimpses God gives you into the lives you've impacted. I love watching so...

We lead people. That is what we do. More often than not, the term pastor in our leadership role in youth ministry is interchangeable with words such as leader or director. In fact, that might be the title t...

If you spend even a short amount of time in youth ministry, you quickly discover one recurring theme is that people are leaving you all the time. If you're a middle school minister, you say goodbye to your eig...

Stressed-out high schoolers, hyperactive junior highers, angry parents, a temperamental church van and leadership that wants to “have a talk.” For many ministries, it’s easy to get down in the dumps and, ...

We know that the students in our ministries are trying to answer the "Who am I?" question. We asked four youth workers : "What is the youth pastor’s role in helping students answer that question?" Brooklyn L...

Too many see the Bible as just an ancient text, with no relevance for daily life. Even most Christians aren’t spending time in the Word like they should. And what of the children? In a recent survey, the A...

Ask any youth leader anywhere why students attend youth group and you'll generally get the same answer: friends.I'd like to think it's my perfectly delivered messages or the strong programs we have each week, b...

“Can I talk to you in private?” is a question that always gets my mind racing. At first I wonder if everything is ok, or if I did something wrong, but my mind usually ends up in the same place. Whether a ...

Last week I overheard another youth worker sharing his frustration about students constantly prioritizing their sports commitments over youth ministry events. I could relate. I have often found myself frustra...

  Should youth ministers consider themselves teachers?  The short answer is 'Yes'.  Spiritual Education is exactly that – education.  I have yet to meet a youth worker in which some form of spiritu...