Put everyone's name on a slip of paper and place it in a bag. Then, come up with different situations for the "actors" to act out (make sure you put how many people are needed for each situation). Place these i...

    As a youth worker for the past twenty-five years I feel like I’ve seen it all. Well, almost. And what I haven't seen I’ve experienced first hand as the son of two youth workers. The sadd...

I learned about adventure early in life. It pretty much happened because I had a boat. That might sound weird unless you grew up on an island as I did, but that boat gave me a kind of freedom as a fourt...

How a 70-year-old ministry transformed to reach kids in the 21st century Imagine an allegory set in a steampunk world of adventure and technology—with heroes modeled on the real-life heroes of the Bible. I...

It’s a new school year, which means that lots of families are checking out new churches for their teenagers. We used to not be very good at welcoming new visitors or friends brought by our students, but since we’ve made some simple changes, we’re seeing a changed atmosphere and a new passion for inviting.

Recently, a pastor friend of mine read for me Judy Brown’s poem “Fire.” Brown does a masterful job of capturing what our job as youth ministers should be: making space for God to do His work. She uses th...

  She was the golden child. The person we point to as the example of all that is good about the church and youth ministry. She was passionate about following Jesus, deeply committed to serving others, an...

It’s no secret that one of the keys to a healthy student ministry is a healthy volunteer team. As a youth worker, one of the best investments you can make in your ministry is an investment in your volunteer...

Having a kid is just as terrifying and exciting as everyone makes it out to be.   When Owen came into the world, we didn’t understand the number of seismic shifts he would create in our lives. The ...

Leaders hold a blanket between the two teams. When the blanket is dropped, the two people facing each other at the front of the line must shout out the name of the person they're facing. Whoever shouts out the ...