Church 101: The Acts Church Revisited
On the day of Pentecost, the disciples' confusion turned to conviction. They burst from the room and began explaining the message and meaning of Jesus, and foreigners, visiting Jerusalem for the Fea...
Broader Service Needed for Reaching Today’s Youth
When looking at broader service for our student ministry, I need to approach it as would a missionary. I believe that if we are going to be effective as ministers, we need to apply the principles of missio...
A Beautiful Mess
Mark OestreicherSimplyYouthMinistry, 2012, digital download, $7.99A Beautiful Mess by Mark Oestriecher is a new e-book that is being given away for free for a limited time. If you have not downlo...
Equipping Students to Want the Word
How can we equip our students to truly want the Word? Wouldn't it be great if that was the first place they turned in times of trouble? Wouldn't it be awesome if in a moment of crisis a verse would pop int...
God at Work Offering Hope to this Generation
When I read about young people stepping away from church and their faith, my heart breaks because this generation is so important. Our youth outreach program is called The Refuge, and God is working in tee...
Talking About: Father’s Day
Make a list of the 10 TV dads. (Only two can be animated.) What are some of the qualities that make these dads stand out?Name five famous dads from Scripture. (No, not Joseph; that's too easy.) Name some qualit...
Memorial Day, May 28
Originally, Memorial Day honored Union soldiers killed in the Civil War. Later it honored all American war dead or anyone/anything someone wanted to remember. Plus, it marks the beginning of summer. What do you...
Youth Group Devo: Gaining from Loss
The BackdropLoss is all around us. Even as a teenager, there's a good chance you've already experienced the loss of someone you love—a family member or perhaps a friend your age. Almost every high school ...
Youth Culture Lesson: Wild Things
Famed Children's Author Never Wrote for ChildrenGet downloadable PDF.Get downloadable PowerPoint presentation.About/DisclaimerWhat Happened:Maurice Sendak, author of the classic children's book Where the Wild T...
Squirrel! Do We Have a Case of Spiritual ADD?
Like a dog with a squirrel or a junior high boy with...well pretty much anything, we as the church and youth workers have got a bad case of ADD/ADHD spiritually. We get all wound up and excited about the n...