In youth ministry, few things take more time and energy than planning and creating your weekly lessons. From small group outlines, to front-of-the-room messages, there is a lot that goes into the process, and at times it can seem overwhelming. We recognize the grind that can go into weekly lessons, but also believe there’s a few key ideas that will help you thrive rather than just survive.
What You’ll Find
The Lesson’s and Resources section provides ideas and inspiration for creating, planning and delivering your weekly youth group lessons. From tips on how to make your lessons stick to free ideas to try, we’ll help you create the messages that guide the process of changing your teenagers from the inside out.
As you know, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Like us, though, you probably feel pressure to offer youth group activities that keep pace with the season’s awesomeness. Here are more Christmas ideas than you can possibly use!…
During the Christmas season, most youth ministers try to find new ways to teach old truths. With the same old “angels sang, shepherds wondered, Mary did you know?” routine, it’s easy to lose sight of the wonder of Jesus’ birth. On the first Christmas, [tweet_dis]God came to earth and conveyed his message in some pretty incredible ways.[/tweet_dis]…
A Christmas Eve Candlelight Experience This is a complete plan for an unforgettable student-led Christmas Eve Worship experience that will have a profound impact on your whole congregation. With this simple and inventive plan, your students can plan and pull off a powerful and profound experience tied to your church’s Christmas Eve service.…
The calendar tells you that October 31 isn’t far off. And your kids are getting anxious about the youth group’s Halloween plans. Some won’t participate in traditional “scary” activities. But all demand a high percentage of fun. The day’s creeping closer…the kids are getting impatient…getting scared yet?…
We recently asked our Youth Ministry Text Alert subscribers about their go-to games. Check out these awesome ideas from your fellow youth workers! What is your go-to game/activity when you need a last-minute time filler at a youth event? Question of the day: pick a “would you rather” type question that everyone gets to answer and explain why.…
Enjoy Ministry This Christmas! Episode 1: The Christmas season is steaming toward the weekend, and it can be one of the toughest weeks of the year. Join Brent as he upends the typical ways we cope and shows you how to actually enjoy ministry this Christmas season!…
One of the best parts of my calling as a speaker/trainer and senior consultant for Ministry Architects is that I get to hear/borrow/steal ideas from youth workers all over America. Last week, in a coaching call with a church that’s part of a yearlong cohort I’m teaching with smaller churches in the Dakotas, a volunteer shared an idea that sparked an even bigger conversation.…
The event is over, so now you can rest, right? Not so fast. For our youth ministry team, part of the cleanup involves an After-Event Evaluation. (Someday we’ll come up with a catchier name for this process!) We want to know how the event went and if it’s worth doing again.…
Every December it’s the same hopeful mantra: This year, Christmas will be different. I’m going to find a way to slow down and focus on “the reason for the season.” I’ll find the time to really concentrate on Jesus and help the teenagers in my ministry do the same.”…
If we’re not careful, December 26 can be the “melancholiest” day of the year. All the excitement, buildup, and celebrating that leads to Christmas Day can make for a darn depressing denouement. [tweet_dis]We doubt that Jesus is a fan of post-Christmas letdown.[/tweet_dis]…
