Maintaining healthy relationships is a priority in all areas of life, but our ministry world requires special attention. Ultimately, we spend about a third of our lives working, which means we spend a third of our days with co-workers. That’s a significant amount of time, so we want the atmosphere to be positive and productive for everyone.…
People love clarity. When youth workers are confident in their direction, clarity truly helps them and their entire leadership team move forward. When we know where we’re heading and can clearly communicate that to people serving in our ministries, everyone can serve more confidently and effectively.…
In a counseling class I took in college, students were placed into groups to work on a project. I don’t remember the topic we tackled, but I sure remember the people. They were awful! I can laugh about it now, but that experience was tough.…
After more than two decades in youth ministry, I’m honestly still trying to figure out my job on a daily basis. That isn’t insecurity speaking; it’s a youth pastor admitting I’ll never be perfect at my job-slash-ministry. Pair that with today’s ever-changing culture, and just when I start getting good at something, it changes or becomes obsolete.…
As the launch of a new school year approaches, remember to include on your calendar some strategic touchpoints with parents. It’s essential to partner with them and be available as you work together to nurture teenagers and their faith. Being available makes a profound positive statement to parents and boosts their confidence in you as a youth worker.…
Youth ministry in the summer has always been a struggle for me. Ministry momentum slows way down because my teenagers re-focus their time on… Summer jobs Family vacations Camps Trips to grandma’s house Attendance is frustratingly inconsistent—without warning, we can go from 24 kids to 87 kids any given week.…
“Do you know who I am? I don’t know how to put this, but…I’m kind of a big deal. People know me, I’m very important.” This declaration from Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy cracks me up every time I hear it.…
Spiritual habits are the guardrails and health indicators for our journey with Jesus. They’re not spiritual hoops to jump through—they’re pathways for me to connect with the King. And in my life, spiritual habits have fueled my relationship with Jesus and generally made my life better.…
With New Year’s resolutions, I’m always shooting for the moon—I go for big, Batman-sized resolutions. But this year things are going to be different. Big, bold resolutions seems like a recipe for failure. Don’t get me wrong, Batman gets big things done, but this year my strategies will be Robin-sized.…
Of course, January is synonymous with New Year’s resolutions. At our church, this resolution mindset is driving us to make and clarify goals for a new season of ministry. What I’m about to share with you is not a list of personal resolutions that I can let slide.…
