Did you hear? Teenagers are reading books more than other generations. So… why aren’t they reading the Bible? For that matter, should they be? (Maybe that’s a question we haven’t asked in a while.) Apparently, only 3% of teenagers are engaged in the Bible on a daily basis, while 25% of the same demographic read it at least once a week.…
Summer movies. We often try to leverage them to reach students, but they come with as many liabilities as they do opportunities. Can I tell you a personal story? Years ago, I was watching our teens head out after one of our weekly student ministry gatherings.…
It’s not getting better, is it? The elusiveness of racial reconciliation. Insurgent tensions with police officers. Mass shootings in public forums. Terrorist attacks around the world. Isn’t this the part where Jesus comes back? Perhaps you can relate to this… I’ve felt such heartache in realizing my empathy has limits.…
“I’m not gonna die here.” Sometimes we just have to say that out loud. Matt Damon’s character in The Martian declared it in a key moment early on in the movie. How many things in ministry require such a declaration? Fundraising?…
Wondering what to do with your graduating seniors? Plenty has been written on that very subject. It’s even all over social media in virtually any forum related to student ministry. You may not need another article on this. And yet the question is still nagging you, isn’t it?…
The everyday ways people influence one another is astounding. I see what you see – the pain it can cause, as well as the life it can create. I believe there are seven types of people influencing our decisions daily: Family/Parent Friend/Peer Consultant/Advice Strategist/Planner Positional/Boss Guru/Model _______?…
What a unique week of one hot topic in particular: bathroom breaks. Once Upon a Time endorsed a same-gender “true love’s kiss.” The actor who plays Thor endorsed his 3-year old daughter’s desire to have male anatomy (although, ironically, a woman became Thor in the comics).…
Years ago, our youth director shared something that I still think is brilliant. She shared about the pain and fatigue any of us can feel in serving God through church: When someone is hurt by a church organization, it’s a special kind of pain… there’s something deeper and kind of unique about the hurt that comes from realizing the imperfections of an organization that is supposed to be God’s representation on the earth.…
Two Tethers for Spiritually-Stretched Families Originally posted by our friends at Lifetree Family Please don’t judge me. For two days, my wife and I walked around with one of our kids on a stretchy leash. You’ve probably seen these human fishing lures.…
Andy Stanley recently came under fire by suggesting that the secret sauce of youth ministry is in parents getting their kids to attend a large church. At least, that’s the sound byte that’s rapidly spreading around the Internet. (Stanley did apologize and reframed his comments through hindsight) Ironically, my first volunteer youth ministry experience took place in the church in a large, suburban mega-church that effectively reached thousands of local students.…
