Leadership Archives - YouthMinistry.com https://youthministry.com/leadership-freebie-library/ Daily Wisdom for Youth Workers. Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:19:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 New Year’s Resolutions: Failing On Purpose https://youthministry.com/failing-on-purpose/ https://youthministry.com/failing-on-purpose/#respond Tue, 26 Dec 2023 11:00:03 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=61653 I hate New Year’s resolutions. And I’m betting than I’m not alone in my hatred…
I’m a very driven person. I succeed in many areas of life. But I typically do what many of us typically do when the calendar flips—I catalog my shortcomings and vow to do better.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/failing-on-purpose/feed/ 0 I hate New Year’s resolutions. So, last year, I decided the best way to succeed at my resolutions was to fail on purpose.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/600x300-px-66-270x196.png270196 Killing the Cockroach https://youthministry.com/killing-the-cockroach/ https://youthministry.com/killing-the-cockroach/#comments Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:00:08 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76003 We all know that a cockroach is hard to kill… After the atomic-bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, the military reported that the only living things to survive the blast zone were these disgusting little pests.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/killing-the-cockroach/feed/ 2 What are the cockroaches of youth ministry, beliefs and practices that need to go, but keep surviving year after year? How can we finally put them to rest?https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/21-1-270x196.jpg270196 Gratitude: Preach It Like You Mean It https://youthministry.com/gratitude-preach-like-mean/ https://youthministry.com/gratitude-preach-like-mean/#respond Mon, 14 Nov 2022 11:00:59 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=57955 Gratitude gets wonky when we sit down at our Thanksgiving banquet table and look side to side, doesn’t it?
Look to your right, and there’s your neighbor who went to school for fewer years than you, works fewer hours than you, and makes twice as much money.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/gratitude-preach-like-mean/feed/ 0 Gratitude gets wonky when we sit down at our Thanksgiving banquet table and look side to side, doesn’t it?https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/GettyImages-185078044-e1479751906264-270x196.jpg270196 Swing for the Fences! https://youthministry.com/swing-for-the-fences/ https://youthministry.com/swing-for-the-fences/#respond Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:30:13 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76965 It’s time to start swinging for the fences! 
Settling… Attainable… Reasonable…
These are all innocent word, but they are also all wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Twenty pounds when I have 50 to lose? Well, the 20 is attainable. And I end up losing six and applaud the effort.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/swing-for-the-fences/feed/ 0 Average has become exceptional and exceptional is extinct.We’ve lost the art of swinging for the fences. Baby steps have taken the place of faith leaps.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/andras-vas-hcN1y3QFcOg-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 The Four-Letter Word That Isn’t https://youthministry.com/four-letter-word-numbers/ https://youthministry.com/four-letter-word-numbers/#respond Sun, 10 Jan 2021 12:58:21 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76280 “I don’t really look at numbers; I’m more interested in spiritual growth.”
“You’re so numbers-focused—do you even know anyone’s names?”
“Numbers aren’t the only way to gauge ministry success.”
I work in a pretty large church. I’ve heard all of these “numbers” criticisms, and then some.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/four-letter-word-numbers/feed/ 0 All of us have biases when it comes to measuring numerical growth. What would it look like to start making plans because of these numbers?https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/paul-bergmeir-FzFH41IucIY-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 Only Small Ones: The Subtle Secret to Big Wins https://youthministry.com/only-small-ones-the-subtle-secret-to-big-wins/ https://youthministry.com/only-small-ones-the-subtle-secret-to-big-wins/#respond Wed, 01 Jul 2020 14:27:25 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=77038 We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master
builder and the worker.
 We are workers, not master builders.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
(Cardinal Dearden, 1979)
We had pulled together a handful of youth workers from our city for a little mutual encouragement (and pizza). …

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]]> https://youthministry.com/only-small-ones-the-subtle-secret-to-big-wins/feed/ 0 The results are in. Our individualistic, isolated passion for youth ministry is just not going to be enough to move the needle. It will not be enough to give us the “big win.”https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/giorgio-trovato-_XTY6lD8jgM-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 Moving Social Media to Social Ministry https://youthministry.com/moving-social-media-to-social-ministry/ https://youthministry.com/moving-social-media-to-social-ministry/#respond Tue, 23 Jun 2020 16:00:42 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76963 I remember asking my supervisor for budget approval to purchase a new video camera.
I was ready for him to tell me I was asking for too much money. I presented my request, and there was no discussion. It was a resounding “yes.”…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/moving-social-media-to-social-ministry/feed/ 0 Now, my success is not tied to cool tech, followers, or likes. Instead, I use these four guardrails to leverage our resources—to move the needle and build momentum to help us fulfill our mission as a youth ministry. https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/robin-worrall-FPt10LXK0cg-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 From the Belly of the Apocalypse https://youthministry.com/from-the-belly-of-the-apocalypse/ https://youthministry.com/from-the-belly-of-the-apocalypse/#respond Tue, 05 May 2020 21:58:09 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76850 My home-based youth group (called Pursuing the Heart, Not the Recipes) meets every Tuesday night—20-ish teenagers from six churches and five schools, and from freshmen to seniors.
When the college students are on break, it balloons up to 25 or so.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/from-the-belly-of-the-apocalypse/feed/ 0 In the two months since we've went virtual, here’s what I’ve learned and observed along the path of this adventure of leading a virtual group.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/chris-montgomery-smgTvepind4-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 How We’re Winning the COVID Game https://youthministry.com/how-were-winning-the-covid-game/ https://youthministry.com/how-were-winning-the-covid-game/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:17:53 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76826 Much like the entire world, we’re still staring dumb-faced at the last few months and wondering, “What just happened?”
Truth? I don’t know if we’re “winning” at anything right now. I’m just grateful that I have toilet paper in my house.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/how-were-winning-the-covid-game/feed/ 0 Much like the entire world, we’re still staring dumb-faced at the last few months and wondering, “What just happened?” Here’s what we’re doing to measure our effectiveness.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/markus-winkler-FGqmA1o1lzc-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 7 Action-Steps for Small Youth Groups https://youthministry.com/7-action-steps-for-small-youth-groups/ https://youthministry.com/7-action-steps-for-small-youth-groups/#respond Tue, 03 Mar 2020 17:35:15 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76640 His name was Andy, and some weeks he was the only teenager who showed up for my youth group.
It was a small church. And when things were good, the youth group might have 15 kids show up. But things suddenly became not-so-good as our senior pastor and congregation battled over whether or not he should resign. …

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]]> https://youthministry.com/7-action-steps-for-small-youth-groups/feed/ 0 I noticed how a few small decisions really added up to a huge impact in that small church. Here are 7 action-steps for small youth groups.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/Fixed-01152_1PersonInMiddle-018383-270x196.jpg270196