Planning and Productivity Archives - YouthMinistry.com https://youthministry.com/planning-and-productivity/ Daily Wisdom for Youth Workers. Tue, 02 Jul 2024 20:53:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 Summer Is a Liar https://youthministry.com/summer-is-a-liar/ https://youthministry.com/summer-is-a-liar/#respond Mon, 08 Jul 2024 10:00:56 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=62013 In a ministry context, summer is a serial liar. I mean, summer is NOT a slower time for youth ministry, and it’s NOT chock-full of margin.
We won’t have a more relaxed schedule, and we won’t have time to catch our breath.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/summer-is-a-liar/feed/ 0 Summer break? Not in youth ministry... Here are a few ideas to maximize your time during the summer months, without going insane.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/600-x-300-px-63-270x196.png270196 Youth Ministry ‘Go-Bag’ https://youthministry.com/youth-ministry-go-bag/ https://youthministry.com/youth-ministry-go-bag/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2023 11:00:39 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=55441 As a former military member, I learned the value of a ‘go-bag’ long ago. Here’s the idea: You keep a bag ready to go at a moment’s notice. In this bag you put everything you will need for a specific operation, or in the case of youth ministry, an event.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/youth-ministry-go-bag/feed/ 9 https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/iStock_000010771181_Large-270x196.jpg270196 Summer Ministry’s C+ Temptation https://youthministry.com/summer-ministrys-c-temptation/ https://youthministry.com/summer-ministrys-c-temptation/#comments Mon, 30 May 2022 10:00:33 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=62008 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.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/summer-ministrys-c-temptation/feed/ 1 Summer ministry is critical...but what does a great summer ministry look like? Here are some pratical tips to make your ministry go from a C+ to an A+.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/toa-heftiba-723246-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 Our 10 Failures of Leading Volunteers https://youthministry.com/our-10-failures-leading-volunteers/ https://youthministry.com/our-10-failures-leading-volunteers/#respond Mon, 21 Mar 2022 10:00:06 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=55697 Regardless of the size of your group, every healthy youth ministry has a healthy volunteer staff.
Many new youth leaders start out with lots of energy and lots of ideas, but not a lot of confidence when it comes to inviting others to help out.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/our-10-failures-leading-volunteers/feed/ 0 https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/rawpixel-com-196464-270x196.jpg270196 Big Dreams Require Little Details https://youthministry.com/big-dreams-require-little-details/ https://youthministry.com/big-dreams-require-little-details/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 21:14:47 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76059 What’s your big dream for your youth ministry this year? And can you sum it up on a T-shirt?
Leadership guru Peter Drucker made the “T-shirt” challenge famous—his argument was that big goals should be so easy to understand that they fit on a T-shirt.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/big-dreams-require-little-details/feed/ 0 What's your big dream for your youth ministry this year? And can you sum it up on a T-shirt? Here's how to discuss the details for the year.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/estee-janssens-zni0zgb3bkQ-unsplash-1-270x196.jpg270196 Valentine’s Day Do’s and Don’ts https://youthministry.com/valentines-day-dos-and-donts/ https://youthministry.com/valentines-day-dos-and-donts/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 18:40:21 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=55415 We will soon be celebrating the most beloved and hated holiday in all of tween and teen-dom: Valentine’s Day.
During adolescence, it seems to become THE DAY when your friends, crushes, and relationships prove their love for you. Middle schools don’t mandate cards and candy for everyone.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/valentines-day-dos-and-donts/feed/ 0 Soon we'll celebrate the most beloved and hated holiday in all of tween and teen-dom. Here are some Valentine's Day Do’s and Don’ts for the youth ministry world.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/sharon-mccutcheon-J3m69BAg30s-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 Make “Less” Your “More” in Your Holiday Planning https://youthministry.com/holiday-planning/ https://youthministry.com/holiday-planning/#respond Wed, 30 Sep 2020 19:09:59 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76371 From the last porch light of Halloween through the last light of the Christmas tree, our holiday schedules are packed!
Cramming their way into our margins are school Christmas parties, staff get-togethers, and family dinners—and we haven’t even touched decorating, cooking, shopping, and wrapping.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/holiday-planning/feed/ 0 From October through the end of December, our holiday schedules are packed! Here are a few real-world options for building margin during the holidays.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/northfolk-V1iLcYGcgVc-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 A Digital Small-Group Strategy In the Age of Social Distancing https://youthministry.com/a-digital-small-group-strategy-in-the-age-of-social-distancing/ https://youthministry.com/a-digital-small-group-strategy-in-the-age-of-social-distancing/#respond Mon, 16 Mar 2020 15:47:19 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76716 In the shadow of a virus pandemic, digital strategies for doing youth ministry are more important than ever.
Necessity breeds invention—so now is the time to try some new ideas. Treat this season as an opportunity for experimenting with new approaches to connecting with your teenagers.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/a-digital-small-group-strategy-in-the-age-of-social-distancing/feed/ 0 In the shadow of a virus pandemic, digital strategies for doing youth ministry are more important than ever.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/glenn-carstens-peters-npxXWgQ33ZQ-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196 The 5 Gifts to Give During the Holidays https://youthministry.com/the-5-gifts-to-give-during-the-holidays/ https://youthministry.com/the-5-gifts-to-give-during-the-holidays/#respond Tue, 17 Dec 2019 22:23:20 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=76369 It’s the most wonderful time of the year. A holly-jolly Christmas. Do you hear what I hear? Silver bells. The First Noel.
We get it. The Christmas nostalgia in our soul’s cup “spilleth over.” But threaded through the music, food, and decorations of the Christmas season is a reminder of something greater and deeper—that God came near and continues to come near.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/the-5-gifts-to-give-during-the-holidays/feed/ 0 It's tempting to copy-and-paste our Christmas ministry traditions, but it's more powerful to serve others in the spirit of Jesus. Here are five gifts your ministry can offer during the holidays.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/freestocks-org-PxM8aeJbzvk-unsplash-270x196.jpg270196