Kurt Johnston, Author at YouthMinistry.com https://youthministry.com/author/kurt/ Daily Wisdom for Youth Workers. Fri, 26 Apr 2024 19:31:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 5 Easy Ways To Encourage Your Volunteers https://youthministry.com/5-easy-ways-to-encourage-your-volunteers/ https://youthministry.com/5-easy-ways-to-encourage-your-volunteers/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2024 10:00:03 +0000 http://www.juniorhighministry.com/?p=1360 Posted by Kurt Johnston
1. Say Yes When They Ask For Your Help. We have all been taught that a key to time management is learning how to say NO. However, I think that when it comes to serving our volunteers we need to say YES whenever we can.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/5-easy-ways-to-encourage-your-volunteers/feed/ 1 Here are five easy easys to keep your youth volunteers encouraged.https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/600-x-300-px-35-270x196.png270196 Four Questions Every Youth Ministry Should Ask https://youthministry.com/four-questions-every-youth-ministry-should-ask/ https://youthministry.com/four-questions-every-youth-ministry-should-ask/#respond Mon, 19 Feb 2024 11:00:07 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=40480 Every Tuesday I eat lunch with our Children’s Ministry Pastor. I do it for three reasons…He’s a good friend, an extremely strategic thinker and every youth pastor needs to be in cahoots with the Children’s Pastor.
Last week, while I chewed on a bun-less chili burger (Yes, chili burgers are totally healthy if you exclude the bun), Steve shared three key questions he asks about his ministry on a regular basis.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/four-questions-every-youth-ministry-should-ask/feed/ 0 https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/600-x-300-px-7-270x196.png270196 When Things Aren’t Clicking https://youthministry.com/when-things-arent-clicking/ https://youthministry.com/when-things-arent-clicking/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 10:00:35 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=43880 You’ve been there. I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. “There” is that moment when you admit, and determine to do something about, what you’ve already been sensing for a little while: Things in your ministry just aren’t clicking.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/when-things-arent-clicking/feed/ 0 https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/600x300-px-48-270x196.png270196 Parenting: Our Kids Didn’t Choose This Way Of Life! https://youthministry.com/parenting-our-kids-didnt-choose-this-way-of-life/ https://youthministry.com/parenting-our-kids-didnt-choose-this-way-of-life/#comments Mon, 06 Mar 2023 11:00:52 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=41075 When Kayla was born, Rachel and I made an immediate decision that has fundamentally shaped our approach to raising kids. It was a decision based on a reality: Our kids didn’t choose to be born into a pastor’s family! My wife and I together choose the way of ministry, of our own free will.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/parenting-our-kids-didnt-choose-this-way-of-life/feed/ 2 How To “Up” Your Summer https://youthministry.com/how-to-up-your-summer/ https://youthministry.com/how-to-up-your-summer/#respond Mon, 27 Jun 2022 10:00:56 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=42538 Summer is a great season for youth workers. For some, things slow down a bit and you finally get some breathing room while for others, it’s packed with tons of extra events and activities. So whether you are swinging in a hammock a little more often this summer or staying late getting ready for tomorrow’s youth event, there are a few things you can do that will “Up” your summer.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/how-to-up-your-summer/feed/ 0 Student Leadership: Three Approaches. https://youthministry.com/student-leadership-three-approaches/ https://youthministry.com/student-leadership-three-approaches/#respond Mon, 16 May 2022 10:00:58 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=42021 Wrestling with the idea of student leadership in your ministry? Having trouble landing on a model/strategy that feels right? Here are three possible scenarios:
ORGANIC
Organic student leadership doesn’t rely on a program; there are no monthly gatherings, no “requirements” etc.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/student-leadership-three-approaches/feed/ 0 Junior High Discipleship: Always and Everywhere https://youthministry.com/discipleship-always-everywhere/ https://youthministry.com/discipleship-always-everywhere/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:00:07 +0000 https://youthministry.com/?p=61446 Put 20 youth pastors in a room and tell them they can’t come out until the agree on a definition of discipleship and it’s possible their friends and families will never see them again!
And IF they can agree, the odds of them implementing that definition in their youth ministries are about the same odds as me slam-dunking on a 10-foot rim (zero, in case you’re wondering).…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/discipleship-always-everywhere/feed/ 1 Discipleship can be hard to define. Here are a few (loosely connected) thoughts about junior highers and discipleship that may help. Strategic Teaching….Very Strategic Teaching https://youthministry.com/strategic-teaching-very-strategic-teaching/ https://youthministry.com/strategic-teaching-very-strategic-teaching/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2015 16:02:23 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=44451 Strategic Youth Ministry; nothing new about that idea. Doug Field’s classic book, Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, began it’s quest for youth ministry world domination almost TWENTY years ago. And while it outlined the most popular (and in my experience extremely effective) youth ministry paradigm, it certainly wasn’t the first or last.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/strategic-teaching-very-strategic-teaching/feed/ 4 Longevity in Youth Ministry GUARANTEED! https://youthministry.com/longevity-in-youth-ministry-guaranteed/ https://youthministry.com/longevity-in-youth-ministry-guaranteed/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:58:32 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=43998 Everybody likes guarantees, and in youth ministry there are few. But if you are hoping to stay involved in youth ministry in a local church setting for the long haul, I know the secret, the silver bullet…guaranteed:
REFUSE TO EXIT!
I’ve been traveling the local church youth ministry road for over 26 years, and there have been all sorts of times that I could have exited; “off-ramps” that nobody would have argued if I would have taken.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/longevity-in-youth-ministry-guaranteed/feed/ 3 Help, I’m A Terrible Small Group Leader! https://youthministry.com/help-im-a-terrible-small-group-leader/ https://youthministry.com/help-im-a-terrible-small-group-leader/#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:11:44 +0000 http://youthmindev.wpengine.com/?p=43801 The above picture was taken last night, the first gathering of a brand new small group of awesomely awkward 7th grade guys. See me leaning in on the right? The smile on my face masks a ton of anxiety about the year ahead.…

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]]> https://youthministry.com/help-im-a-terrible-small-group-leader/feed/ 1 https://youthministry.com/wp-content/upload/ymprod/Life-Group-1-1-270x196.jpg270196