I’ve been in youth ministry a pretty long time… Since back when handing out tickets to pizza parties was a thing. I remember a long-ago encounter that changed my outlook on ministry forever. I had spent the day creating our youth group’s four-page newsletter using three font wheels, two ink colors, and one very fancy typewriter.…
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!” I’m not sure who first coined that infamous saying, but it is somehow simultaneously genius and defeatist. Pragmatically speaking, it makes sense. Why fight against the inevitable? But few things seem as depressing as giving up and giving in when we know there’s a better way!…
Because Thanksgiving lands on November 24 this year, [tweet_dis]here’s a list of 24 things to be thankful for this season[/tweet_dis]: 1. Pizza—Pizza is to youth ministry as turkey is to Thanksgiving. It wouldn’t be complete without it! 2. Senior Pastors—They paved the way and led the charge.…
For better or for worse, we are all currently building a legacy. When we move on to whatever comes next in our life journey, the next generation of leaders will inherit the foundations that have been laid in our youth ministries as well as everything we’ve left unfinished. …
EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Novelli was a full-time youth pastor for 13 years before he launched his own ministry called Echo (echothestory.com), helping both young people and adults learn through the art of “Storying,” an experiential and dialogical approach to growing deep in relationship with God.…
How one longtime youth pastor has morphed his ministry into a “student-led, adult-mentored” culture, where there are no adults leading small groups or, really, any ministry. By Brandon Kennard“These middle school kids have way too much energy for me; I think I may be in over my head.”And…
On a recent visit with my family I had the chance to catch up with my nephew who is a small group leader in youth ministry and is also a second year college student studying Church Ministry. I wanted to know what this college sophomore would say to me about his experience as a small group leader and youth ministry volunteer.…
I’m an evangelist at heart. I like planting seeds. And while I’m not the guy who is eagerly looking for an opportunity to share the Romans Road with my barista or hang out at the skate parking looking for the chance to drop a spiritual law or two on unsuspecting hoodlums, I do have an innate desire to expose as many teenagers as possible to the good news of Jesus.…
I woke up with an anxious knot in my stomach. I had no idea where it had come from or why it had decided to take up residence in my gut. Lying in bed, I started to go through a mental checklist of reasons it could be there.…
Having spent over 20 years in student ministry, these are just a few brief thoughts that I felt led to share that every youth worker needs to know: 1. You Bring Nothing To The Table A great friend of mine spoke this truth into my life several years back and he reminds me of it often when we are discussing ministry.…
