Editor's Note: This letter is an excerpt from CYMT's book Letters to a Youth Worker, edited by Mark DeVries. Dear Theologian, Yes. You are a theologian. Anytime you open the Bible and read the scriptures, anytime you talk about God ...
Newsflash: You have more to do than you have time to do! Solution: Get help and let go! How do you find and empower folks who can help you with your ministry? What do you need help with? Is there ...
by Jason Sansbury When you've been in ministry long enough (and sometimes when you're just starting out), there are certain "moments" that you'll experience. One of those moments is when the "haters" come for you. I wish I could tell ...
by Peter Carlson Youth group ski trips are often a highlight of the year to both students and adult leaders (especially if your church covers the cost of your leaders’ lift tickets). However, when planning these trips it’s easy to ...
Editor's Note: The following article is a summary of material presented at the Center for Youth Ministry Training's conference From Txt2Speech: Proclaiming scripture to youth in a digital age, held Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn. by ...
Editor's Note: The following article is a summary of material presented at the Center for Youth Ministry Training's conference From Txt2Speech: Proclaiming scripture to youth in a digital age, held Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn. by ...
by Mindi Godfrey One of my very dear friends dubbed me "Queen of Plan B." In most situations, especially when working with teens, I have a "Plan B." I hate to be unprepared and caught off guard even though I'm ...
by Samantha Tidball Recently, I had a conversation with someone about his understanding of the function of church. He told me that he once heard a preacher say that the church is about saving souls. This preacher believes that if ...
by Gary Wake If someone’s driving and they have no idea where they are, it’s helpful for them to stop and figure out where they went off track, so that they don’t move further from their intended destination. There are ...
by Chris Cummings In August 2012 the organization Youth Pastors Anonymous (YPA), a support group for paid and volunteer youth workers in the Nashville area, hosted the inagural youth ministry volunteer team training event, MORE THAN A VOLUNTEER. The idea ...
Editor's Note: This letter is excerpted from CYMT's book Letters to a Youth Worker, edited by Mark DeVries. Dear Youthworker, Sometimes I’ve wondered, “Which am I? Youth Leader? Mother? Hmmm…Youth Leader? Mother? I’m both. And when I really dig deep, ...
by Jason Sansbury Events are an integral part of any youth ministry. At their best, they can help create momentum and accomplish great things in the lives of our youth groups and the students involved. At their worst, they can ...
Editor's Note: The following article is a summary of material presented at the Center for Youth Ministry Training's conference From Txt2Speech: Proclaiming scripture to youth in a digital age, held Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn. Are ...
Dear Youthworker, For those of you just starting out in youth ministry, I am so excited for you and for the journey you are beginning. Your call to work with young people means there’s a good chance you have a ...
Dear Youthworker, First, I think congratulations are in order. You’ve either just gotten this job or somehow survived in it for these last several months and years. Both deserve a hearty “congrats,” and, if we were face to face, a ...
To my Dearest Sojourner in Ministry to Youth, You are wise, my friend, to seek out and learn from the experience of others, others who have been educated with an often painful curriculum. And so, as one who has had ...
by Denise McKinney I've been thinking a lot about leadership lately. Most of it is from a ministry context, but those thoughts and reflections are spilling over into a variety of leadership situations I've been observing. I recently watched an ...
by Deech Kirk 10/31/2012 You are the youth director, youth pastor, or youth minister. Do you need to have a relationship with parents? Weren't you hired to work with youth? How do you develop health relationships with parents? Parents are the ...
by Ryan Timpte Attention youth ministers: children’s ministry needs to matter to you. Do you know what’s going on in the children’s ministry in your church? How well do you know the point person for your children’s ministry? In the ...
by Stephen Ingram Most youth ministers struggle for a number of reasons. We struggle because we are over committed, we work unorthodox hours, and we have difficulty finding consistent rhythm. We struggle because of lack of training, lack of time, ...
