A few weeks ago, I visited our new members class in order to talk about our congregation's youth ministry.

None of the people in this class have high school aged kids and yet I went anyway, believing it's important for everyone in our...

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This summer, my student leaders & I read and discussed the book, Help! I'm a Student Leader by Doug Fields. Using the questions below, we had some incredibly powerful discussions about leadership and faith. 

Questions about Ch. 3 of...

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On a Sunday morning not all that long ago, I stood behind a young mom and her toddler-aged daughter as they exited church. When they reached the doors in the back of our church, the mom said to her daughter, “Say good-bye to the church.”

The...

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During the wee hours of our summer mission trip, I realized one of my student leaders was in the midst of a spiritual crisis.

Just before the trip, her atheist friend asked her, “Why do you believe in God?” In that moment, she realized she didn't...

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Most people in the youth ministry world are at least vaguely aware of recent research from both the National Study of Youth and Religion and the College Transition Project that suggests the faith we're cultivating in teens is not consequential and...

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One of the best things my congregation does to help transition junior high students into our high school ministry is a tradition I inherited: The confirmation home visit.

Each fall, our associate pastor (who runs confirmation) visits all the 7th...

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Earlier this year, I had the privilege of writing a piece on Sticky Faith – research that I very much admire and respect from Kara Powell and the folks at the College Transition Project - for The Christian Century.

A few weeks ago, Christian...

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This summer, my student leaders and I are reading and discussing Help! I'm a Student Leader by Doug Fields.

The week before our summer mission trip, we discussed Ch. 3 of this book, entitled “Student Leaders Deepen Their Faith.” As part of our...

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Dear Senior -

For four years, you've graced our ministry with your presence. Now as your graduation approaches, I've found my thoughts drifting to you more and more frequently. I've used each thought I've had of you as a call to prayer.

As I've...

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I've done the 30 Hour Famine – an event where students fast for 30 hours in order to "taste" hunger and raise money and awareness to fight world hunger - ten times as a youth worker. Traditionally, it's been one of my favorite events but I've...

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