Last week, we talked about how the fundamental role of student leaders is to create a culture of welcome. A common question I get in response to this idea is “How do you train and equip student leaders to create a culture of welcome?”
There are...
I used to believe there was such a thing as a perfect church. Then I became a youth pastor and started working for the church. I quickly realized just how imperfect the church is.
Of course, this shouldn't be surprising. The church is made of...
Last week, my high school youth ministry finished it's discussion of Gospel Journey Maui by wrestling with the question, “Who is Jesus?” Because I've used this curriculum before, I searched my computer for our “Who is Jesus?” discussion from five...
What the book's about: Creating a Lead Small Culture is about creating and maintaining healthy small groups that will help kids and teens find a place within the church to belong.
Why I read this book: As a youth pastor, I want teens to...
When I first interviewed for my current position, I remember asking the pastors, “How are youth involved in worship?”
Their answer to this question was important to me because I was coming from a non-denominational setting wherein we had a...
Clear communication greatly contributes to effective ministry, especially when you're dealing with your ministry's leaders. When it comes to student leadership teams, one thing that can aid in this process is establishing a covenant.
A covenant is...
Several years ago, I interviewed Gordon MacDonald for an article for Youth Worker Journal. During our interview, Gordon talked about how one of the greatest things he's learned to do in discipling people is to welcome them into his home; That...
My husband and I have often wondered: Is it easier to bring social justice to the evangelicals or Jesus to the mainliners?
So often, our experience has been that despite the fact the Bible emphasizes the importance of both Jesus and social...
Our church's annual meeting was two weeks ago. Each year at this meeting, the pastor talks about the state of the church, we discuss various issues impacting the church, and we vote on a budget.
Although the meeting is open to all members of...
The premise of Jon Weece's Jesus Prom is, I think, really good. According to Jon, “Jesus loved verbs. Verbs like love, come, rest, learn, hear, die, give, and go. So wouldn't it make sense that the people who claim to follow Jesus would love the...