Biblical illiteracy is an increasing trend. It should be alarming to you as a student pastor. As a student pastor it's alarming to me. Too many students are graduating from our ministries with the Bible still feeling awkward in their hands. In Colossians 3:16 Paul encourages the believers to “let ...
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Are Scripture and Scripture Memory Important in Your Student Ministry?
There is a serious problem facing the church today, especially student ministries: biblical illiteracy. The Barna Research group discovered a few things in their research of biblical illiteracy, such as over 50% of graduating seniors believed that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife or that ...
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3 Ways to Overcome Goal-phobia
Goals can scare people. Sometimes they even scare me. But a goal will simultaneously elevate your urgency, pressure, and accountability. A goal can also elevate your direction, vision, and purpose. To be an effective and impactful student pastor, you must be willing to face the fears brought on by ...
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Don’t Go It Alone
I was two years out of college, and the click, click, click of my crutches reminded me of the temporary state of helplessness. All it took was one game, one turn over, one misstep, and one very loud "pop." That was going to be the end of my not-so-illustrious pick-up basketball career. ACL torn, ...
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Element #3 of a Healthy Student Ministry: Culture Shaping
Healthy student ministries are culture shaping. Meaning, they produce students who shape the culture. When you look throughout scripture and church history, you see the Lord using young people to shape the culture. We need to embrace the reality that God still desires to do that today: to use young ...
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Developing Students Who Take Ownership in Student Ministry
Is is possible to get students to "own" the ministry? Jeff Borton, student minister and co-author of Simple Student Ministry, shares about the importance of students developing ownership in the ministry. --- Ben Trueblood
Ben Trueblood: Why is it important that students feel ownership in the ...
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It’s OK to be Aggressively Selfish (with Your Spiritual Health)
As a student pastor, it's likely you've been tired, frustrated, or spiritually and emotionally drained within the past year. These are realities of student ministry and can drain you to the point of ineffectiveness. It's vital to take care of yourself spiritually.
When it comes to your spiritual ...
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Middle School Students and Discipleship: Where Do I Begin?
For some student ministries discipleship is a priority in their ministry. For other student ministries discipleship is not a priority. Discipleship must be an important part of every student ministry. I have visited with student pastors and volunteers over the years and discovered that many desire ...
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Element #2 of a Healthy Student Ministry: Character Transforming
Healthy student ministries focus on character transformation, not merely character formation. There difference is huge. God’s word is the only thing that can bring transformation. For a student to experience transformation, the truth of God needs to be applied to the deepest parts of who they are. ...
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Element #1 of a Healthy Student Ministry: Kingdom Expanding
Healthy student ministries are kingdom expanding. They are evangelistic. In a healthy student ministry there will be students who meet Jesus and are rescued from their sin. We have all heard this statement before: “The majority of people who meet Jesus do so before they graduate high school.” We ...
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