As humans, we have an automatic tendency toward isolation. But isolation in youth (or any) ministry is especially dangerous. Isolation leaves an opportunity for sin to take root, for selfishness to be harbored, and it halts your spiritual growth. In this episode, Ben talks about the importance of ...
Read More

In this episode, John Paul talks with producer Nathan about six key leadership competencies that ministry leaders need in order to be better leaders. Click the link below to download the Six Key Leadership Competencies Worksheet Six Key Leadership Competencies Worksheet Ben ...
Read More

For many student ministries, camp is the main event of the year—the opportunity to take your students away from all the distractions of their regular day-to-day and saturate them in a retreat setting that is completely focused on God. Sowing all year usually brings reaping at camp. Is it that God is ...
Read More

We believe that every youth minister needs to have a clear picture of what the world looks like when your ministry is headed towards success. Week to-week-wins are good, but moving a youth ministry down the roadmap to success (and ultimately, succession) is the big picture.  To make your ...
Read More

In this episode, Ben, John Paul, and Julie talk about how to complete difficult tasks, revisit unfinished tasks, and how to prioritize the tasks that need to be accomplished in student ministry. Ben Trueblood    Ben serves as the Director of Student Ministry for LifeWay ...
Read More

In this episode, Ben, John Paul, and Julie Plunk talk about creating a family mission statement and how it can impact families. Ben Trueblood    Ben serves as the Director of Student Ministry for LifeWay Christian Resources and has served the local church as a student pastor for ...
Read More

Want to be an effective student pastor? Bring a team around you! In this week's episode of Student Ministry That Matters, Ben talks about the key element that contributes to burnout: doing all the ministry yourself. Leaders help multiply your ability to take advantage of "posture moments" by moving ...
Read More

Choosing the right curriculum can be a daunting task. It’s one of the topics I’m frequently asked to talk about and my approach to choosing the right curriculum is a surprise to people at times. Most assume that I am going to immediately begin selling LifeWay curriculum and talk about the features ...
Read More

The topic of parent ministry in any room of youth pastors can bring up a wide range of responses. Whether you love it or hate it—it’s important. We want to give you 8 easy ways to win with the parents of your students. Parenting is hard. The truth of parenting is that it’s just plain ...
Read More

Watching students make unwise or ungodly decisions is difficult. But if we just expect their behavior to change apart from actually being transformed by God’s Word, the change will not be long-term. Or—on the flip side—do you have students who just appear to be doing the right thing out of ...
Read More