One of the benefits of the last year is that we've all been forced to try something new, but what about now? We've been in this season long enough for things to become familiar or even stale.  It's easy to get stuck doing the same things over and over again, especially if they work. The trap ...
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Dear friends in youth ministry,  We need to get back in the mix of our own evangelism. In the last few months of uncertainty, I have felt overly instructive and less participatory. The playbook for successful student ministry has changed, and reinvigorating evangelism has to start with our ...
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Open bag 11! There we were. After 947 pieces, we were ready to open the final bag of Legos needed to complete Bowser’s castle and clean up the wreckage of cellophane and cardboard from the dining room table.  I’m Zac, and I’m a dad of two amazing boys who love really cool toys. This year, ...
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Healthy student ministries are Kingdom expanding. When I refer to "Kingdom" here, I am referring to God's Kingdom of people who have placed their faith in him. Others have called it the universal church. In its most basic definition it simply means all believers everywhere. To expand God's ...
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You need at least five people in your life to succeed and stay healthy in youth ministry. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. While I don’t dispute Jim or the law of averages, I do think there are five people or role ...
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Hey, student minister! Let’s take a 1 question survey: Q: In your line of ministry work, who is on your “first team?” A:___________________ If you had asked me this question 4 years ago, I would have had a very different answer, I might have said my family or my volunteers, but when it ...
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Welcome to the beginning of another year, and the perfect time to hit the reset button on some weekly practices that will help you maximize your leadership and stay organized throughout the year. Please don’t think of these as the standard New Year’s resolution plans, but rather a set of practices ...
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There are ten million details that go into planning an event, and if we’re being honest, it is one of the most stressful parts about working and serving in student ministry. In fact, the amount of time we spend planning and creating would probably far surpass the amount of time we spend with ...
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Have you ever had one of those teachers that didn’t like for students to ask questions? Maybe they didn’t want to slow down their lecture or they didn’t have the humility to gasp that someone might not understand what they’re teaching. Regardless, when a hand went up, they weren’t too keen on ...
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Welcome to December 2020. The last month of this calendar year and the advent of a new year. Before you finish your Christmas shopping or savor your cider with a movie, pause and do one more scan of your ministry. For some of your students, this is not the most wonderful time of the year. I saw ...
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