In this single-session Masterclass, Josh addresses a leadership topic that is oftentimes frustrating for people. We love the joys of student ministry. We love it when we can cast a vision for something that sticks and that people get excited about and want to follow us to see it come to fruition. But what about those other seasons where we cast vision, and nothing happens? What about those times when you get super excited about something—a new program a new idea, a new initiative, whatever it is—and we cast that vision to church leadership or families or our volunteers or our students, and they look at us with a little bit of confusion like we have four heads? So, let’s talk about what to do (and not do) when our vision doesn’t stick.

No matter the size of your ministry. No matter how long you’ve been there or what type of church you participate in, chances are, you’ve had experiences with parents who may be a little bit more “needy” than other families in your ministry. These are the families who are a little more opinionated or maybe more willing to share their opinions with you (and everyone else) more than the rest. We’re talking about the families whose emails you leave unread just a little bit longer because, honestly, you’re not totally sure how to respond. The families that call your phone you may send them to voicemail because you want to hear what they have to say before you answer or call back. It’s the family that on a Sunday after service, you’re standing in the lobby, and you see somebody walk into you, and you go, “Ohh man, that’s so and so, and I’m not sure I’m ready to have this conversation.” We all have families in our ministry who we just struggle with, right? We don’t hate them. We don’t dislike them. However, at the end of the day, they just make life a little bit more difficult for you, and we want to know how to navigate, how to engage, and how to care for these families really well because God has entrusted us with that task. God has placed those families in our church, so we don’t just want tactics or tips and tricks to figure out how to avoid these families or just pass them off to someone else. We want to be pastors. In fact, God has invited us into this as pastors, and we have a responsibility and, hopefully, a desire to care well for the people that God has placed in our ministry context. So, in this single-session Masterclass, Josh talks about difficult parents and five things to consider when choosing to pastor them well.

In the journey of faith, the decision to be baptized marks a significant milestone for many individuals, particularly students, who are embarking on their spiritual path. It is a moment of profound significance, signifying their commitment to follow Christ and embrace the teachings of Christianity. In navigating the complexities of guiding students through the baptismal journey, a multifaceted approach that prioritizes timely action, is intentional with inclusive discussions, and one that sits on a solid foundation rooted in Scripture is indispensable. In this three-lesson module, we will discuss how to create a baptism counseling strategy that approaches the subject of baptism with humility, openness, and reverence—one that engages in meaningful dialogue, listening attentively to the voices of tradition, Scripture, and the Spirit. And one that extends grace and hospitality to all who seek to explore the depths of faith.

Youth ministry changes quickly depending on what's going on in the church, what's happening in the culture, the makeup of the current students involved in the ministry, and literally hundreds of other factors. These changes often go unnoticed because we, as youth ministry leaders, are too busy or assume nothing has changed. If we don't take a step back and assess our ministry, we are in danger of becoming less effective in our reach and discipleship. Having recently stepped into a couple of new ministry environments, each with its own unique contexts, I learned just how much value there is in the ability to quickly and accurately assess each context. With my degree in business combined with a fair amount of youth ministry experience, it occurred to me that the ability to perform a SWOT analysis could be a real game-changer for youth ministry leaders. So, in this five-lesson module, I will break down a SWOT analysis for you and discuss how to apply it to your youth ministry. 

For anyone who has ever felt unqualified to share the Good News, this training is for you. My Eight: Embrace and Engage in the Wonder of Evangelism uses Scripture and stories from Dr. Newton’s life to make plain how not only are we, as Christ-followers, more than capable of sharing the Gospel, but we are also called to do so. It does away with the idea that you must have a microphone or a stage to make Jesus known, but instead invites us to see the beauty and joy of embracing and engaging in evangelism everyday.

Every Disney movie has some recognizable symbol. Have a couple of players face off to see who can guess the name of the movie (not the character) first!

See who can get the closest to the actual answer.

Can your group recognize which animals that are Omnivores (that eat meat and plants)? Test their knowledge on this multiple-choice quiz. Play it as a face-off or having everyone stand and vote (winners stay standing, losers sit down). Enjoy!

Simply guess "Yes" or "No" if you think these items hit the target weight of 50 pounds.

There have been a lot of famous cats in the history of pop culture. See how many of these cats you can correctly name.

Everyone grows up with a mix of awkward phases and shining moments. See if your students can recognize what some of their favorite celebrities looked like back then. Play it as an icebreaker, in teams or as a face-off!