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Any New Orleans chef worth his roux would tell you that a truly delicious gumbo isn't just about one specific ingredient but is instead a masterful combination of different select ingredients that, when blended together, create an explosion of flavor. Likewise, as leaders in youth ministry, we are called to make disciples. To accomplish this Sacred task, we have to get into the kitchen and build the recipe ingredients that, when mixed together, not only lead students in our particular ministry contexts to come to faith in Jesus Christ but also guides and supports each of them as they grow in relationship with Him. In these sessions together, we will look at seven key ingredients to providing your students with a discipleship strategy or pathway that does just that.

I once heard it said that youth leaders should spend 1/3 of our time reaching and discipling students, 1/3 of our time developing leaders, and 1/3 of our time equipping parents. This is a great model and a healthy approach to youth ministry. But what if leadership development was an intensional part of your discipleship process? What if, as we were making student leaders, we were simultaneously training them to be disciples who make disciples? This is a one-session master class on how to engage, equip, and empower your students to do that very thing.

As our students go through life, they encounter people and situations that lead them to pack and carry some enormous emotional baggage that holds them back from living in the grace and freedom that Christ provides. As youth pastors, we are in a unique position to help both students and their parents "lighten the load" along the way. In these training sessions, we will look at eight specific bags kids tend to pack as they grow up, how these bags tend to get packed, and the long-lasting negative impacts they can have. Each session will offer practical strategies we can use and equip parents to employ to leverage their influence and prevent some of these bags from getting packed in the first place.

Have you ever heard of the saying, "Do it right or do it over?" Flying by the seat of your pants and surviving in ministry due to the grace of the do-over is a typical caricature of a youth ministry leader. However, no matter how charismatic the personality of the ministry leader is, there comes a time when second chances run out, and your misteps lead to your termination. This is especially true with errors and oversites in the areas of organization, communication, systems, wisdom, conflict resolution, and change. But there is another way. In this On-Demand Masterclass, we will look at seven critical aspects of ministry that you really need to get right this year so that you can lead, grow, thrive--and still be employed—in the next year.

If you desire to be an effective youth ministry leader, effective communication is a skill set that has to be mastered. This On-Demand Masterclass will do a deep dive into helping you build a more effective communication strategy by identifying your audiences, exploring a central hub model, and generally upping your communication game with students, parents, and volunteers in your ministry.

It has been said that leaders have the power to change or affect the lives of others, and therefore, leadership is sacred work. If this is true of leadership in general, it must be infinitely more true for ministry leaders. But how can we expect to participate in this sacred work of leading others if we are incapable or sorely lacking when it comes to the ability to lead ourselves well? In this two-part master class, we are going to look at six big areas of self-leadership—self-discipline, health, time management, saying no, boundaries, family first—and all the things that we struggle with that make up these six areas. These two sessions will offer tips, suggestions, and things for you to consider about self-leadership. But most importantly, they will cause you to ask some hard questions of yourself about the way you lead yourself and consider how those choices impact everyone/everything around you.

No youth pastor takes a ministry role expecting things to go poorly or with an internal time clock of when they know that God will call them to something new. But inevitably, it happens. Something changes. Something goes wrong. Something happens outside of your control but impacts you, your ministry, or your family. Maybe something goes particularly right. Or God, in His perfect timing and will, moves you on or over to something else. In this masterclass, we will look at when to leave, how to leave well, and the things you need to thoroughly investigate/ask before saying yes to your "next."

As the founder and director of GENERATE camp, I get questions all the time about the games we create and how others can do the same. So allow me the honor of sharing with you some methods that we use at GENERATE and how you can implement those methods to make the games at your next big event, DNOW Weekend, or camp/retreat absolutely amazing!

Every Youth Pastor longs for dedicated help, an extra pair of boots on the ground to assist you in reaching, leading, and discipling teenagers. But are you and your church really ready for a youth ministry intern? Do you have a plan in place for training them up to do the work of ministry? Having served as an intern in multiple churches, I've seen firsthand the good, the bad, and the ugly of internships. So, let me share with you some important do's and don'ts of bringing on a youth ministry intern.

P.T. Barnum once famously said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens...nothing!" I would argue that the same can be said when it comes to leading games in a youth ministry environment. In my experience, without consideration, planning, and attention to these four things, your games will fall flat.

In most youth ministries and with most youth pastors, saying the words "All-Nighter" is equivalent to speaking the name of Voldemort; you just don't do it. But what if I told you that a well-planned, well-placed, and well-thought-through All-Nighter could become a favorite (and valuable part) of your ministry year? Let me show you how and why we do an annual All-Nighter in our ministry.

All of us in youth ministry have upset a parent and had to deal with the ramifications of it. If you haven’t had the experience yet, trust me; it’s coming, and it’s not fun. So, what do you do when you have upset a parent? How do you approach making it right or even winning back any lost trust? There’s no need to make a mistake when dealing with angry parents when you can learn from mine! Let me share with you three things that I’ve learned over the years to do when you need to deal with an angry parent.

One of the things that I learned very early in my years in youth ministry was that the ministry I was doing WITH my students was about a lot more than just the ministry I was doing FOR my students. No middle schooler and less than half of the high schoolers who participate in your ministry actually get to your ministry events or activities on their own. And pretty close to 0% of your students pay for your ministry's camps, retreats, lock-ins, or other events. Parents are essential. And your ability as a youth pastor to earn the trust, respect, and buy-in of parents can quickly make or break your ministry's reach and impact. That's why I want to share three "must-do's" if you want to build trust and relationships with parents.

If you are like me, you spent your childhood years watching Nickelodeon and people getting slimed. Whether you were growing up during the time of You Can't Do That On Television, Double Dare, Family Double Dare, Figure It Out, or over the last 21 years of the Kid's Choice Awards, you know that the famous green slime made it cool and made you wish it was you getting slimed. In my ministry, we give adults and students alike the ability to live out that slime-coated dream. Let me tell you how we do it.

There is nothing like the honor and blessing it is when, as youth pastors, we get a front-row seat to watch God moving and working in the life of a teenager. One of the best moments is talking with a student about their decision to follow Jesus and follow through with being baptized. It's amazing and humbling at the same time. But the logistics of it all can also be a little intimidating. How does that process work in your ministry? Are you intentional in this pre-baptism meeting to walk a student through what baptism is, what baptism isn't, how it works, why we do it, and even what needs to come after? Are you making an effort to involve the parents in this entire process? Allow me the opportunity to share with you how we do one-on-one baptism meetings with students at our church. There's even a downloadable baptism meeting guide and checklist for you to adjust to fit your ministry context.

There is nothing like the honor and blessing it is when, as youth pastors, we get a front-row seat to watch God moving and working in the life of a teenager. One of the best moments is talking with a student about their decision to follow Jesus and follow through with being baptized. It's amazing and humbling at the same time. But the logistics of it all can also be a little intimidating. How does that process work in your ministry? Are you intentional in this pre-baptism meeting to walk a student through what baptism is, what baptism isn't, how it works, why we do it, and even what needs to come after? Are you making an effort to involve the parents in this entire process? Allow me the opportunity to share with you how we do one-on-one baptism meetings with students at our church. There's even a downloadable baptism meeting guide and checklist for you to adjust to fit your ministry context.

It's time for another big event, camp, retreat, or outreach, and you need a game that your students will be talking about for years to come. I got you! Let me share an old favorite with a few new twists that I play in my ministry every year as a large outreach. Don't dodge this opportunity to provide your students with a way to involve their friends in an epic night of ducking, dipping, dodging, and diving.

It's time for another big event, camp, retreat, or outreach, and you need a game that your students will be talking about for years to come. I got you! Let me share an epic yet super simple messy game I play in my ministry that will have your students coming back for more...more shaving cream to battle with, that is.

As youth workers, we know full well that "...all have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God...." (Romans 3:23 ESV). But one of the more difficult parts of youth ministry, in a practical sense, is how we walk alongside a teenager and their parents when that teenager has been caught in sin. Allow me to share with you four practical ways we partner with parents through a student's sin in our ministry.

Do you want to be respected as a youth ministry leader? Do you desire to not only partner with parents but be trusted by them as well? There is one essential element that will act as a master key to opening all three of these doors. That key element is excellent communication. From content to consistency to conciseness, let me walk you through the things I have found in my ministry that are essential for every parent email.

Discipleship is more than getting to know what the teacher knows. It is getting to be what he is. - Juan Carlos Ruiz

We are called to make disciples. The pursuit of making disciples who love, follow, and are completely sold out to Jesus is (or should be) at the very core of everything we do in youth ministry. But when the rubber that is the busyness of our students' and volunteer leaders' lives meets the road of their good intentions, creating discipleship groups that work proves easier to say than actually to accomplish. Let me show you some principles that I have found that have proven to be successful when creating a discipleship group that works.

Partnering with parents doesn't have to be rocket science. Sure, your steps towards a partnership need to be thoughtful, but they can also be as simple as they are purposeful. For example, here's a little secret that isn't that much of a secret at all: Parents love people who love their kids. Let me share with you some ways that I take some first steps towards a partnership with parents in my ministry by intentionally encouraging parents along the way.

It's time for another big event, camp, retreat, or outreach, and you need a game that your students will be talking about for years to come. I got you! Let me share an epic messy game I play in my ministry that will make your next event "sizzle."

Effectively utilizing social media to communicate and engage your students can feel completely overwhelming. Even if you are a somewhat tech-savvy youth pastor, social media posting can quickly become yet another unchecked box on an ever-growing to-do list that you will never get through this week. What if you could eliminate those feelings of being overwhelmed or frustrated by learning to create and schedule an entire week's worth of social media in only one hour? Let me show you how I do it in my ministry.

It's been said that one of the greatest myths of leadership is that you must be in charge in order to be a leader. Unfortunately, as a youth pastor, odds are you find yourself leading from the second chair (if you have a chair at the table at all). So how do you lead well, serve with great integrity, and be an influential presence from your youth ministry seat? Here's how I do it at my church.

Generation Z, is the youngest, most ethnically diverse, and largest generation in American history, comprising 27% of the US population. They are digital natives who have never known a time without cell phones, the internet, or interactive social media. This generation is often stereotyped as tech-addicted, anti-social, or “social justice warriors,” but they also currently make up at least 50% of your youth ministry. Do you know how they think, how they learn, or how to engage them? Let me walk you through how we approach it.

You will be given a picture of a specific bean. Choose the correct answer from a list of possible answers.

Life is often mixed up, so why not play a game to show how even a few moments of attention can help you unscramble it? Use this game as a fun icebreaker as your students face off to see who can decipher these popular state capitals faster. First, it’s the name scrambled on its own, and then a clue follows. Play in teams or one on one!

Celebrities work hard to make their name known, so what happens when their names are all mixed up? Use this game as a fun icebreaker as your students face off to see who can decipher these famous names first. First, it’s the name scrambled on its own, and then a clue follows. Play in teams or one on one!

You know all those Disney movies you and your students have seen multiple times? See if they can spot the one lie hidden among two truths, whether by playing it like a gameshow faceoff, or “guys vs girls” by asking for someone from the room to stand up and shout out an answer when you call on them!

Does your group love stories from long time ago in a galaxy far, far away? Put their Star Wars knowledge to the test, be it through a faceoff on stage among your sharpest Jedis, as a crowd icebreaker or as a play-against-someone-nearby competition!

Coming up with fun and engaging games for your youth group can be a daunting task. Through years of creating summer camps and working with youth ministries, J. Roger Davis has created SEVEN Youth Group Games books, each packed with 25 field-tested must-play games. The Youth Group Games: Book Bundle includes Water Games, Relay Games, Group Building Games, Large Group Games, Stage Games, Messy Games, and Dodgeball Games. This bundle is the perfect resource to help you hit a home run with your students at your next mid-week service, retreat, or event! 

Slaying Biblical Illiteracy

Three years into Kendall’s job as the youth pastor of Grace church, many things are going really well: Kids are connecting and growing. She’s built a solid team of adult leaders. She and her husband love their home, city, and friends. But when Kendall is blindsided by her unsupportive senior pastor, who once again takes the side of a wealthy parent over Kendall’s, it’s the impetus she needs to start reconsidering her future. Is it time for Kendall to move on? And if she does look for a role at a new church, how can she be sure it will be a better fit than this one? 

With this fiction debut, veteran youth worker Jen Bradbury’s novel explores the process of living in to your calling, listening to the voice of God, and continually asking the question, What does the right fit look like, and how do you know when you’ve found it?