Fall Sale - MYM and M2P

Communicating to teenagers…is it an art or is it a science? The answer is YES! In this MyYouthMin Live Online Training Event Kurt Johnston, who has spent over 30 years writing messages and speaking to students, will share some of the secrets he’s learned along the way.

By Team YM360. If you start with "The Bible says," or in some way assume they already know much about the Gospel, you are, in effect, asking them to understand a clear that you understand clearly, but they don't, and they have no picture giving them a framework to start with. Not having a big picture to help put the pieces of life in perspective can be frustrating. Thankfully, God never intended for us to be without a clear picture of our life's purpose and direction. Instead, God gave us a big picture of life in order that we could live according to His design. It's only when we live according to this bigger picture, God's story, that our individual piece of the story makes sense. That's why understanding the Gospel story is vital to our witness. But it's also vital to teach this to our students today. This learn module will walk you through how to do just that!

Written by Dr. Noel Forlini Burt. The Book of Hosea sits squarely within the corpus of the Minor Prophets, what many scholars refer to as The Book of the Twelve. This collection spans many centuries of history in the lives of God’s people, Israel. This history covers the collapse of Israel, the northern half of the kingdom, to the nation of Assyria; the exile and displacement of Judah, the southern half of the kingdom, to the nation of Babylon; and the return of the exiled Judahites back to their land and the subsequent rebuilding of their lives following that return. Over the course of this six-lesson module, we will explore the wilderness tradition together through one of its primary intertexts—the prophet Hosea’s use of wilderness imagery in the 8th century BCE. In particular, Saint Jerome’s statement about the barrenness of the desert experience. 

Written by Corey Watson. Every ministry has them. Maybe you created them. Maybe you inherited them. We all have them, though. What are "they"? Sacred cows. Events, programs, or calendar moments that maybe you wish weren't on the calendar, but you also feel like you HAVE to have them on there. How do you get rid of them if they need to go? What do you do if you can't get rid of them? What do you do to change them if you keep them? This three-lesson module will explore how to deal effectively with sacred cows in your ministry.

Now more than ever, teens are struggling with stress, anxiety, and fear. The issues young people are facing are complex and wide-ranging. So how can parents and youth workers understand them better? What are the best ways to meet young people where they are and help them feel seen, loved, and known—by our youth ministries, by their parents, and ultimately by the God who cares for them so deeply? Coming off of his latest book, The Anxious Teen, Brock will provide in this seminar a context to help us understand today’s anxiety-ridden reality, he will teach skills and practices that will impact our youth ministries as well as help parents guide their children in moving forward in a lasting and healthy faith and life.

Middle school ministry is not the dressed up kids ministry or dumbed down high school ministry, and we need to intentionally pray, plan, program and present in ways that are effectively meeting the unique needs of these students. Especially after a national pandemic and cultural changes, now more than ever is the time to understand middle years ministry to the emerging Generation Alpha entering our student ministry.

Mission trips can be incredibly impactful and provide opportunities for significant spiritual growth for your students. That said, mission trips can also be overwhelming. In this one-session Masterclass, we will go on a trip together to discover the benefits of taking students on a mission trip, how to plan for a mission trip, tips for fundraising, and some best practices while on the trip.

Working with teenagers, especially post-pandemic, you are most likely fully aware that adolescent mental health issues are as significant and debilitating as they are widespread (and growing). In fact, according to the Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, “The average high school student today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s.” So what can we do, as youth ministry leaders, to lean in and help our students who are coping with or struggling to navigate mental health issues? In this single-session Masterclass, Jon provides seven thoughts to help you get started.

We know we want to have our students living a life on mission. Yet, oftentimes, we find ourselves providing “one-off” trips that create Instagram memories and some great stories…but little more. So, how do we create lasting opportunities that call students to “live on mission” far beyond the specific mission trip? Corey Watson will dig a little deeper in this three-lesson module and explore that answers to that question.

Becoming a Teen Savvy Parent is a practical guide for parents raising teenagers in today’s ever-changing world. With engaging and real-life stories, biblical wisdom, and reflection questions, this book helps parents understand the culture shaping their teens’ hearts and how to learn how to engage it with grace, courage, and truth. Becoming a Teen Savvy Parent offers the encouragement and perspective parents need to confidently walk alongside their teenager to equip them for the path ahead.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ministry to a middle school audience is challenging and extremely rewarding. This is the phase of life where questions are being asked, doubts are being processed, and brains are being hard-wired. In these three training sessions, Kevin and Ethan will dispel some of the myths and stigmas that come with working with middle schoolers, and they will walk you through some ways to fully lean into your middle school students.

One of the greatest privileges and most important things we do as youth ministry leaders is to communicate, teach, and proclaim God's Word to teenagers. It is critical that we honor that Holy privilege by putting in the time, effort, and study as we prepare. In this training session, we will do a deep dive into sermon prep and uncover what I believe to be four key areas in our preaching and sermon prep.

Illustrations are not the most important part of preaching and teaching God's Word to teenagers. However, thinking through our illustrations helps our listeners, no matter their age, hold onto what is the hope of Jesus. Join lead teaching pastor, founder of the "Through-Line Cohort," podcast host, and highly sought-after youth ministry communicator Chad Poe for a time of challenge and instruction on effectively communicating biblical truths for lasting Kingdom impact.

Are you looking for some ways to be a team player, increase the serving opportunities for your students, connect with the kids/parents who be your future ministry audience, and grow your ministry in the process? Let me show you how our ministry has learned to be intentional with connecting children's ministry to youth ministry.

When students actively participate in the church, they find a sense of belonging and ownership. They become part of a community that supports and encourages them, fostering lifelong connections and friendships. By integrating students into the fabric of your church and community, you'll create an environment where they feel valued, heard, and empowered to make a difference.

Go and make disciples. Isn’t that what Jesus asks every youth ministry in the world to participate in? And every church, for that matter? If that’s the case, how are you orienting your ministry calendar to ensure maximum discipleship is taking place? And how are you measuring those things? In this Masterclass video, we’re going to unpack the three elements of Jesus’ Great Commission and give you six thoughts on ways to weave discipleship into your ministry calendar.

By Dr. Noel Forlini Burt. What are the words that resonate most with you in this season of your ministry? Do the words tired, worn out, or burned out on religion describe the state of your soul? Has serving the Kingdom become something you dread rather than delighted in? The longer we give ourselves to ministry, the more we understand that the words from Jesus found in Matthew 11:28-30 are not aspirational. For us to be sustained in ministry, they must become our lived reality. Amid busy ministry seasons, Jesus invites us to take a real rest. Jesus invites us into the overflowing, ever-deepening, unforced rhythms of grace. You’ve been teaching other people about this life for a long time. It’s time you remembered it for yourself. 

Written by Dr. Danny Kwon. Parenting well is the hardest job on the planet. Partnering with parents in youth ministry may be the second hardest job. You've probably studied teenagers' needs, their culture, and even their ever-changing lingo in preparation to be the most dynamic youth worker your church has ever seen. But when was the last time you studied their parents? What are their fears? What motivates their decisions? And why do some of them seem so hard to please? A Youth Worker's Field Guide to Parents is for youth workers who struggle to communicate with and relate to the moms and dads of the teenagers they want to reach the most. Whether you're a veteran youth worker or just starting out, or a church leader who wants to embrace parents more effectively, this three-part module will provide you with tips for peacemaking, insights for better empathy, and the motivation you need to make these important relationships work.

Hey youth pastor, you've worked hard to create an incredible first time experience for guests. That's great! But how are you following up with those guests and assimilating them into your ministry? Let me share with you two ways we do it.

In youth ministry, many of us view long-range calendaring with the same gritted teeth and eye rolls that we do budgeting, and keeping up with receipts. But, like it or not, strategic calendar planning can be incredibly beneficial to you as well as to the students, parents, and volunteers who are a part of your ministry. Let me walk you through seven tips that I have learned for creating an effective ministry calendar.

As youth ministry leaders, we work hard to promote and create student environments that our students get excited about inviting other students to be a part of. That's why it's always exciting whenever those friends and new students actually show up to check out our ministry. The question then becomes, what are we doing to connect with those new students so that they feel seen, welcomed, and want to return? Let me tell you some things that we do in our ministry to make that happen.

As a youth ministry leader, we are called to make disciples. Part of that disciple-making process involves pouring ourselves into students, identifying and activating them to live out their faith by living and leading in a God-honoring way. So, how do we do that? In this one-session Masterclass video, we will discuss how to clarify what we want a student leadership team to accomplish, identify student leaders, invite them to lead, acquire parent buy-in, and activate our students to lead out in a life of service to Jesus through their unique giftings.

As a growing and thriving youth ministry leader, you know that the health of your ministry is directly connected to the health of your volunteers. But January is a natural time for your volunteers to start slumping slightly. How can you, as a ministry leader, encourage them to remain committed to the mission of Jesus? How can you, yourself, go from surviving the winter/spring semester to thriving? In this two-session Masterclass video, we will look at three key shifts leaders should take this January to remain hope-filled, give you three tips to help your volunteers stay motivated, offer three offbeat ideas to ensure that you remain healthy/motivated, learn three things that every volunteer needs from you, and discover how you can prepare yourself to be ready to ride the natural wave of momentum that is available to almost all of us in the summer and fall.

Youth ministry (much like life) has its share of hard seasons, times when you find yourself crying out to the Lord to hear your prayer and longing to take refuge under the shelter of His wings (Psalm 61). Maybe you’ve been there. Perhaps you’re there right now. Maybe when you look around you, all that you see right now is the towering walls of the valley that surrounds you. These are hard places to navigate. These are rugged valleys to walk. But my brothers and sisters in Christ, my fellow youth workers, you are not the first to walk this valley, and you don’t have to navigate this dark place alone. In this video, I want to share a look into my heart and offer you a lot of encouragement and a little advice from someone who’s walked this valley.

Have you ever gotten better at something simply because you began to realize through some experience just how bad you were at it? In a world where our teenagers live at such a break-neck speed, constantly wired in with a phone in one hand and a speaker in one (if not both) of their ears, I wonder what it would be like if we invited them into a new place—maybe a place that would cause a little bit of discomfort and disruption. What if we took our group not to necessarily go and save the day or do a project but to go into a place they wouldn’t usually go to and just watch—kind of practice noticing? That’s the topic for this video—considering what it would look like to invite your students into practicing what it means to slow down a little bit and notice what’s (and who’s) around them, helping them experience something beyond themselves and learn how to notice the needs of others.

Delegation is a buzzword in many churches and amongst many of us who lead in ministry. On the one hand, delegation in the context of leading in youth ministry is incredible because it leads to empowerment. On the other hand, delegation in the context of leading in youth ministry is challenging because it requires giving up control. In this video, I want to share five tips that I’ve learned and utilize in my ministry to intentionally loosen my grip in an effort to empower others.

Partnering with parents intentionally and success in student ministry go hand in hand. We all know that parents are hands down the biggest influencers in the lives of their students. So, it makes sense that if we want the parents in our churches and communities to invest in their teenagers’ spiritual lives, one of the best things we can do is invest in these parents. Most parents I’ve spoken to would say that they have a desire to grow in their parenting and in their ability to invest in their students’ spiritual lives at home. However, most also say they don’t know how or where to start. This is where I believe the church can come in with great intentionality and provide parents with a space to learn and grow alongside a community of other parents who are in the same boat. One of the ways our church looks to create spaces for this is through parenting events. These are events that are geared to help parents by providing them with great insights from quality experts, practical tools and resources they can use at home, and connecting them to other parents in our church or community for support and encouragement. We are in the middle of planning one of these parent events right now, and I thought you might find it helpful to get a look into the four big questions we ask/answer before we start planning or promoting a parent event.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable of a man going on a journey who gives three servants a certain amount of money before leaving on his trip. After a long time, the man returns home and praises/blesses the two servants who used what they had been given to increase what the man had given them. However, to the third servant, who had hidden what he had been given instead of using it to make more, the master is angry with this servant. He calls this man wicked, takes away the money that the servant had been given, and gives it to another of the servants. We usually look at that parable as an end-times type of language, but when Jesus is talking, the Jewish audience’s perspective would have been about living life, and those questions that Jesus is raising are actually about stewardship. Jesus is kind of building this picture of how God has given us so much, so what are we doing with it? Not later, but right here and right now. So, I wonder if there’s room for us to explore that parable with our youth groups. Not through the lens of “Where are you going to go at the end,” but “What are you doing with what God has given you. . .your time, talent, and treasure?” In this video, we wanted to explore that with you and share eight thoughts to help your students to realize that they actually do have resources to steward.