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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 messy game I play in my ministry that will make your next event "sizzle."

Facetious. That is the word of the day. 

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Collywobbles. That is the word of the day.

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Absquatulate. That is the word of the day.

Length: 0:33 | Format: 1920 x 1080 MP4

"Will you trust the shepherd to take you home?"

This is a highly theatrical sketch where three actors tell three different parables, the parable of the great banquet, the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the lost sheep. 

• Author: Jonathan Skaggs
• Length: approximately 8 minutes 
• Actor Needs: 3 actors 
• Theme Verses: Luke 14, Luke 15, Matthew 13
• Downloadable PDF

Prepare to be amazed as Cavett, your 7-year-old guide, teaches you some cool stuff accompanied by explosions and CGI. On this episode: How to reset your internet router!

Length: 1:53 | Format: 1920 x 1080 MP4

Prepare to be amazed as Cavett, your 7-year-old guide, teaches you some cool stuff accompanied by explosions and CGI. On this episode: The Golden Gate Bridge!

Length: 1:47 | Format: 1920 x 1080 MP4

“So now when I consider what it means to be a friend, I think of Jesus, the one who calls me friend.” 

Consider friendship is a spoken word piece that takes a look at friendship in 4 major moments, the wonderment of childhood, the brokenness of adolescence, what Jesus has to say, and what that means for us now.

• Author: Terrance Jackson & Jonathan Skaggs 
• Length: approximately 4 minutes 
• Actor Needs: 3 actors 
• Theme Verses: Luke 15:12-15 
• Format: Downloadable PDF

“What if something was greater than me? What if something else held me together? Something is holding us together.”

Finely Tuned is a spoken word piece for three actors that explores and awes at the God of all creation. 

• Author: Erin Moon 
• Length: approximately 8 minutes 
• Actor Needs: 3 actors, but could be adapted in other ways. Can be performed with instruments or without them.
• Theme Verses: Colossians 1:17, Isaiah 40:26, Psalm 147:4, Job 26:14 
• Format: Downloadable PDF

How To Live: Striving To Live A Holy Life is a 4-lesson Bible study for guys that unpacks what it really means to be set apart for Jesus in their daily lives. Through teaching on holiness, sexual purity, the fight against habitual sin, and becoming a useful vessel for God, students will be challenged to leave cultural Christianity behind and pursue a Spirit-led, holy life that reflects Jesus to the world.

Who I Am: Discovering My Identity In Jesus Christ is a 4-lesson Bible study for guys that investigates where our true identity is found and what it means to live out this identity each and every day. Through teaching on rooting our identity in Jesus, growing in knowledge of Him, living as salt and light, and embracing servant leadership over worldly ambition, students will be challenged to anchor their identity in Jesus and live as His ambassadors.

Knowing God: Hungering For Him, Embracing His Truth, Loving His Ways, Sharing His Heart is a 4-lesson Bible study for guys that explores what it really means to walk with Jesus as His disciple in their everyday life and calls them to a deeper walk of discipleship with Jesus that transforms their desires, choices, and mission. Through teaching on Psalms, Philippians, and Colossians 4, students will discover a hunger for God that outshines worldly pursuits, truth worth embracing above all else, delight in His Word that shapes daily life, and prayer that aligns their hearts with His passion for the lost.

Standing Strong: Trust, Courage, Remembrance, And Faithfulness is a 4-lesson Bible study for guys that helps them to discover what it really means to stand firm with God in everyday life. Through teaching on trusting God's promises over fear, drawing courage from His presence, remembering His faithfulness in times of challenge, and serving Him with sincere devotion, students will be challenged to live boldly and faithfully for God in a world that is pulling them the other way.

We all experience that wilderness moment. When isolation sets in, God feels far away, and life seems to go in slow motion. While we may feel desperate and alone, we learn through Scripture that God allows us to experience the wilderness. But in those wilderness moments, we discover that we are not alone, for He was walking with us to the wilderness, through the wilderness, and out of the wilderness. 

Length: 3:38 | Format: 1920 x 1080 MP4

Persecution, one of the studies in the Activate line of Bible study curriculum, will help students come to terms with living for Christ in a world that rejects Him.