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

Your students have opinions! Let them share them and debate, be it by moving from one side of the room to the other, or by letting them make their case for whatever issue they believe in (or whatever issue you assign them). Jump into another crazy game of “versus” that will get the room energized!

It's a simple true or false gave. Just give a thumbs up if you think the statement is True and a thumbs down if you think it is False.

When a letter is displayed, be the first to give a word starting with that letter. If you are first you get a point. If you both say the same word, be the first to get another word out for the win.

Ready to get your group moving and squirming over what’s worse? Prompt with these fun questions and have them either walk from one side of the room to the other, or invite a student up to represent each side of the argument. You can even do both, having the two students present their cases and then having other students respond by moving or raising their hands to vote!

You will be given a "nickname" and four choices. See if you can determine which city claims that specific nickname.

It’s another chance to get everyone debating or voting (maybe by moving from one side of the room to the other) on crazy topics. Check out Volume 3 of an interactive game of “versus” that’s creates quick decisions that lead to follow up conversations.

Can you remember which of these movies won "Best Picture" at the Oscars? Simply choose "Winner" or "Loser."

Once again, you need to decide between the worst of the worst. Get your students talking or moving by either having them walk from one side of the room to the other, or by inviting up a student to represent each side of the argument. You can even do both, having the two students present their cases and then having other students respond by moving or raising their hands to vote!

Students are great inviters and bringers but sometimes they don't know where to start. In this video, we'll unpack a few hacks that you can use today to start encouraging and casting the vision for your students to invite their peers to your ministry.

As youth ministry leaders, it's important to know your audience. Knowing how they think, how they learn, and what's going on inside of them is important. In this masterclass video, we'll share some practical insights and tips to help you understand who your students are and creative ways to minister to them. 

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.

"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

Session 1 Synopsis: In this 25-minute on-demand training session, youth pastors will gain valuable insights into the unique characteristics, behaviors, and trends of Generation Z and Gen Alpha. This session will explore key trends in scripture, technology, theology, and cultural influences that shape these young people's lives. The trends will be found through Barna, Ligonier, and other academic youth ministry areas. By leveraging this knowledge, youth pastors can create more engaging and meaningful ministry experiences that resonate with Gen Z and Alpha, fostering deeper connections and spiritual growth. Join us to enhance your ministry's effectiveness in reaching the current generations in your youth ministry. 

Session 2 Synopsis: This 25-minute on-demand training session builds on the foundational understanding of Generation Z and Generation Alpha by offering practical steps to integrate these insights into your youth ministry. Learn how to adapt your teaching methods, build meaningful relationships, and create engaging interactions that resonate with these generations. We will provide actionable strategies and real-world examples to help you develop plans that leverage current trends in technology, social media, and cultural shifts. 

“When there are things of this earth you hold on to so tightly and can’t surrender, run to me. For I am your hope. My name is Abba.”

Run To Me is a spoken word drama that reminds us of the character of God and His power in our lives. The actors share Scripture describing the character and nature of God through the many names of God listed in Scripture. In the end, students are reminded that God is an ever-present hope in their life as they surrender all of who they are to Him. 

• By: Brian Hill
• Length: Approximately 6 minutes
• Actor Needs: 3 Actors (can be performed with more if desired)
• Theme Verse: Psalm 71
• Downloadable PDF

“He looked down and saw me…I mean really saw me. I was healed, He had healed me. The leprosy was gone and with it, the years of shame and isolation.”

 He Saw Me is a combination of three Biblical characters woven together: The woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood, and the leper. Amid their loneliness and pain, Jesus entered their story and saw them for who they were, and who they could become! Students will learn of the power and love of Jesus as He sees us all, no matter where we find ourselves. 

• By: Jonathan Skaggs
• Length: Approximately 8 minutes
• Actor Needs: Three Actors (1 male, 2 female)
• Theme Verses: John 4:4-30, Luke 8:43-48, Luke 5:12-16
• Downloadable PDF

When you think about your students and student ministry, here are two questions I’d like you to consider: 1) What are you doing to help teenagers take more ownership and be more active or engaged during your small group experience? 2) Instead of allowing students to be passive participants in this formative time, what can you do or dream up that could give them regular opportunities to be discipled and grow in their faith in practical ways? Now, I don’t claim to have it all figured out, but we have created and implemented an idea in our student ministry that seems to be effectively answering these two questions. That’s why I want to share this idea for you to use in our own ministry or to serve as inspiration to try something different to move your students from “renters” to “owners” of your student ministry.

The students of Gen Z and Gen Alpha are seeking to belong before they believe. As youth workers, we can either fight against that felt need or come up with creative ways to meet a student’s need and desire for belonging. It starts with asking a simple question: What are some concrete ways that I (and those who serve alongside me) can help teenagers find belonging within our youth ministries? From there, it’s honestly a mix of creativity and trial/error. In this video, I want to act as a catalyst for your imagination as you seek to answer this question in your ministry by sharing three ways our ministry does to foster unity and belonging.

Could disruption and doubt be gifts of the Spirit that move us (and the students we work with) beyond our comfortable categories and into a wild and holy trek taking us “further up” and “further in”? Could the desperation so many churches and youth workers feel about their future and the uncontrolled velocity of our culture be the ants in the pants the church needs to move us beyond a Gospel that has been reduced to showing up for meetings and not causing a stir? In part one of this three-part module, author Brock Morgan tackles the consistent elements of yesterday and today, like character development, individuation, and doubt; but he invites all of us along as the capital-C “Church” into greater collaboration as we partner with students to creatively form the ministry of tomorrow. You’ll find yourself encouraged by how you are practicing youth ministry and challenged to think differently, so you don’t hold on too tightly.

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.

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. 

"May we look through the eyes of God, may we join the angels next time so we can really see, that the lost finding Jesus is the celebration that the world needs to see.” 

Root For the Home Team is a spoken word piece that illustrates the difference between how we celebrate our passion for sports or our sports idols, and how we celebrate the work of Christ in the lives of those around us. This script points us towards seeking those that are lost, emphasizing the importance of our role in leading people into a life-giving relationship with Jesus and the eternal celebration of the lost becoming found. 

• By: Terrance Jackson & Brian Hill
• Length: approximately 4 minutes 
• Actor Needs: 3 actors
• Theme Verses: Luke 15:7, 10, 32
• Downloadable PDF

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

“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