Before celebrities were well known, they were just ordinary kids and teens? Who among your students can best guess who’s who through some photos and clues? Play in teams or have two students face-off!

As youth workers and ministry leaders, we’re all trying to get better at making disciples. Maybe some of the answers to our questions about discipleship can be found by looking back at the Jewish roots of our faith—the very roots that produced our Master and Messiah, Jesus. But how can we say that we know about Jesus and His methods of making disciples if we haven't taken the time to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural way of life that surrounded Him? To know how Jesus did discipleship, we need a strong grasp of the ideas, practices, and beliefs surrounding the Jewish people of the first century. This live training event with author and youth worker Heather Quiroz will help you get to know Jesus from within His first-century setting and apply his disciple-making methods as you lead in youth ministry.

If 1=A and 2=B and 3=C and so on... let's see who can decode these words the fastest.

Can your students name some famous friends, be it from real life, fiction or history? See who can be the first to correctly figure out who the famous friends are. The faster a player locks in an answer, the more points he or she can win or lose.

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.

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.

Technology is one of the most frustrating and confusing issues parents in your church are trying to navigate regarding their teenagers. They spend countless days and nights feeling overwhelmed, under-equipped, and completely outmanned when it comes to knowing how to respond to screens. This MYM Live Online Training Event is not the typical “technology is evil, so let’s run from it and teach parents to do the same.“ Instead, technology and parenting expert Brian Housman is here to provide you, as a youth ministry leader, with some practical steps and prudent boundaries regarding technology so that you can educate and equip the parents in your church on leading and loving their students through setting healthy boundaries with screens without using shame or blame.

Youth ministry leader, how are you going to lead students well if you aren't leading yourself well? In this single-session Masterclass video, you will learn ten critical principles for leading yourself and leading others.

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.

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.

Written by Matt Andrews. For years now, youth workers and church volunteers have lamented that teens don't know basic Bible stories. But have you noticed more and more teens don't know anything about the Bible at all? Even though there are plenty of teen Bible study aids available, there's a giant gap between these tools and the total biblical illiteracy of many we're trying to reach.

Slaying Biblical Illiteracy contains practical tips, as well as group and individual exercises, that will inspire youth to experience God's Word for themselves. Learn to use the same creative skills you use to plan retreats and youth group games to bring the Bible to life using the unexpected in fun ways that will grab and keep your teens' attention. Learn how to help youth work through their trust issues with Scripture and learn Bible study methods you can try out as a group, so that your youth are empowered to study the Bible for themselves, slaying biblical illiteracy and unlocking the influence of God s Word in their daily lives.

Written by Zach Tucker. The Great Commission, as outlined in Matthew 28:19-20, provides a fundamental command for believers to go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe the teachings of Jesus. This command serves as the foundation for various aspects of Christian ministry, including student ministry missions. The imperative to make disciples among students and their families underscores the significance of developing a comprehensive student ministry missions strategy. This strategy is essential for nurturing a deep understanding of sharing the gospel and cultivating a sense of purpose among students. In this three-lesson module, we delve into the transformative power of short-term missions in student ministry, examining how such experiences impact students, parents, and the overall church community.

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.

Summer is coming; it will be camp time before you know it. Are you ready? Have you even thought much about your summer camp plans yet? For many students, your ministry’s summer camp experience is their most anticipated programmed youth ministry activity. Can we just say the quiet part out loud—there’s something exceptional about camp. Maybe it’s because camp is one of the few weeks in a student’s life where they get away from all the distractions and spend concentrated time praying, worshipping, and studying God’s Word. Perhaps it has something to do with camp being a place where many lasting memories are made or where so many students experience life change and take steps forward in their walk with Jesus. Camp is absolutely incredible, but pulling off a successful camp does not happen in a vacuum. A ton of planning, communication, and logistics goes into summer camp before any student even steps foot on that bus. This is the stuff that often goes unnoticed, unappreciated, and is sometimes overlooked. To keep your upcoming summer camp amazing (and from totally sneaking up on you), let me share some proactive things we do in our ministry concerning summer camp that will hopefully make your camp process as seamless as possible.

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.

When it comes to teaching and leading our students to serve others (locally or globally), how do we show them the importance of serving others with dignity and respect? I think that starts with the beginning of the Bible. In Genesis 1:26, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"' (ESV). The very first page of the Bible tells us that we are image-bearers of God. When we (and the students we lead) begin to see ourselves as image bearers of God, as the Imago Dei, we can start seeing others as the Imago Dei. That's how we are to serve others! We see them as Imago Dei and serve them with dignity, respect, and love. So, how does that play out today? In this video, I want to give you four tips to equip you and your students to serve others with dignity and respect that may be helpful.

Have you ever had the thought or said out loud behind a closed door (after checking for listening devices, of course), “Youth ministry would be soooooo much easier if I could just get parents out of the way and actually do ministry with the students!” Don’t worry, you aren’t alone (and I won’t tell them you said that). Youth ministry leaders and parents often seem like baking soda and vinegar; mix the two, and you’re going to get a reaction. But this doesn’t have to be the case. In this single-session Masterclass, I will share eight thoughts that can help you turn the parents in your church from foes to friends (and maybe even your biggest cheerleaders).

Do you want to get on the good side of your finance committee? Are you tired of coming back from camp or D’Now Weekend celebrating incredible spiritual highs, only to be scared to face the incredible lows of having a meeting about all the money that you’ve spent? Are you ready to never go over budget again? In this two-session Masterclass, we dive deep into the essential aspects of mastering your youth ministry finances. In session one, we will explore the art of planning and navigating a solid operating budget, discover the power of operating out of your church’s purpose, and enable you to take complete control of your financial situation and get the most out of the budget you’ve been given. In session two, I will share the principles behind a solid budgeting technique and my sure-fire negotiating tactics that will save you money on those trips/camps. Oh, and I’m also giving you my “Ultimate Trip Calculator” (100% FREE) so you’ll never blow out your budget again.

Teaching teenagers the Word of God is both an incredible privilege and a weighty responsibility. Scripture itself says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1 ESV).” So, how do we best honor the Lord, His Word, and His calling upon our lives to teach and disciple His sheep? In this two-session Masterclass, we will discuss tips and methods to effectively teach teenagers the Word. In session one, I will share eleven tips for teacher preparation and spiritual preparation. I’ll also point out a few helpful resources that you can use. In session two, we will discuss lesson planning and explore seven different teaching models that you can utilize in your youth ministry.