A Fall Resource Sale from YM360

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.

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.

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!

"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

"Your words have consequences... and taking responsibility for your actions is the right thing, regardless of the outcome."

Three friends meet in the school cafeteria after one of them makes an offensive joke in class. This piece touches on the theme that the way you live each and every day is as much of your mission field as when you go oversees on a missions trip. 

Author: Jonathan Skaggs & Katie Beazley

• Length: approximately 8 minutes 
• Actor Needs: 1 male actor, 2 female actors 
• Theme Verses: Proverbs 27:17, Colossians 4:6
• Downloadable PDF

Have you ever needed to pick a thing? Maybe you’re playing a game and need a thing to be picked at random. Maybe that thing is a prize! Or maybe it’s a name! Whatever the thing, Thing Picker is what you need! Just type out a list of things and Thing Picker will do its thing! Things can be picked at random, but you can also force it to pick a certain thing. This thing is cool. 

This product includes 30 online videos for parents of children (ages 5-12 years old). They are designed to encourage and empower parents to navigate the challenges of raising teenagers. 

“I get angry too. And you're right Steph. Life isn't the best right now, and dad may never come back. There seems not too much for us to be thankful for. But not only do we have each other, but we do have the Lord. He is our father and he will guide us. And for that I am thankful and forever grateful.'” 

When siblings sit down for dinner, one admits they don't think they should have to pray because they don't believe they have anything to thank God for. A dramatic scene about God's timing and providence and our trust in Him. 

• Author: Terrance Jackson
• Length: approximately 10 minutes 
• Actor Needs: 3 actors 
• Theme Verses: Psalm 9:10; Proverbs 3: 5-6
• Downloadable PDF