Giving away ministry to students helps them develop a sense of ownership. There are several ways to do this, one of which is to let students pick the type of music in your ministry environments. Check out the video to see some helpful parameters to doing that and why it can make a difference in the life of a student.

There are a ton of "things" you have to do to ensure that you are ready each week for your youth ministry programming. Rather than focusing on a bunch of to-dos, here's a helpful framework to make sure you are ready mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

Burnout happens every week in ministry. People are dreading their jobs, turning their back, and trying to escape. What if there were some symptoms we could look for in our own life? Check out this video to understand what burnout is and how to avoid it in your life.

Youth ministry is truly an incredible calling, but unfortunately, it is not void of its times of struggle and disappointment. In fact, serving as a youth worker seems to come with some struggles and disappointments that are uniquely its own. So, what are we supposed to do when things don’t go as planned? How are we supposed to respond when we start to wonder if all this work and effort are returning void? How do we keep moving forward in our service to the Lord through youth ministry when we feel like we are walking through thick mud? I don’t have all the answers, but I do want to share some thoughts and four things that have helped me navigate my own encounters with disappointment over the years. My hope is that if you are struggling right now, something in this video reminds you of who you are, whose you are, and that what you do matters.

Over the years, there has been one particular student ministry event that has excited my students more than most and blown away my expectations each and every time. Not to mention that it’s proven to be a winner regardless of the size of the youth ministry I’ve been a part of or the ministry’s typical participation rate. Curious? Well, that event is a silent disco...in particular, a glow night silent disco. Sound fun? That’s because it is! So, let me walk you through all the ins and outs of hosting your own glow night silent disco for your ministry.

Whether you see it as a waste of time, a danger to society, a tool of a foreign government, or just the next version of Myspace that will go as quickly as it came, TikTok has your students’ eyes and attention. According to the Pew Research Center, TikTok claimed the #2 spot in the rankings of online platforms used by U.S. teens in 2023, surpassing the former powerhouses of Snapchat and Instagram. As we look at engaging our students and creating opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost, the question isn’t if TikTok will be banned or sold but how youth workers will redeem it and utilize it for the Glory of God. In part one of this three-part TikTok series, I want to share with you the pros of utilizing this social media platform in your ministry.

Whether you see it as a waste of time, a danger to society, a tool of a foreign government, or just the next version of Myspace that will go as quickly as it came, TikTok has your students’ eyes and attention. According to the Pew Research Center, TikTok claimed the #2 spot in the rankings of online platforms used by U.S. teens in 2023, surpassing the former powerhouses of Snapchat and Instagram. As we look at engaging our students and creating opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost, the question isn’t if TikTok will be banned or sold but how youth workers will redeem it and utilize it for the Glory of God. In part two of this three-part TikTok series, I want to share with you the cons of utilizing this social media platform in your ministry.

Whether you see it as a waste of time, a danger to society, a tool of a foreign government, or just the next version of Myspace that will go as quickly as it came, TikTok has your students’ eyes and attention. According to the Pew Research Center, TikTok claimed the #2 spot in the rankings of online platforms used by U.S. teens in 2023, surpassing the former powerhouses of Snapchat and Instagram. As we look at engaging our students and creating opportunities to share the Gospel with the lost, the question isn’t if TikTok will be banned or sold but how youth workers will redeem it and utilize it for the Glory of God. In part three of this three-part TikTok series, I want to share with you some ways to create engaging content while utilizing this social media platform in your 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.

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.

Summer is the time for cookouts, mission trips, pool parties, camps, retreats, and so much more. But what if you decided to take advantage of the change in your typical youth ministry rhythm and pace that summer provides and use it to pour into your ministry’s leaders this summer? In this video, I want to offer you a look into our student ministry and share with you three tips we put into practice every summer to be more intentional about leveling up our ministry leaders.

I think that we are all familiar with the Great Commission that is found in Matthew 28. I want to suggest, as a starting place, that the Great Commission is what youth ministry is all about. I think we'd all agree that we're not just about entertaining; we're not just about enculturating teenagers into the way of the church; we're about making disciples. And most of us in youth ministry are highly intentional in one way or another about how we go about doing that. That's what we want to consider in this video: reframing discipleship and what that could look like.

Fair warning to all my fellow youth workers: in this video, I’m going to step on some toes (youth worker toes, parent toes, church leadership toes) and challenge you to join me in doing something that, for some reason, in our culture, sounds wildly controversial. My challenge isn’t for your youth ministry to go vegan. My challenge isn’t for you to stop playing games. I’m not even going to suggest that there is a correct timespan for a sermon. What I am going to do is to tell you why I disabled all my push notifications on my phone, and strongly suggest that you consider doing the same.

If you’re anything like me, you are always on the lookout for event ideas for your student ministry that feel fresh, don’t break the bank, aren’t solely focused on games/physical activity, and capture the attention/imagination of your students. In this video, I want to share one of the ideas we created to do just that: a student-led film festival that still has our students talking and counting the months until we host it again next year. 

How are you being intentional about ensuring that your current students feel seen, welcome, and pursued by your ministry? How do you help a new student feel like they belong? One of the things I’ve been experimenting with lately is sending postcards or cards to students and leaders. Let me tell you just one of the things I’ve noticed: There’s power in writing postcards! A handwritten note or card is not only a lost art form, but it’s also a unique and simple way to say, “I saw you,” “You are welcome/wanted here,” and “You matter to us because you matter to God.” So, let me share some tips and even an example of what sending some cards to your students, guests, and leaders could look like in your ministry context.

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.

Every thriving youth ministry is only as strong and as healthy as its team of dedicated volunteer leaders. Without these volunteer leaders, your reach and overall effectiveness as a youth ministry leader are extremely limited. This is your team: men and women who are bought in, sold out, and willing to love teenagers where they are so that they can point them to Jesus. The question is this: What are you doing to celebrate and appreciate these amazing people? In this video, I want to share five quick tips for appreciating your leaders well.

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 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.

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.

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.

When was the last time you took a timeout? More specifically, when was the last time you were hyper-intentional about carving out some time to get alone, get away, and give yourself (and your ministry) the gift of some reflection, recharging, and refocusing before launching into what’s next? Let me challenge and count down for you in this video (no matter what month it is when you are watching it) with why I believe it’s so important to start planning a short timeout- RIGHT NOW, before the start of a new year or a new ministry season.