I remember that I was shocked, absolutely SHOCKED, when I first heard statistics about the long-term impact of local church youth ministries… or actually the lack of it. According to the leader of a seminar I took at the National Youth Workers’ Convention, in his denomination only 6% of youth ministry participants were later engaged…
And then… These two simple words can be found together hundreds of times throughout the Bible. “…and then you will be able to serve Me.” Jeremiah 15:19 “And then the Lord your God will…” Deuteronomy 7:20 “Andrew…heard…and then followed Jesus.” John 1:40 Every time the phrase is used, you know something happened first in order…
Check out this special episode of the This Week in Youth Ministry podcast! Terrace Crawford hosts a roundtable discussion with Mark DeVries, Scott Pontier, and Stephanie Caro on Reimagining Young Adult Ministry! How do we reach millennials? Should Youth Ministries operate differently than they (currently) do? PLUS+ we’ve got great resources to help you grow your…
Many churches with which I’ve worked, especially those doing ministry in small churches that don’t have a very strong presence of young people, find themselves wondering what more they could do to attract youth. They recognize the benefits of having youthful energy and long for a thriving youth ministry. Why? Perhaps they feel like a…
It was Easter Sunday, and there were hundreds of little feet and big feet strolling through the halls of our kids’ area. Some of the faces were familiar ones while many were appearing in our doorways for the first time. Energy was high, and our Children’s Director zipped from room to room, checking on volunteers,…
The capital letter “C” church has been a part of my life since I was about eleven years old. I have worked in churches, volunteered with ministries, gone to seminary and surrounded myself with Christian fellowship. While I have been active in many different churches over the years, I have more often than not felt…
What do you think of when you hear about setting goals? Many think of resolutions, especially this time of year, but goals are much more than that! Resolutions don’t stick, but goals do. We also think of goals as a personal thing. We think about setting goals as an individual, but not for our ministries. Setting ministry…
It is not easy engaging teens. Sometimes we feel like we have to have some kind of formal to be attractive and appealing. In my many years of working with teens, I have found that there are three realities that ring true when trying to engage teens. I like to call them the 3 R’s….