hitting the "pause" button andy blanks A while back, our student ministry team met to plan out our winter retreat. I was a little hesitant to share what was really on my heart. Truth be told, I had been mulling over some different thematic approaches to teaching students some basic spiritual disciplines…
…share all of the methods we’re using this year. Kurt talked a little bit about the idea last year, and here’s how we’re attacking the handoff: 8th Grade Retreat - This morning we hosted the tail end of a retreat for our graduating 8th graders. This was their last hurrah with the Wildisde team, and…
creative worship ideas jim burns Learning about Worship Tour the sanctuary, and discuss each aspect of the building and worship service. Visit other churches with different styles of worship. Plan an innovative worship service for your youth ministry, or the entire church. Teach on the attributes of…
…NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!” I was thinking about this book at our annual Fall Retreat with the middle schoolers. It was a very noisy retreat and to me that is a really, really good thing. As I’ve worked and enjoyed middle school youth I’ve come to realize that when they are really enjoying something, they…
The best youth ministry website in the world doesn’t exist yet. But if I was given the task of designing it, I’ve got a few ideas to make it work. Here’s the idea: In short, the basic look and feel would be cool but easily interchangeable. Content is king so style is present but can change with…
…experiential idea based on that day's theme. It's a one-month plan that's easy to read and easy to stick with. And each "lesson" only takes about 10 minutesÑa good step toward building a personal habit of daily time with God. You can use 10-Minute Moments: Parables as part of a small group or retreat, graduation…
…the âcultureâ of the youth group? What did you like best about our youth group? Were there any opportunities we missed? Did you feel supported/loved in a critical time or crisis during High School? What program/event did you benefit from the most? (Retreat, Overnighter, etc) How can our church…
…of each purpose throughout the year. Retreats Using retreats to help launch and fulfill ministry can have major benefits also. Providing a Back to School retreat at the beginning of the school year is a great time to launch small groups. Providing a spring retreat can encourage students to finish strong…
…Dorothy and her friends. I say this because I think I spend a lot of time trying to be the student ministry version of the Wizard. As a 20-something youth pastor, I have spent a lot of time trying to create polished programs, develop solid strategies, and invest in volunteers. My goal is to make things…
…wondering, Just how justified is this criticism that flows like infallible doctrine from the mouths of so many youth workers? In my wondering search, I think I may have stumbled upon a few ideas that might give us a handle on breaking the babysitter syndrome. Its a little something I call A Sure-Fire Formula…
…just thinking about it. I don’t necessarily want to go on these camps and retreats, but I don’t like to be alone either. I really have to gear up for this. Spring and Summer time can really be a lonely time for youth pastor’s wives. I don't think the other women in our church get it. Most other…
…this passage, and yet God's word comes alive once again to bring about another thought to play with. As youth workers, there are awesome times of hanging with teenagers, mission trips, retreats, leading students to Christ, and so on. But there are also a lot of tough times (i.e. storms) that we face…
…fit in our traditional ideas of student ministry anymore, and they certainly dont feel like adults.(( Means Versus End( The evaluation of whether or not a high school ministry is successful must include how it helps students transition into adulthood. Without embracing this idea, we hinder the growth…
…and weâd love to add your great ideas. Weâre looking for games, discussion starters, Bible studies, retreatideas, service ideas, outreach ideas, small group ideasâwhatever has worked for you in your ministry to junior highers. We only want ideas that are specific to the junior high age…
…the âcultureâ of the youth group? What did you like best about our youth group? Were there any opportunities we missed? Did you feel supported/loved in a critical time or crisis during High School? What program/event did you benefit from the most? (Retreat, Overnighter, etc) How can our church…
…ministry to youth for over . . . well, a long time. Her humorous, yet straightforward teaching style has made her a popular speaker to youth and youth workers at camps, conferences, training events, retreats, etc. She is a member of Groups National Presenting Team and the team leader for their Youth Ministry…
…ministry to youth for over . . . well, a long time. Her humorous, yet straightforward teaching style has made her a popular speaker to youth and youth workers at camps, conferences, training events, retreats, etc. She is a member of Groups National Presenting Team and the team leader for their Youth Ministry…
…your youth group and long after they leave the group, your kids will be greatly impacted by their families for good and for bad. I dont think we in youth ministry have done an effective enough job integrating the faith of our students with their family life. When Doug Fields was in my youth group I…
…âchange everythingâ ideas . in front of the entire staff . at my very first staff retreat. Hi, my nameâs Josh, and Iâm an idiot. JG Related posts:Book Review: Sustainable Youth Ministry Just finishing up Mark Devries' Sustainable Youth Ministry - its...Youth Ministry and a Business Degree…
…this leaked list of requested features to the successor to Windows Vista, and thought about the translation of that concept to youth ministry. There are hundreds of ideas out there waiting to be uncovered, many of which are better than the ones you could come up with by yourself. I’m sure the developers…
…the youth group as its own and engage in life-shaping ministry with your teenagers. Veteran youth worker Stephanie Caro, who understands both the challenges and blessings of working in a smaller youth ministry, cleverly unpacks her insights and ideas in 99 Thoughts for Smaller Church Youth Workers…
…National Park. The idea here is for a mid-year break to get away from the rigorous pace of ministry and life to see our state. They say that most people don’t take time to see some of the attractions in their area, and we don’t want to make the same mistake. June – Team Staff Retreat (4 days) Every…
…ministry expert, Chuck Bomar, College Ministry From Scratch provides simple tips and practical ideas for anyone looking to start something for college-age people in their congregation. Keeping in mind that a youth worker or volunteer launching a college ministry already leads a busy life, this book is easy…
…economy is, there's never enough money in the youth budget. That's why The $5 Youth Ministry is packed cover to cover with effective, easy-to-implement ideasÑthat all cost about $5 or less. You'll get tons of quality ideas for small groups, weekend retreats, worship services, outreach, fundraising, communication…
…with the senior pastor . . . over one of my radical, change everything ideas . . . in front of the entire staff . . . at my very first staff retreat. Hi, my names Josh, and Im an idiot. *** Its tough being a 20-something in youth ministry! In our jobs, everyone from parents to volunteers to fellow staff…
…ski. But Bob has some different ideas. He first starts with a dream session on how we want to be different after the retreat. Students are puzzled what does this discussion have to do with being the leaders of the retreat? Everything, Bob explains. Leaders of retreats dont just think about what is going…
One of our projects for our Core team staff retreat yesterday was to list three parts of our job we absolutely love the most. I love my job on a whole bunch of levels, so it was hard to choose! I shared these three things with the team, thought I would toss them online for you to see, too. Here’s some…
…events. Instead of loading up the vans and driving several hours to take your students to a big name weekend retreat, plan and host your own event where your youth worship band leads and your youth staff team-teaches. Consider partnering together with other local churches for big community events. By partnering…
…waiting for the right one. JG Related posts:A Healthy Staff Culture Finishing up a workshop at Drive today on healthy staff...Youth Ministry Team Culture At the staff retreat, the team identified 8 key elements...10 Random Pop Culture Thoughts: Volume 2 Random, unrelated stuff for fun today: I'm really…
…at your attempts to implement that stupid idea. Thank goodness, no parent ever used those words but their looks sure communicated that I wasn t a credible source of parenting experience. And, they were right. I didnt know what I was talking about. As a youth pastor, I knew about teenagers but I didnt…
