The ideal scenario for any youth pastor, of course, would be to have committed Christian parents as active, supportive, and true partners in the church’s youth ministry. Christian parents are the ones most accountable for the spiritual growth and development of their kids. The Scriptures are clear that parents, especially fathers, are to bring their… Keep Reading
It happened again. The “it” was the phone call I received telling me that a friend of mine just lost his ministry due to moral failure. It seems as if person after person is losing his ministry. The stories are hard to grasp. The circumstances vary, of course, but the result is the same–another person… Keep Reading
I have known some amazing volunteer youth workers over the years. Some were crazy and enthusiastic extroverts – and others were quiet and thoughtful introverts. I thank God for all of the Godly, faithful “lay” youth workers who willingly share their time and their lives with kids. These people are the true heroes of youth… Keep Reading
New Generations Change Things Most of today’s youth workers are probably Millennials[1] – the generation we were told would change everything. With the recent surge of immigration, this age group became America’s largest generation[2] – and has certainly emerged as the most influential population segment in this country’s history. In generational sequence, the Millennials were… Keep Reading
I greatly appreciate my parents and the generational legacy in my family. As far back as I know which, thanks to services and tools like “Ancestry.com”, goes all that way back to the 1600’s – my ancestors have been believers. There is no doubt, with great indebtedness to God’s grace and His will, my forefathers… Keep Reading
A recent report stated that the average church in America has about 75 people, 4 of whom are teenagers. I don’t know if that description fits your church, but the report shows that the typical church is nowhere near the size of a megachurch. Sure, mega churches get lots of attention, but let’s face it;… Keep Reading
Video Podcast: “How will COVID-19 Affect Generation Alpha?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV_Cf7xCWEY Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Torgru5cOTY Webinar Notes (including PDF of Webinar PowerPoint slides): https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youthministryquestions.com%2Fs%2Falpha-notes_booklet_final.pdf Series of Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-youth-ministry-questions-podcast/id1562519123 Articles: https://blog.youthspecialties.com/5-reasons-why-youth-workers-should-learn-now-about-generation-alpha/? fbclid=IwAR0UoB0kqHU2XVD1RMy_ehyu0ORE08hh4W3-EtTkGfTLsyvR3PC_BcijRRA https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/how-will-covid-19-impact-generation-alpha.html Keep Reading
This year’s graduation season may look more familiar than what we all experienced last year. Just a year ago our Spring calendars were strangely empty of high school graduations, open houses, and other end-of-the-year events for high school seniors and their families. The COVID crisis had put the brakes on all those activities. This year… Keep Reading
I just finished reading a new youth ministry book in which the author makes the case that if youth groups were more like “big church” it would mean that emerging generations would stay active in the church after high school graduation because they would be familiar with the church structure and programming. I don’t buy… Keep Reading
The Bible is clear that there are two God-designed institutions that share the same God-ordained purpose. Both the local church and the Christian home are responsible to guide young people toward a lifetime of growth toward spiritual maturity. Once our kids come to Christ, because we are intentional about sharing the life-changing Good News with… Keep Reading