| 1. Communicating With Parents |
| From youthministry360 on Thursday, March 26, 2026 @ 11:44 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. "What time is the bus leaving?" "What should they bring?" "I didn't know anything about this!" If you've been in youth ministry for any amount of time, you have most likely heard these questions and frustrations from parents by now. You probably also know the disappointment after putting together details for events, publicizing for weeks, and people still don't know what's going on. You ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong? Do they not care? Is it me or them?" Honestly, the answer is a bit more complicated. Here are some thoughts that may help you in better communicating with parents. Recently, I read the book Start with Why, by Simon Sinek, and his concept of the Golden Circle. It helps businesses and organizations start with the question of "why" they exist, and work out from there to "How" and "What". It's designed to give groups purpose and direction, but in the realm of communication, I believe these questions are just as important. For clarity in this article, communication with parents refers to written communication, not verbal. That could be another blog altogether! WHY ARE YOU COMMUNICATING? This seems like a straightforward question, but it's worth thinking about for a few minutes. What is your purpose in communicating with the families in your church? Knowing your 'why' might even give you more motivation to get that email out to parents! For example, is your ministry's weekly email more about delivering information? Is it a tool you intentionally use to equip parents for the work of discipling their kids? One answer isn't better than the other, but if your communication with them is informational one week and inspirational the next, it will seem like your goals are scattered, like you're throwing ideas to the wall and seeing what sticks. If it's a weekly email, have a section for upcoming events, but also links for parents that will help them connect with their teenager. Whatever your goal, focus on what you want to say, and be consistent with it. You may be in a situation where the youth ministry has always had a weekly email/text, and now you feel you need to continue that tradition, in the same way your predecessor did. That's not necessarily the case. If the youth pastor before you could create beautiful templates that look like he worked with Adobe Photoshop as a side hustle, don't feel like you need to copy them. Be yourself! But if you want your weekly communication to look or sound better, don't be afraid to ask for help either. You may have volunteers in your ministry with gifting in those areas! Ask yourself why you're communicating the way you are, and if there's a better way. Does our ministry need to communicate this often in this way from now until forever? Probably not. I know change is scary (especially if you're the new guy) because people may complain and say, "That's not how so-and-so did it!" It's ok. Change is inevitable, and eventually, people will get used to it. HOW ARE YOU COMMUNICATING? You've probably heard some youth pastors say, "You can't overcommunicate in ministry." I've even said this to a few younger pastors myself! But as I've gotten older, I don't know if that saying still holds up. Here's the problem: In an effort to reach anybody and everybody, you may actually be reaching nobody. If I know as a parent that I can find information on the student ministry just about anywhere, chances are I won't go looking for it. But if I know the two or three places to find it, I'll be going back to those sources more often. Focus your communications on a few key methods (i.e., text, email, and Facebook). Overcommunicate about how you communicate. Maybe you're comfortable with your communication methods, but it still feels like families aren't receiving what you're putting out there. Don't be afraid to ask parents how you can do a better job at communicating with them. You could say something like this, "Hey! I just wanted to make sure you're getting our weekly email for our student ministry. In the last couple of weeks, we've asked parents to respond, and I haven't heard back from you. I don't want to add to your busyness - if there's a more convenient way to connect, just let me know." You're doing a few important things here: 1) You're holding them to a degree of accountability. Healthy accountability is important in communication; it goes both ways! 2) You're recognizing their life and schedule are different than yours, and 3) you're telling them you're willing to adjust to help them. All of this together shows parents you want to be their ally, not an adversary. As I said earlier, be consistent! If you're writing the email that goes out Monday morning to families, on Monday morning, you're already behind. Go ahead and at least get a rough draft of Monday's email in your inbox before you leave for the weekend. If you can finish that email the week before, and have it scheduled to go out at 9:00 AM every morning, even better! (Pro tip: Clear and consistent communication with parents will help them build trust with you. Easy win!) WHAT ARE YOU COMMUNICATING? Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt was credited with the advice, "Be sincere, be brief, be seated." This advice is good for deacon's meetings, but also communication with parents! Think about how you read emails, texts, or even your church's bulletin. If you're like most people, you probably just read over the first few sentences of an email. The parents who get your emails probably do the same thing, so try to keep it short and to the point, or at least the most important things at the top of your email. As you're promoting the next event or including a reminder, don't get caught up in using too many words. Keep it short, keep it simple. If you want to keep the attention of parents after they see the highlights, consider including some images from your last event, like a collage of 3-4 pictures. In the past, I've sent out weekly emails to families that include the "Need to Know" info at the top, followed by a recap picture from our last event, in-depth details about what's happening, and a helpful article for families at the bottom. We don't want to just keep parents informed; we want to keep them engaged. Make reading it worth their time. Don't make it hard to get connected to what's going on in your youth ministry. If parents have to call you or the church office to have their name added to the email or text list, you may lose the chance to connect with them. With a little research and effort, you could make a free QR code on all your publications, which parents can scan with their phone to be automatically added to an email list through an app like MailChimp. This saves time for you and them. Lastly, with all this talk of instant communication and automated emails, don't neglect the important act of reaching out to parents directly. Not to inform or update, but simply to ask, "Hey, you were on my mind, and I was wondering if there's anything I can be praying for you about this week?" I promise you that it will always mean more to someone than a reminder about camp deadlines. Share with others in our YM360 community: Consider asking a volunteer parent in your youth ministry for their thoughts on what and how you communicate. Tell them they have permission to be as honest as possible. What could you add to the weekly email that makes it more than just announcements? How could you make it into a conversation starter that parents look forward to receiving each week? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 2. Empowering Students to Take Ownership |
| From youthministry360 on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 @ 1:25 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category. STUDENTS INFLUENCE STUDENTS Getting students involved in the ministry is always a plus. No matter the size of your youth group, getting them to buy into the youth group can cause a massive shift in the culture of your ministry. When students are bought in, this allows them to leverage their influence to share the Gospel and invite others into their ministry. I always tell my students that this ministry is their ministry, I'm just the one who steers the ship. Allowing your students to hoist the sails and man the ship is a gamechanger. Our student ministry has grown a good bit since I took over 5 years ago. But it's not because of me. It's because I've tried to engrain into my students' heads that this is their ministry and that God has called them to go out and share the Gospel and invite their friends to church. I have a senior this year in my student ministry named Gage. Gage is one of the best young men I know. He serves on our student leadership team, plays the drums on our worship team, and his parents serve in our ministry. But before Gage did all of this, he began seeking out opportunities to invite his friends to church. One youth night, I was standing beside his dad, and I began to count all of the guys that were there because of Gage. 10 guys were in our youth room because of the influence that Gage has. That was over 2 years ago, and many of those young men still come on Wednesday nights and have placed their faith in Jesus, all because of Gage's influence. My point is this: you have students in your youth group who have influence. In fact, all of your students have influence! It's up to you to call that influence out in them and teach them how they can influence the people around them for the sake of the Gospel. Whether we like it or not, we have to face the fact that our students are going to either be influencers or they are going to be the ones being influenced. I'd rather have them be the influence. STUDENTS ARE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO BELONG AND BUY INTO In order to bring out that influence in a student, you have to create a ministry and a place that the student feels like they belong in. One of the biggest desires for any student is to feel like they belong somewhere. Once they feel like they belong, buy-in quickly follows. Students share what they love. If they love their student ministry, then they are more likely to tell and invite their friends to visit. But this comes with a clear and solid vision that is constantly stated out loud to all of the students. Our motto at youth is "Creating a space where students can find and follow Jesus." When each student walks up the stairs in our youth building, they are met with a giant banner that says "Find and Follow" on it. That's who we are, and that gives students something to buy into. I want our student ministry to be a place where each student feels like they belong. Even if they deal with some heavy identity issues and sexual identity issues, I want them to feel like they belong in my youth room. Why? Because when they feel like they belong, they can get vulnerable, and God can use those moments to change their life through salvation. Once lives are being changed through the power of the gospel, those students are the quickest to buy in. Why? Because they have "tasted and seen that the Lord is good," and they will want to share that with others. As youth leaders, our job isn't just to preach catchy sermons or to feed the kids pizza on Wednesdays or Sunday nights; our job is to create a space where students can belong and buy into. Then, we can step back and watch the Lord work as we share the gospel and see students take ownership of their ministry. Remember- it's not your ministry, it's theirs. ONCE THEY ARE BOUGHT IN, LET THEM GO, BUT WITH GUARD RAILS A student who loves the Lord and is eager to be involved in the ministry can be a massive help in ministry, even if they don't know the specifics of ministry. Your job as the student pastor does not change with them. Your job is still to disciple, but now you're discipling them in light of what God is doing in and through their life in your student ministry. Give them responsibilities. Start small. Maybe have them grab the pizzas from the deliveryman and bring you the receipt, or have them help with check-in. Then, once you begin to see their buy-in, have them do the opening announcements or lead the nightly game. My goal on Wednesday nights when our youth meet is to do two things: know my students better than I did last week, and help them know Jesus deeper than they did last week. I'm able to do this because I have a student who does all of my announcements and leads all the games. I also have a student leader who chooses all the songs we sing and leads our student-led worship team every week. I've given both of these students the opportunity to lead how they want to, but I also have walked with them as they have selected games and picked songs. What they don't realize is that I am molding them into leaders, and leaders that will hopefully serve the church for years to come. They know what we are trying to build and accomplish on Wednesday night. Don't be afraid to turn your students loose, but make sure they're buying into the vision of the student ministry as they lead and walk beside them. This will create incredible discipleship opportunities. THE LONG GAME I read a statistic one time that said something along the lines that 80% of students leave the church when they graduate high school. That, my friends, is simply not good enough for me. By giving students opportunities to lead and to buy into their student ministry, what you are actually doing is beginning to build the leaders of tomorrow's church. Now, I 100% believe that our students are part of today's church, but they are tomorrow's deacons, elders, greeters, youth leaders, pastors, etc. Why not give them the opportunity and show them that they can use their lives for the sake of the gospel now? Do they have influence, even though they are only in the 9th grade? So what if they fail? You'll be right there to catch them and encourage them. That's the beauty of challenging them to lead; we get a front row seat to encourage and walk with them as they seek to make the name of Jesus known with those around them. Doesn't that sound a little bit like the strategy we call discipleship? Letting students lead can be a bit scary and can make you cringe sometimes, but it is so worth it to see the students take ownership of their ministry. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: What is the name of a student whom you might ask to help you lead when you meet for youth group? What is a way in which you can challenge your students to use the influence that they have with their friend groups to share the gospel with their friends? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 3. From Middle School to High School - A Concert of Takeaways |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, March 9, 2026 @ 6:21 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. Ever sat through a band at your local school? I recently did. The set opened with two songs from our 6th graders, then three songs from our 7th graders, eventually building to the finale by our 12th graders. As you might imagine, the younger students were still finding their confidence (or in some cases, the beat), while the older students offered polished covers ranging from "La La Land" to "How to Train Your Dragon." Each performance offered surprising ministry parallels. I've been a small group leader for the same group of boys for the past seven years, seeing firsthand the challenges and rewards that come with every season. It can be tempting to cherry-pick a favorite "moment" from their lives, be it eagerly awaiting the day they got their driver's license, or cherishing how easy it was to make plans before they got jobs. Ecclesiastes 3 describes how "for everything there is a season" (v. 1), be it a time to plant or harvest (v. 2), build up or break down (v. 3), and seek or lose (v. 6). In all these contrasting moments, God is the uniting presence who transforms them into eternal investments (v. 14). Similarly, when we claim the godly potential in every season of our students, we can faithfully plant unique seeds of faith as they mature. To borrow from this youngest-to-oldest "concert," here are three takeaways that we can all absorb. YOU'RE EXPERIENCING A SYMPHONY IN THE MAKING As rough as the middle school performance was, their lack of experience meant they were naturally open to new experiences. They could experiment with playing the drums or clarinet. They could learn any number of new songs. Best of all, they could grow alongside a consistent group - learning, laughing, and looking out for one another for the years to come. When I first started leading, I remember feeling overwhelmed and questioning what was and wasn't working with our group. Now that they're in high school, I've been blown away by how much those boys remember from those early years. Multiple times, they've quoted something back to me that I said four or five years ago. What I viewed as a brief moment then had now taken root and developed into an enduring value. Just as it takes time for a middle schooler to turn sheet music into a symphony, it takes time for an idea to cement into their identity. Our role isn't to say "no" for them, but give them every opportunity to say "yes" after "yes" to Jesus. This can be as simple as helping them build camaraderie with their peers or letting them volunteer to help uncover their gifts. Galatians 6:9 reminds us: "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Never underestimate your power to activate the young men and women your youth has yet to become. YOU'RE SEEING THE BAND There was a unique privilege in seeing the talent of each grade's performance over 90 minutes. Only two or three teachers were running the program, but it was clear that they had developed a relationship with each group. The teachers' commitment inspired a commitment in their students, leading them to engage in this concert together. Being with my small group over the years has taught me the value of communicating commitment. Some students were willing to connect with me after a few months, while some took a few years. Rarely did this come about because I said the right thing at the right time, but rather through the relationship we had forged over time and could then build upon. Jesus is a perfect example of making the most of His earthly ministry, and shares in Luke 12:34: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." When we help our students feel treasured, we give them a tangible glimpse into God's heart. Be it an extra minute, hour, day, week, month, or year, your presence and participation in a student's life create the boosts they need to encounter their next breakthrough with Christ. YOU'RE HEARING THE SONG By the time we got to the senior group, there was anticipation in the air. This was not only the final performance of the night, but their final performance of their lives. There was a maturity in their music and a confidence in their community. There was no doubt that these students knew their song and how to play it really well. This got me thinking about how this confidence was not only reflective of the high schoolers' talent, but also of their development. They weren't looking to learn new songs, but how to play their current song the best way possible. Similarly, I see the seniors in my group make decisions based on conclusions they've made about themselves. One student wants to pursue an engineering degree because he's "good at math." Another student (I kid you not) is considering bull-riding, because he's gotten used to being knocked around in his years of football. If middle schoolers are exploring the right questions to step into, then high schoolers are exploring the right answers to stand on. This isn't to say you won't find a 7th grader set in their ways, or a 10th grader who undergoes a lifestyle change. Just as Jesus reminds us to "become like children" in our faith (Matthew 18:3), we can encourage our older students to keep asking questions and ground their inner narrative in the loving reality of the Father. Hebrews 13:8 proclaims, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Imagine if we applied that eternal longevity to the investment of our students... empowering them in middle school, high school, and beyond. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: What's an opportunity you could give your middle schoolers to volunteer and explore their unique gifts? What's a question you could encourage high schoolers to ask themselves as they enter young adulthood? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 4. 5 Myths of Youth Ministry Part 2 |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, March 9, 2026 @ 6:12 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. Back in October, we talked about 5 common myths of youth ministry-things like: youth ministry is all fun and games youth ministry is only about students bigger is always better students can't swim deep ministry is only exhausting and overwhelming And the truth is, there are so many more myths out there quietly shaping how we lead, define success, and measure ourselves as youth ministry leaders. So, we're back for round two. Five more myths that sneak into our minds and hearts, show up in our ministries, and quietly mess with our leadership if we don't call them out. #1 - YOU CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT YOUR OWN FRIENDSHIPS You're busy. Ministry is busy. It asks a lot of you. Full stop. I don't really need to spell it out, but between your Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings, parent emails, staff meetings, budget meetings, and school functions, who has time to build friendships and community outside of ministry? It's easy to tell yourself you'll prioritize those relationships once things slow down. Once the calendar isn't so packed, you'll catch your breath and be able to look up. But that moment never really comes. At least not at the length you want it to be. Recently, Barna Group's research painted a sobering picture. 65% of pastors report feeling lonely and isolated, up from 42% in 2015. That's a massive jump in less than a decade. Even more troubling? 43% of pastors cite "loneliness and isolation" as a reason they've considered quitting ministry. And get this: only one in three pastors has someone outside their church they can truly confide in. Perhaps even more difficult to hear is when researchers measured pastoral well-being across multiple areas (relationships, well-being, finances, vocation, faith), pastors scored lowest in relationships. In fact, they even scored lower than churchgoers. Just let that sink in for a moment. The people who are pastoring, shepherding, and leading others toward community often have the weakest relational health themselves. No matter the size of your ministry, you weren't designed to go about it alone. Having your own friendships, relationships, and community isn't a luxury for when ministry slows down. They are a lifeline you can't go without. If you don't have at least one trusted friend or mentor who knows the real you-not the Sunday you-make that a priority this month, not "later on." If you lead students but don't have adults who help lead you, you're going to run out of steam. #2 - YOUR JOB IS TO FIX KIDS (AND IF THEY WALK AWAY, YOU FAILED) This one hit hard because it feels so true. A student walks away from their faith after graduation. A student who grew up in your ministry posts about a wild life-change that rejects following Jesus. A parent calls, frustrated that their teen is struggling and asks, "Can you do something about it?" As if there wasn't already a weight you were carrying, it just got heavier. It's also easy to think in those moments, "If only I...said the right thing, did more, was more available, then maybe they'd still be here." We can't help but wonder what we could have done differently that might have produced a different result. But news flash: you're a shepherd, not a savior. Your job is to plant and water faithfully. God gives the growth. Salvation is the work of God. Period. Just to be clear: You cannot "fix" students. You cannot heal everything they've been through. You can't make decisions for them. Yes, you're called to disciple students well, to point them to Jesus, to challenge them to go deep, to create environments where their faith can grow, and to see the importance of the local church. But you are not responsible for outcomes you cannot control. You cannot force anyone to follow Jesus. Taking responsibility for every spiritual outcome is carrying a weight you were never meant to have. During your investment, some seeds sprout immediately, others lie dormant for years. Your faithfulness matters, but you are not the one who does the final work. Now, don't give up on students who may walk away. Pray for them, keep doors open, and trust that God is still at work even if you cannot see it. It's a good reminder to surrender your ministry and students back to the Lord. #3 - GOOD YOUTH PASTORS DO EVERYTHING Every event. Every request. Every late-night text. Every parent meeting. Every volunteer need. Every family crisis. You tell yourself that's what ministry requires-being available for everything 24/7. And often (and sometimes the most challenging reality), no one is stopping you. Sometimes, they even praise you for how "busy" you are. You tear down boundaries. You sacrifice it all-health, family, and life-because that's what "good" youth pastors do. Or that's what people around you notice and celebrate. Forcing yourself to stay available 24/7 and to do everything will only lead to burnout. It's not sustainable. Our energy, capacity, and margin have a ceiling. We need boundaries. Rest. Solitude. And most importantly, time to help refill ourselves so we can continue to pour out. I get the desire to try and do it all, but it's not realistic, and I hope you'll give yourself permission to step away from that burden. Your value as a youth pastor isn't tied to how busy or available you are. When you model rest, you teach students that their worth isn't in productivity. When you prioritize your family, you show them that ministry starts at home. You can't do it all. You can't be at everything. #4 - THE REAL WORK TAKES PLACE UPFRONT ON A STAGE Let's clear something up: youth ministry is so much more than just standing on a stage talking, leading worship, or giving a powerful invitation. That's often what people see most, but that's only a part. If the greatest part of your ministry is when you stand on a stage in front of your students, let me gently ask: what matters most? The things that don't get seen-the work to write an email, the intentional time in prayer, planning meetings, advocating for budgets, sermon planning, school partnerships, volunteer coordination, conflict resolution between students, late-night texts, and the relentless grind of making a ministry work week in and week out. So much of ministry actually takes place in the unseen, unglamorous work. It's not the stage. It's not in the light. It's in that spreadsheet where you map out your follow-up plans from camp. It's in that empty youth room where you're praying over chairs. It's in that phone call you're having with the parent trying to reach their prodigal. Don't mishear me: those upfront moments matter and what you teach matters, but they're often best built on a foundation of faithfulness in the unseen. You're faithfully stewarding the call God has placed on you, whether anyone's watching or not. Why? Because at the end of the day, it's all for the Lord. #5 - YOU NEED TO BE THE "COOL" PASTOR The myth that whispers in our ear all the time. You need to know every TikTok trend, dress a certain way, speak their language, and essentially, be in your mid-20s to mid-early 30s forever. You feel the pressure to be the "cool" pastor who gets their culture, music, memes, and slang. And what about when you don't? When you're older, less trendy, a little more out of touch with what's happening, you start to believe you can't connect. You begin to think you're too old for this. I'll never believe in the myth that you can "age out" of youth ministry. With breath in your lungs, desire and purpose in your life, God can still use you to draw the next generation to Him. I mean, what even is cool? And when did that become the prerequisite for effective youth ministry? What students need is a consistent presence in their lives who faithfully points them to Jesus and helps them become a lifelong follower of Him. Students long for an adult who loves them and cares for them. Sure, it's great to understand their world and culture, and to be aware of what's shaping them. But you don't have to become like them to reach them. Maybe the encouragement here is to be yourself. Be authentic. Be you. That's what they need most. Not a version of you or what you think they want from you. Youth ministry myths are everywhere. Some make us laugh, some weigh us down, and some quietly shape our decisions. But here's what I want you to remember: your worth isn't tied to how available you are, how many students stay, or how cool you seem. Your worth is found in Christ and your faithfulness to the calling He's placed on your life. So, let's call out these myths. One at a time. Not to shame ourselves, but to lead healthier, longer, and more faithful in the calling that God has given us. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: What myths from this list have you struggled with the most? What are other myths in youth ministry you have experienced or feel pressured by? SOURCES: https://www.barna.com/research/pastor-support-systems https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-quitting-ministry https://www.barna.com/trends/pastors-friendship-gap Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 5. How to Have the Next Step Conversation |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, February 23, 2026 @ 1:14 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category. In the classic political TV series The West Wing, after a long day of drama dealing with world leaders and even petty problems, President Bartlett often quips to his team, "What's next?" That phrase has become a hallmark of Bartlett's relentless, focused personality, ready to accomplish whatever is next on the agenda. His team is always at the ready with the next debate, memo, or briefing in hand. In the same way, many of our students are internally asking the question, "What's next for my faith?" They are hearing the Bible taught, growing in community, or even just asking questions about Jesus, and are ready to take the next step, but do not know what to do or where to go. It is in that moment that we must be like Bartlett's team, ready with an answer in mind and something in hand to help them know what's next and give them the courage to take that step. One of the ways we can prepare for these next-step conversations is to develop a discipleship pathway, a clear overview of what discipleship looks like at your church. Done well, this will help you determine where a student is in their walk with Jesus and show a next step to help them move from one stage to the next. It brings clarity for your team and your students, so that they are not guessing how to go deeper in their walk with Christ. In the rest of this blog, I'll share our ministry's discipleship pathway, followed by a few quick suggestions for starting one of your own. SEEKER: A TEENAGER WHO DOESN'T FOLLOW JESUS YET One of the best parts of student ministry is being around lost teenagers. Some are curious, and some are callous. Both, in our ministry, are seekers. They don't follow Jesus... yet. But our earnest prayer is that they will, and we help them take the next steps of their own, even before faith in Christ. Their first step is to seek God and get answers to their questions. If they are not ready to follow Jesus, we ask, "What is holding you back?" Then we encourage them to keep seeking God by coming to church, reading the Bible, and asking God to show Himself to them. We get them a study bible before they leave and follow up as the weeks go on. The most important next step is for them to repent of sin and believe the Gospel, at which point they are saved and move on to the next stage of discipleship. SAVED: A TEENAGER WHO IS LEARNING TO WORSHIP AUTHENTICALLY By "saved," we mean a student who has confessed Christ, but is still in the early stages of discipleship. Our immediate next step for them is baptism, which we do as soon as possible to help them establish their new identity with Christ. We then equip them with a study Bible and begin teaching them the basics of the faith, such as prayer, bible study, and new life in Christ. One resource that we always put in a student's hands is from YM360 called New: First Steps for New Christ Followers. By worship authentically, we mean to orient our students to sound doctrine and sound Christian living from the start so they can grow in the right direction going forward. Their participation in their small group is vital for this, since that is where most of the personal discipleship will happen. STUDENT: A TEENAGER WHO IS LEARNING TO GROW INTENTIONALLY Once a student is established and is learning the basics of the faith, we encourage students to go beyond the basics by growing intentionally. In the previous step, most new believers are just trying to get their bearings. In this step, they have their bearings, and they are ready to set sail, so we just need to give them resources and environments to do that. We help them develop key relationships in the church, whether with their small group leader or other mentors in the church. We also use YM360's Next: Growing a Faith that Lasts to spark a student's curiosity about where to go forward. Many of our students have joined men's Bible studies or our church's Bible institute as a result of wanting to go deeper in their faith. SERVANT: A TEENAGER WHO IS LEARNING TO SERVE SELFLESSLY When a student wants to take the next step, and they have already been growing intentionally, I ask, "Where are you serving?" We are never more like Jesus when we serve. Discipling towards service helps us avoid developing Christian students who know a lot of information but aren't making an impact. We have several next steps here that are adjustable based on age and situation that we use in conjunction with YM360's book Now: Impacting Your World for Christ (Right Now). We can help them discover their spiritual gift. They can come join the ministry at our church's next serve day or join a regular serve team, such as preschool or tech ministry. For our high school students, they can join our Servant Leadership Team for our youth group. For our Juniors and Seniors, they can go on our overseas mission trip to put into practice all they have learned over the years. I have found many times that a student who is stuck in their faith just needs an outlet of service, and then they thrive! SUGGESTIONS FOR CREATING A DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY First, align your pathway with your church's vision and values. Our church's core values are worship authentically, grow intentionally, and serve selflessly. We want to build the same kind of disciples that the rest of our church is making. Second, have practical steps for each stage of your pathway, such as a journal, a ministry to join, or a resource to share. Third, use this with a spiritual self-assessment. We have students fill out an assessment, which helps us determine where they are on the pathway and make personal suggestions for what step they can take next. Fourth, remember that these stages are not mutually exclusive. A student can serve right away after becoming a Christian. This is not a rigid test, but a tool to help us know what key elements of the Christian faith students need to grow through. Lastly, train your leaders to have these next-step conversations, too. One of my favorite things is having a leader come up to me to share that one of their students is ready for baptism because they have been talking about it after small group. One last thing to consider: Everybody has a discipleship pathway. Some are implicit, some are disorganized. Some are explicit and organized. My encouragement is that it is easier for both you and your students if you know where you want your students to go and how to take that next step to get there. It doesn't have to be complicated, but it should be intentional and thoughtful. So now we'll know exactly what to say when a student comes up and says, "What's next?" Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: Right now, what is your plan for helping a new believer follow Jesus? Right now, are your volunteers equipped to have next-step conversations? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 6. The Art of Good Questions |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, February 16, 2026 @ 5:36 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. I stared at a room of blank faces until one student finally asked, "Um...can you repeat the question?" Anyone who has been in youth ministry has felt the awkwardness of this situation. You wonder why your small group is quieter than a family after mom asks who ate the last of the ice cream. But what if the problem isn't our students? What if we're asking the wrong questions? "How does that passage make you feel?" "Is prayer important?" "Have you ever doubted your salvation?" You've probably seen questions like these in several different curricula. At first glance, they may seem run-of-the-mill. However, I believe these types of questions are examples of questions we want to avoid. Asking questions and discussing in a small group setting is our opportunity to see if students understand what we're teaching them. It's their chance to respond. If we don't ask the right questions, we fail in helping them carry these truths outside the church building. Here's what I mean... WORDS MATTER Let's look at the first question: "How does this passage make you feel?" What is a question like that communicating to a student? At best, it's ignoring the author's intent and the biblical message. At worst, it suggests to a student that our feelings about a passage matter more than the truth of God's Word. Rather than making ourselves the center of the question, let's elevate God's Word and ask, "What do you think the author's original meaning was? What truth or truths is God showing us through this passage?" Feelings have their place, but emotion-based questions have a greater chance of keeping a student where they're at than helping them move forward in their faith. Let's look at another question: "Is prayer important?" Put on your sailor hat, because Captain Obvious just made port! Kidding aside, overly simplistic questions that end with a "yes" or a "no" don't move the group along. Instead, it can stop the conversation, leaving students thinking "Did he really just ask us that?" or "That's too easy. Must be a trick question." Our goal as small group leaders is to keep the conversation moving. We want to help students move from a place of comprehension to application. Questions like "Have you ever doubted your salvation?" have the potential to be like a grenade; it may blow up in your face or be a dud. A single student may answer, and instantly feel judged by the group's silence; while everyone is thinking about what that student said, rather than focusing on the discussion. Maybe the question is so exposing that no one answers, and the leader is forced to move on. Questions that uncover a person's vulnerabilities and insecurities in a small group setting have the potential to dramatically affect the vibe in the room, for better or for worse. I heard a story of one student opening up about his sexual addictions in his middle school boys' group, and as time went on, more of the guys opened up about the same struggles and temptations they faced. Their shared struggles strengthened their friendship with each other, and the group was better for it. On the other hand, I've also heard of stories like a young woman who opens up about her eating disorder in her small group, and now the other girls in her youth group avoid talking to her. Questions that risk exposure are a big gamble. Rather than using a question that may call someone out, use a more open-ended and generalized question, like "Who here has ever...? What was that like for you?" Seek to connect students in the group over similarities, instead of risking exposure and isolation. As a small group leader, you may be better off asking those more probing questions in a different setting. RAISING THE BAR Often, a prewritten curriculum may use the same questions for a middle school and high school audience. This saves time for the writers and makes it more universal for their audience. However, middle school and high school students are at very different stages intellectually and emotionally, and require different approaches. Most middle school students are still at a "black-and-white" stage of thought called concrete thinking. At this stage, there's a lot that still may be literal to them, and metaphors may go over their head (Cue Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy: "Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it.") Middle school students have an easier time hearing and understanding a story from the Bible because it's a straightforward narrative. Other genres, like Jesus' parables, may be more figurative to them and require greater time from you to explain the meaning. As students get older, they move from concrete thinking to abstract thinking, which means they begin to conceptualize, utilizing critical thinking and creativity more often. They understand non-literal ideas better and make connections easier. This is the stage where you, as a small group leader, will (hopefully) have an easier time helping students understand how Scripture relates to their everyday lives. Knowing where your small group is developmentally will go a long way in helping you ask better questions. Are better questions in our small groups the end goal? No, of course not. But by learning how to ask better questions, students will retain, think, and apply what we teach them. Through better teaching and biblical discipleship, we help them grow in their relationship with Christ, and that is the end goal. REEVALUATE AND REWRITE If asking good questions can help us make better disciples, where do we go from here? How can we put this into practice? It's worth taking the time to reevaluate your curriculum to see if it asks good questions. First, think like your audience, the person who's hearing these questions for the first time. Students. Put yourself in a student's shoes. How would they read or hear this question? Make sure the question is phrased in a neutral way and be sure they wouldn't misinterpret it. (Hint: If you ask your middle school boys to list "6 or 7 ways we can apply this", you will never get that group back on track. Ever.) If you use a prewritten curriculum, don't be afraid to rewrite the questions for your context. They even encourage that in the "How to use this curriculum" section, which we all never read. But seriously, make sure you really look over the curriculum before you give it to your small group leaders. Don't make it any harder on them. Maybe the questions you were going to use just aren't landing as you prepare for the lesson. That's okay! Don't be afraid to write your own questions. If you've never done that before, try experimenting. It will become easier the more you do it. You could involve students by asking your leaders what they thought of the questions. You could even challenge them to write questions they feel their friends would answer. At the end of the day, you know your students better than anyone. You know where they're at. When it comes to questions, whether you recite or rewrite, your passion for God and His Word ought to come through as you teach. Praying the Holy Spirit leads you, as you lead students closer to Jesus. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: When leading a small group, how much time do you spend studying the curriculum versus analyzing the questions? How can asking better questions make you a better teacher? Is there another youth worker, or even a student leader, who can review questions in advance with you? Are the questions you're asking clear, concise, and well-constructed? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 7. Making Your Message Impossible to Forget |
| From youthministry360 on Thursday, February 12, 2026 @ 5:26 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. People forget stuff. You are probably forgetting something right now. The students you lead also forget. They forget to bring money for lunch, they forget their deodorant for a week-long mission trip to the desert, they forget to tell their parents when to pick them up, sometimes they forget to arrange any ride home at all, and they forget the lessons we teach them. Sometimes it seems like they forget them immediately. There are moments, little glimmers of hope, that we cherish as student pastors and youth workers when a student shows us their message notes from a teaching we taught years ago, or recounts a story we shared with them that stuck with them, or tells us how much a weekend retreat or session of summer camp changed their life. God reminds us that it is possible for students to remember what we are teaching them, and that He is using it to grow students in their faith. It is possible for students to remember, so we should work to make lessons impossible to forget. How can you, as a leader, make the life-transforming truths from God's Word a permanent installation in the mind of a student? GET THEM TO WRITE IT DOWN When a student physically writes down what they hear, it increases their ability to retain it. Build a culture of handwritten notes. Prepare messages and lessons with concise points that clearly capture the truth. Make each point able to stand on its own without context so that if a student only wrote down the points on the screen, they would still have a complete picture of the message's bottom line. Instruct students to write down important things, equip them with notebooks and pens, and reward note-taking by giving an annual award to the person with the best message notes. (This award is called a YOSCAR in our student ministry and is a peer-nominated award given out annually to the student who takes the best message notes.) TELL A STORY Jesus is the master storyteller. One of the benefits of this method of teaching is that it's just easy to remember. There is value in telling a story because it not only helps students know the lesson but also establishes a picture of the lesson in their minds. For instance, if I teach my son not to play with matches, he will hopefully remember what I taught him about matches when I ask him, or maybe even when he sees a match or a lighter. However, if I tell him the story of the boy who found a box of matches in a drawer in his house and tried to do what he had seen his older cousin do by striking the match against the side of the box, got scared by the sudden spark and flame on the end of the match and then dropped the lit match on the rug where it caught the carpet on fire and in his panic he ran outside and watched his house burn down. That story will stay with my 4-year-old because he imagined the consequence of that lesson. Shape a story that can reinforce your bottom line. Stories can be drawn from personal experience (I tell a lot of stories of my childhood growing up in Maine and my high school years working at Zaxby's). God seems to hide so many valuable lessons in our own experiences. ATTACH AN EXPERIENCE There are truths that we know, but sometimes they slip from our minds until we have an experience attached to them. Students understand the importance of keeping their eyes on the road while driving. However, a student will not forget this after that one time they let themselves get distracted while driving and veer onto the rumble strip, slide a tire off the pavement shoulder, or clip a traffic cone. An experience that accompanied that lesson and reinforced the importance of staying focused while behind the wheel. Are we able to create experiences that come alongside our lessons for students? God's Word is full of invitations for this. A few examples of how I have tried to teach in this way: We brought in a falconer who showed the students a Red Tailed Hawk and a Barn Owl during our teaching series about anxiousness in Matthew 6:27, which says to "Look at the Birds..." The students still ask me when the "Bird Man" is coming back. We gave each student a ball of clay to make their own creation with during small group time on the final night of our teaching series about God creating us and being in control out of Isaiah 64:8 which says "we are the clay, you are the potter" We also had a ceramic artist come in and offer two Pottery Workshops which students can learn how to spin pottery on a wheel. We had a pallet of cinder blocks in the room when we talked about Jesus Christ being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20) and each student took home a cinder block the last night of the series, we used a car as a stage all Summer and let students spray paint it and smash it with a sledge hammer when we talked about destroying what is destroying us (Matthew 5:30), we brought in a throne made of swords and gave away a local forging experience when we talked about how the Word of God is sharper than a two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). REPEAT IT, AND REPEAT IT CONSISTENTLY There are some things that are more difficult to attach experiences to or tell a story about, but are still important enough for students to remember. These things should be said frequently and consistently each time. An example of this would be opening up the night with the same vision: "Tonight we have gathered because of Jesus, we envision a culture of youth going after the Kingdom of Heaven" or leading your volunteer team "We are here to teach them the TRUTH of God's Word, show them the PURPOSE God has for them and to come alongside their PARENTS as they raise them in the Lord." This takes time and discipline, but what happens is these values become baked into the system of the culture you are building in your ministry. What you are teaching your students is too valuable for it to slip their minds. Students are able to remember, so make it impossible to forget through handwritten notes, storytelling, experiences, and repetition. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: If you were to evaluate the lessons that students in your student ministry seemed to remember the most, what is the reason behind it? How can you recreate that same memorable lesson again in your ministry? Which of these four practices of "making it impossible to forget" would be a good fit as a next step in your ministry? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 8. Knowing Your Audience and How to Lead Them |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, February 2, 2026 @ 9:42 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. There's a leadership tension that every youth pastor feels. It doesn't matter if you're brand new or decades in. This tension doesn't care about your passion, budget, work ethic, philosophy, preaching, casting vision, communication, or planning. More often than not, this tension isn't a calling issue or a competency issue. It's not about your age, tenure, or the size of your church. The tension is knowing your audience. LEADERSHIP BREAKS DOWN WHEN UNDERSTANDING BREAKS DOWN At its core, leadership is highly influential. But that influence doesn't start with authority, titles, passion, or even vision. It starts with understanding. And not just a cognitive understanding but a deeply personal and heartfelt understanding. The type of understanding that moves you to action, empathy, and a desire to serve. Proverbs 18:2 says, "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." This verse is a necessary reminder for us as leaders. We must understand who we are ministering to. A wise youth pastor is one who looks to understand what's going on around them. In youth ministry, we don't lead just one group of people. We lead multiple audiences at the same time, and these audiences often have different expectations, pressures, and needs. They require different relationships, communication, and engagement from you. When we fail to recognize that, we tend to lead everyone the same way, and that's where frustration comes in. Effective youth ministry is more than just planning some events or preaching a message. It's about knowing the people you're leading. What took me time to learn is that leadership problems aren't always caused by bad intentions. Sometimes, it's by leading different people the same way. ONE MINISTRY. FOUR AUDIENCES. When I first started out in youth ministry, I failed to realize how important this reality was. I really only focused on or even cared about one audience: students. It took some time, but I quickly realized that my ministry was reaching four primary audiences: Students Parents Volunteers Senior Leadership / Church Staff And the crazy thing is that each group hears me differently. They look at me differently. They experience my actions differently. They filter what I say differently. The important reality to grasp is that what you say to one group won't translate the same way to another group. Here's what I mean by this. Let's say you have an upcoming retreat, and you announce it on a Wednesday night. Students think: FUN! Who's going? How do I get my parents to sign up? That graphic looks awesome. Parents think: Is this safe? What adults will be there? How much is it? What are the details? Why are we just now hearing about this? Volunteers think: What do you need from me? What's the schedule? Will you have my gluten-free food, or do I need to bring it? Do I need to be there the whole time? Senior Leadership / Church Staff think: What else is going on at the church that weekend? Did you reserve the bus and the gym? How much will this entire thing cost? Will you need anything from me? It's the same announcement. Same retreat. But a completely different set of filters. None of these groups' thoughts is wrong. They're just listening and interpreting through a different lens. That's why what you say to one group won't automatically translate to the others. As an effective leader, you have to change your interaction based on who you're engaging with. I just heard a story recently of a father and son who went to see a movie. The dad was dreading it because the movie was based on a kids' game. While at the movie, which was the premier night, the theater was packed. People were dressed up, the entire movie theater was decorated for the movie's release, and they even had merch available. It was a big deal, and theaters rolled out the red carpet for the fans of this game and movie. In the movie, the dad is thinking, "What on earth is this? I don't understand this. What is a chicken jockey? Why are things in squares? What is this?" And as he's watching the movie, he's looking around and realizing everyone is glued to it. People are dressed up, they're clapping when certain things happen, and they are all in. At the end of the movie, people stood and clapped. On the way out, his son is raving about how awesome the movie was, and it was everything he wanted. And it was in that moment that the dad realized: it doesn't matter how good or bad I thought this movie was; the directors and creators knew their audience, and they delivered. They pulled out all the stops and knew exactly what people would have wanted to see in this movie that was created out of the world of this game. The movie was created for the fans...their target audience. That's the power of knowing your audience. The lesson for youth pastors is simple: Effective leadership doesn't start with what you say; it starts with knowing who you're speaking to. That will shape what you say. Knowing your audience doesn't make ministry easier, but it makes you a better leader. When you understand who your audiences are and what they need from you, it changes the way you lead...for the better. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: Which audience do you struggle to engage with the most? Why? What can you do to think through how your ministry rhythms impact each audience member? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 9. A Survival Guide To Students Dating In Your Youth Group |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, January 26, 2026 @ 8:31 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. There have been plenty of times when I'm in my church lobby, greeting new students, catching up with leaders, or finalizing a game setup, when suddenly, two students walk in holding hands. In that moment, I feel like I've got front row seats to The Office. In one episode, Michael is dating his boss, the next he's dating Pam's mom; you never know what's coming next. As they walk in, the thoughts start running through my head. This could be the start of a high school sweetheart relationship where Jesus is honored, they grow deeper in their faith, and one day they will ask me to officiate their wedding... or this could turn into Avengers: Civil War next week when they break up. Either way, I know that everyone is about to feel it, and I (we) are the ones responsible for shepherding them in our Student Ministries. Having students in dating relationships in your student ministry can feel like navigating a minefield. Quick story: We have a "no technology policy" at our student camp (which I highly recommend) to help minimize distractions. Two of my students who are in a dating relationship asked me each separately if they could bring their Apple Watches. Mind you, they don't normally wear Apple Watches, so one could "monitor the weather" and the other could "track their heartbeat". In short, so they could text each other from their watches. This allowed me to have great conversations with both about why we have policies in place, why we want to minimize distractions, and why I care deeply for them, even when I tell them, "No, you can't bring your watch to track the weather at camp." They almost had me. If I'm honest, I used to avoid confrontation in the student dating world because I didn't want to scare students off or make them feel unwelcome in our ministry. However, what I have learned, and what we all know, is that all students desire affection, attention, and community. Often, that desire is expressed through dating. Why miss this chance to point them to Jesus in a way that is full of grace, wisdom, and clarity? This short survival guide is meant to help you be more prepared to disciple students through dating, not to stop it from happening, but to guide it well when it walks through your doors. DON'T CONDEMN DATING, SHEPHERD IT I know there are quite a few opinions on dating out there, even some that emphasize courting over dating. Wherever you stand, dating isn't inherently bad. It can be if it's not guarded or held accountable. If you act like it's forbidden or wrong, students will hide it from you and other ministry leaders within your ministry and instead turn back to social media or TV shows for dating advice, which is not what we want. Instead, shepherd it. Talk to students about what Christ-centered dating looks like. Ask questions, listen, and guide them through choices without shaming them. Remember, you were once a student navigating these same questions. SET THE TONE EARLY My boss helps coach football at one of our local high schools. Recently, I was able to go with him to participate in their 7 on 7 tournaments and practices, where they were teaching fundamentals, getting a feel for the game, and growing as a team. It would be foolish of any team to wait until the real games start back up to teach the basic fundamentals of football. I say that to say, don't wait for the first drama or heartbreak to teach students about dating relationships. Set a clear vision of what healthy, Christ-centered dating looks like early on and often in your ministry. For you, this could look like a sermon series on dating, bringing in a solid couple from your church to lead a panel on dating (maybe even some of your leaders with strong, healthy marriages), and offering gender-specific studies or breakouts that challenge students to go deeper. Find things that will help teach students to approach dating with intentionality, respect, and to have faith at the center. HELP THEM HANDLE BREAKUPS WELL AND PROTECT THE GROUP CULTURE We all know the stats aren't in favor of teenage relationships lasting long. So, hurt feelings, gossip, and cliques forming are all a part of the aftershock of a breakup. Teaching students how to respond with grace, work through all the emotions, and maintain community can be used as a discipleship opportunity. Breakups teach forgiveness, humility, and emotional maturity. Shepherd the students who experience breakouts, don't shame them or throw up a "See, I told you that you shouldn't date." With that, understand that your ministry's culture is more important than any single couple's dating drama or gossip. When those things creep in, it can fracture friendships and cause students to lose trust. Encourage your leaders to step in, shut down any disunity or gossip, redirect conversations, and remind students that Jesus and the community matter most. FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT Student dating doesn't have to be a nightmare or a distraction in your ministry. If we're willing to approach dating with grace, truth, and intentionality, dating becomes one of the best discipleship opportunities we will have with students. At the end of the day, our job is not to police their relationships but to shepherd them toward Jesus through every stage of life, which includes crushes, dating, and breakups. PRACTICAL TIPS Create safe spaces for honest conversations about dating relationships Teach boundaries, respect, and Christ-centered dating before students start dating Model healthy relationships in how you talk about marriage, singleness, and dating. Be intentional with how you talk about love, sex, and commitment. Protect group culture at all costs by shutting down gossip and celebrating both single students and couples Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: How does your ministry currently address dating-do you avoid it, or disciple through it? Are you equipping your leaders to handle dating drama, or leaving them on their own? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 10. Protecting Your Time As A Bi-Vocational Youth Pastor |
| From youthministry360 on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 @ 6:07 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. Time. We all need more of it, yet there is only a certain amount allotted to each of us in a day, week, month, year, and lifetime. Time is both a friend and a foe, and let's face it, most of us in bi-vocational or fully volunteer ministry all have one thing in common: we are always feeling the pressure of time. As we all know, time is limited, and there can never be any more time created than what God has already given us. That's why, for those of us who God has called to bi-vocational or volunteer ministry, time is something that must be managed well and efficiently, both for our personal and spiritual health and for God's glory. I hope that these next few moments that you take while you read this blog are a good way to spend some of that time. IS 40 ACTUALLY 80? If you are like me, you work a normal, everyday job that is the main source of your income. But let's address the elephant in the room: working 40 hours a week at a secular job and then being in ministry feels like working 80 hours a week at any job, minimum. Even though people in your church and on your staff might not fully grasp the idea of this, ministry is a full-time commitment, even for the part-timer. No matter the size of your group, balancing your schedule between family time, study time, ballgames, parent meetings, band competitions, cheer tryouts, planning events, recruiting volunteers, spending time with your spouse, being a parent to your own kids, discipling your students collectively and individually, prepping for Sunday school and Wednesday nights and so much more is super-hard and time consuming for the bi-vo or volunteer pastor. Oh yeah, let's also throw in sleeping somewhere in there! This is why we must make our time count. While all of those things mentioned above are SUPER IMPORTANT, we have to understand that time is limited. Bi-vo and volunteer ministers have to learn how to prioritize and control how they spend their time. We've all been guilty of doomscrolling at some point. We have also all said yes to something that has really stretched our study time or our time with family. Learning to put the phone away, to turn off the TV, and to say no to things that stretch your time are healthy habits needed to continue in ministry. If you always say yes to every student's request to come to a game or wait until the last minute to plan or prepare a message, you won't be in ministry long. Lack of time management leads to stressful situations, and stress leads to burnout. STUDY TIME IS SCARCE...SO MAKE IT COUNT Finding time to study for sermons or Bible studies that you are preparing to preach or teach is HARD WORK. My personal time is from 9 pm-12 am, 2-3 nights a week, typically after my family all go to bed. Who said sleep is needed in a world where caffeine is sold at every corner?! By doing this, I give myself the freedom to be husband and dad when I get home from work. My primary focus when I get home is my wife and my son. I can have this focus because I know that I am going to focus on studying for my message later that night. The hard part about this is being disciplined enough to actually study after you've played with your kids for a couple of hours, eaten dinner, cleaned the kitchen, and fed the dog. As a bi-vocational minister, I have to be a good steward of my time because time is scarce. And it is not just family that is pressing for my time. The high school football game on Friday night, the band competition on Saturday, and the staff meeting on Monday afternoon are all fighting to get some of my precious time. We must have our priorities in line when trying to decide what to put on the calendar and what not to. For me, my priorities come down to a couple of questions: Have I spent time with the Lord today? Have I spent time with my family today? Have I interacted with one of my students today? I believe that when I ask myself these three questions, my time is then allotted to my priorities that God has called me to: Him, a family, and a flock. RESTING ISN'T A GUILTY PLEASURE The word "rest" to a bi-vocational minister can be comical because every second seems to be taken. Personal "rest" in Christ through personal devotion is HUGE for keeping the focus on Christ. If you get to a point where you are just opening your Bible to prepare to teach or preach, it may be time to take some time off to reset your priorities as a person. You have to be ready to teach and preach out of the overflow from your personal rest in Jesus. But spiritual rest isn't the only type of rest that you should be seeking to get. Physical rest is a close second for us bi-vo and volunteer peeps. Our minds and bodies need time to rest. Find something that you enjoy doing, take a nap, and spend some time with your family without your phone. That parent can wait a couple of hours to find out how much they owe for camp. Your physical and mental well-being are important. Be willing to say no to Saturday morning plans. Be willing to allow yourself to nap after a hard week's work. Schedule rest breaks throughout your week, giving yourself permission to rest. If you have a job that gives you PTO days, take one here and there just to stay home and rest. Your mind and body need it and will thank you later. But more than you spiritually, physically, and mentally need it, your ministry needs it. I am all about doing things excellently. If I am doing something, I want to be all in, but I can only give what I have. And if I have no energy, I can't teach well. If I'm carrying a mental load, I can't be mentally present at a volleyball game on Tuesday night. And neither can you. Take care of yourself so that you can take care of your flock and your ministry. Your students need a healthy you. YOUR TIME MATTERS BECAUSE YOU MATTER! Lastly, let me encourage your heart: what you do MATTERS! The work the Lord has called you to matters so much. Don't grow weary in your work. Do it to the best of your ability and to the glory of our Savior. Lean into Him and be diligent with your time. Keep plowing away at the fields. Keep planting seeds. Keep showing up. Keep studying. Keep diving into God's word personally. Keep growing. Keep trusting the Lord to provide. You can do it. I believe in you! Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: Do you have a time within your week that is dedicated to your physical, mental, and spiritual rest? If not, is there a time during your week that you could dedicate to rest? What is something coming up on your calendar that you can say no to in order to gain some time to rest? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 11. The Heart of Tracking Attendance |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, January 12, 2026 @ 8:03 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. THE NUMBERS GAME "How many students showed up last night?" Have you ever heard that before and wondered if that's all people really care to ask when it comes to your ministry? No doubt, numbers have long been a big focus in the church, mainly because they provide a somewhat tangible way to measure ministry health, and also because it's sometimes impossible to measure the spirituality of a 6th-grade student whose main topics of conversation are Fortnite, their crush of the week, what's trending, or maybe World War 2 planes. Numbers can provide us with something to strive for or to work on as leaders, or they can be a crutch in our ministry. We know, and I hope you all agree, that numbers are not everything. It may be easy to fall into sin and put our hope in numbers and highly attended events. But sometimes, in an effort to combat that extreme, we fall to the other extreme of never looking at numbers or attendance. I want to challenge us leaders with something the Lord has challenged our ministry with: the ministry of attendance tracking. Not for the sake of patting ourselves on the back, but to help lead, shepherd, and care for our students and families week in and week out, that God has called us to serve. Now, we come from a mid-sized regional church and have been running an average of 90-115 students over the last two years of ministry. Throughout those years, we chose to supplement the trusty Planning Center check-ins system with manual attendance tracking. Our Student Director created an Excel spreadsheet that could only be compared to a Picasso-level work of art for us to track attendance and communications with. (I am not a formulas or math gal, so praise God for teammates with skills I don't have.) We update this Excel sheet every week with who attended that week, who we reached out to via text or postcard that week, and which kids we've been missing. We also share it with our small group leaders for them to be able to contact their group members or students who are listed but aren't currently engaged. NAMES AND FACES We created the spreadsheet for two main reasons: student retention and student engagement. Our Excel sheet helped us see names and faces versus numbers. We can see who attends regularly, who our first-time guests are, which kids don't participate in the student ministry, and which kids have been MIA for a few weeks. Though our process is somewhat overkill, it helps us to ensure that no student slips through the cracks without hearing from us to invite them back or to keep up with what's going on in their lives. No matter the size of your youth group, this can be done in any context. I think every student ministry can benefit from having someone sit down each week and mark the names of those who attended that week, as well as review the list of students who aren't currently engaged in your ministry. Constantly putting your students' names in front of your eyes helps to drive creativity in ministry. It helps us ask our team: How can we pour into our core group of students? How can we reach this family that hasn't been involved in the last year? Why do we have kids come on Sunday Morning who don't come Sunday Night? Why did we have 80 first-time guests, and 75% of them never came back? AREAS OF WEAKNESS The last one is a problem we discovered over the summer, thanks to our attendance tracking. We had 80 first-time guests over the year (Praise God!), but 75% of them never came back. Realizing this forced us to see that we were failing somewhere along the way. We had a wide-open back door that made it easy for students to bring their friends, but just as easy for them to never come again. So, now we have made that our project for the 2025-2026 school year - closing the back door. And again, it's not about the numbers, but it's about souls that showed up with a friend and never wanted to come back for whatever reason. Our goal for our ministry is for it to be a place where we equip our students to minister to other students, to bring their friends, to serve, to build community, and to worship. If they bring friends, and those friends don't want to come back, we have a problem to work on. As all youth ministers know, we are always finding ways to grow as leaders, grow our students, and grow the Kingdom. Attendance tracking has been one thing that has served us over the years to expose areas of weakness in our ministry, areas that the Lord wants us to fix to serve our students more effectively, and areas where we need to grow. And so, I challenge you! Whether you are ministering to 12 or are ministering to 500, the logistics side of your ministry can be just as impactful as turning your worship center into a dodgeball arena (like we just did) or preaching a memorable message. Who knows, maybe you're a rockstar and can preach a memorable message while you're playing dodgeball! Either way, keeping up with your students is important. They will remember you sending a birthday postcard, or a text inviting them to come back, or a call asking how they've been when you haven't seen them in a few weeks. It may not be an Excel Sheet, but even just a Word document or a section of your whiteboard will serve you well in keeping up with your kiddos. Find somewhere to keep a roster of all the students attending your church with their families through regular worship, events, or holidays. Keep up each week with the students who attend, first-time guests, and those you haven't seen in a while. At the end of the year, you will be able to look back and see more tangible ways that God has used you beyond just nameless numbers. Maybe it's a student who started coming with a friend and then attended every week the rest of the year - that's a huge win! Maybe it's a student who went MIA for a while and a phone call brought them back into the community (WIN!). Keeping statistics will actually help you see who your core kids are and who you need to pursue. So, keep attendance. PS - If you want to check out our Attendance Sheet, feel free to CLICK HERE and make a copy to download yourself. It really only works in Google Sheets with the formulas, but you can see how it works! Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: How can I better disciple the core group of kids I have and equip them to minister? How can I pursue students who are not currently engaged in church and bring them into the community? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 12. Starting From Scratch |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, January 5, 2026 @ 7:34 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. Picture with me: You walk into your youth room for the first time. There's an old couch placed in the center of the room that's got a few rips and stains, but it's not too bad. You've got a few mismatching folding chairs scattered around the room. The walls, well, they're there. The ministry's budget line feels like pennies. You've got a handful of students and a whole lot of empty room. While you're in that room looking, the question hits: Where do I even start? How do I build something from this? I've been there. A new role. A new church. Very little to "show off." I had a few faithful parents and a couple of students who shared the same last name. That first week we gathered, I remember thinking: Okay, Lord. It's just us. What do we do? Knowing where to start can feel overwhelming...well, because it kind of is. But, buried inside that moment is an incredible gift. From day one, you get to build something healthy. You get to create a culture and vision that makes a difference. You're part of the story that's helping create something that's never existed in your church before. So, whether you're relaunching a ministry, inheriting a group, or staring at an empty youth room with an old couch and a whole lot of questions, this is for you. Let's talk about how to build a youth ministry from scratch and where to start. PRAY AND CLARIFY THE VISION This is where it all begins. It's not with a logo. Not with a calendar. Not even with a budget request. It starts with your why. Why? Because if you skip this step, you'll end up just drowning in activities without a real purpose. You'll be busy, but why? You'll have programs, but not a purpose. Eventually, you'll look up and think, Why are we even doing this? Slow down long enough to ask some important questions: What do I want students to become because of this ministry? How do we want to make disciples? What would a clearly defined "win" look like for our ministry? Don't just think about these things. Write them out. Block out time to sit with these questions to pray and process them. Ask God: "Lord, what do You want to do through this ministry, this church, these students, and this team?" Then, take these thoughts to your pastor and a mentor and ask: "Does this align with where our church is going?" Don't create a vision in a vacuum. Seek the Lord and have trusted input. Before you head in a direction, find a clear purpose. BUILD WITH PEOPLE, NOT PROGRAMS Once you've clarified the vision, the next question isn't "What should we do?" It's "Who am I going to do this with?" You can have some of the best ideas out there, but if you're flying solo, you're missing a key piece to your ministry. Ministry is always about people. Look around your church and ask: Who loves Jesus? Who loves teenagers? Who wants to see faith passed down to the next generation? Then, you can begin to invest in them, pray with them, share that vision with them, and talk about what you hope God will do through this ministry. Building with people isn't about trying to just "fill positions" but finding a team to partner with. And what do you do if someone can't serve consistently in your group? Invite them to a prayer team. Ask them to pray for your students, leaders, and gatherings. That's a major need and a way to join in. If you're not sure where to start, maybe you could try this out on someone. "Hey, I'm praying about building something with our student ministry, and I think you'd be great at this. Can we grab coffee and talk about it?" Then, in that conversation, don't just pitch a role to fill. Share the vision and let them see how God might use them in it. START SIMPLE AND STAY CONSISTENT At the beginning of all of this, you'll be full of ideas. You'll be thinking about weekly gatherings, small groups, monthly events, camps, retreats, trips, and maybe even that weekend lock-in someone keeps mentioning. You're excited, which is great. But trying to launch everything at once is a quick way to burn yourself and everyone else out. Instead, try this: pick one rhythm to start that you can sustain for the next 6+ months. That's it. Just pick one thing. Maybe it's a: midweek 60-minute gathering with a game, Bible teaching, and time of discussion. monthly hangout plus a short Bible study. Sunday morning Bible study with a snack. Whatever it is you choose, make sure it's something you and your team can do consistently without getting overwhelmed or stressed. You don't need all the bells and whistles to be simple and consistent. Show up. Do what you said you'd do. Do it again. And do it again. As your ministry grows, you can do more. But if you try to do everything at once, you'll run out of gas. And, there's something special about these early days. Enjoy the simplicity of this season. You're laying a foundation. Foundations aren't flashy. They're solid, stable, and essential. DO EVERYTHING THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." That's incarnational ministry. Jesus didn't love people from a distance. He came close. He ate with them, walked with them, listened to them, and loved them well. If you've never considered this before, let me encourage you: programs don't disciple students. People do. Discipleship is carried out through relationships. You need them. Yes, you'll have services, events, and systems. But the heart of your ministry must always be relationships. Without them, you're just hanging out, filling seats, and going through the motions. And remember, your relational circle isn't just students. It includes students, parents, volunteers, and other church staff or leadership. Strong leaders prioritize that entire circle. A FEW THINGS NOT TO DO As you're starting from scratch, here are a few final cautions: Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle. That church down the road with 50 students and their own youth building? They didn't start there. Learn from them, sure. But don't let comparison rob you of the joy of where you are. Don't say yes to everything. Remember, start simple. People will have all kinds of ideas for you. Those aren't bad or harmful, but they may not be what's best first. Don't skip these early phases because you're anxious to grow. If you try to simply sprint toward filling a room, your vision and focus are lacking. Focusing only on attendance is building a crowd, not a ministry. So, back to that empty room. That old couch, folding chairs, and a handful of students. It may not look like much on paper, but it's fruitful ground. You're at the starting line of something God can use in some powerful ways. In fact, the ministry you're helping build right now might become the very place students talk about 20 years from now as the place they met Jesus, where they found community, where they found someone who knew their name. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: What's one rhythm you can commit to starting and sustaining for the next six months? Who is one person you need to invite into this ministry with you this week? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 13. THE TOP 3 BLOGS OF 2025 |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, December 29, 2025 @ 6:00 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. We hope that 2025 was a fantastic year for you and your youth ministry. We are grateful to serve alongside the great work that you are doing and to bring encouraging and equipping blogs to help you win. We hope each blog was able to serve you in a special way. As we look back on the year, here are the top 3 blogs of 2025! Check them out below! If our team can ever do anything to serve you, don't hesitate to reach out. Happy New Year, and we'll see you in 2026! 1. Building a Parent-Focused Discipleship Culture The church has plenty of dry-cleaner parents. These are parents who drop their student off at the youth group and expect them to be cleaned, pressed, and spiritually ready to go. In other words, they hope the church (specifically the youth group) will "fix" their kids. Anyone who has done youth ministry for five minutes knows that strategy won't work. As youth pastors, our job isn't to be the primary disciple-makers of students. That role belongs to the parents. Our calling is to help them see that truth and step into it. We need them to understand that we aren't dry cleaners... we are Home Depot - "You can do it. We can help!" READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE 2. Post Camp Follow-up Camp is a BEAST. You prayed, you went, and you SURVIVED! That's a true miracle of summer camp right there. Right? At camp, you probably logged 20,000 steps per day, got dehydrated, smelled the boy from across the camp who refused to put on deodorant because his mom wasn't there to remind him, told students to drink water at least 10x a day, called a mom because their baby got homesick, told your kids goodnight over the phone because they couldn't come, squashed the drama from the couple that broke up on night 3 and even managed to roll an ankle going down the water slide. Congratulations. You made it. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE 3. Leading Like Jesus Led: A Guide to Leading Your Volunteers Leading a volunteer team is much more than managing; it's a stewardship of people who are themselves shepherding young lives. In an environment full of challenges and the constant shifting of the culture, your leadership approach shapes not only your volunteers but ultimately the spiritual direction of the students they serve. Whether you lead staff, volunteers, or both, chances are you've seen many different models of leadership, but three biblical approaches form the foundation for Christ-centered leadership: leading with empathy, example, and equipping. CLICK HERE TO THE READ THE FULL ARTICLE Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 14. Before the Year Ends, Get Clear: A Challenge for Every Youth Pastor |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, December 22, 2025 @ 5:51 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. If you've ever tried to communicate something important to students or parents and watched eyes glaze over, you may know the pain of too many words. Recently at YM360, we experienced this firsthand. For years, our mission and vision statements were true, accurate, and representative of who we are, what we do, and why we do it, but they were long. Really long. Really, really, really long. Our old mission statement? 31 words. Our old vision statement? 25 words. Want to see them? Deep breath: Old Mission Statement: Youth workers wear many hats, so we create high-quality, life-changing resources and gospel-centered events which allow youth workers to lead students in growing a meaningful relationship with Jesus. Old Vision Statement: To be the most customer-centric youth ministry organization, providing the most compelling discipleship-driven resources and event experiences for youth pastors anywhere on earth. They said good things. They said the right things. But they didn't say them simply or with clarity. And nobody could remember these on a regular basis. So we asked: How do we say the heart of our mission in a way anyone can remember, anyone can repeat, and everyone can rally behind? After a lot of work and examination, here is where we landed: New Mission Statement: Helping Youth Pastors Disciple Students New Vision Statement: Helping Youth Pastors Win Thirty-one words. Now five. Twenty-five words. Now four. It's not that the old language was wrong. It wasn't. But mission and vision statements only serve you well if they are clear, simple, and understood by everyone who hears them. And as the year closes, that's something I want you to consider! WHY CLARITY MATTERS IN MINISTRY Clarity brings focus. And focus brings fruitfulness. I think of 1 Corinthians 9:26 and what it means to lead with purpose: 1 Corinthians 9:26 (ESV): "So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air." Here, Paul is emphasizing that a Christian life should be intentional and focused, not random or without a goal. Paul's running is purposeful. He is aware of his goal and the path to achieve it. He's clear. What about us? What happens when clarity fades in our ministry's mission and vision? When clarity fades, ministry can feel busy, but aimless ... active, but tired ... over-programmed, but not effective. Paul reminds us that our aim matters. YOUR MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS You don't need me to tell you - Youth Pastors wear a hundred hats from teacher, counselor, event planner, preacher, volunteer wrangler, pizza calculator, and spiritual shepherd... to name a few. But the weight of ministry doesn't only come from what you do. It comes from the why behind what you do. This is where your mission and vision come in. Without a clear mission and vision, your ministry can easily turn into a collection of disconnected activities. A mission clarifies: "This is what God has called us to do." A vision clarifies: "This is where we're going as we do it." When you know the "why," the "what" and "how" fall into place more naturally. Let me give you some examples that may help illustrate this: If your "why" is: We exist to disciple students... Then the "what" becomes clear: You choose a teaching plan that builds long-term spiritual growth, not just weekly topics. You prioritize relationship-driven small groups over conversational formats. And the "how" becomes simple: You equip small group leaders to shepherd students, not just facilitate discussions. If your "why" is: We exist to reach lost students... Then the "what" becomes clear: You focus on evangelistic opportunities and outreach events. You teach students in your group how to share their faith. And the "how" becomes simple: You empower students to invite friends to your ministry events, small groups, etc. You build environments where new students feel welcomed, seen, and valued. You can see in these illustrations that when you know your "why," the "what" becomes focused, and the "how" becomes simpler and more intentional. The end of the year is the perfect time for this. I know it probably feels like you don't need another item on your to-do list. But you may need to pause and recalibrate before stepping into a new season. Here's why now is the time to do this: 1. You have perspective, another year behind you. 2. You're already evaluating a full year of ministry. 3. Your team(s) need alignment. And those teams may be changing. 4. You can start the new year with clarity and purpose. HOW TO CLARIFY YOUR MISSION STATEMENT (WITHOUT STRESSING OUT) I realize this could be a daunting task. After all, clarity is not a luxury for healthy ministry; it's a requirement. So I feel this is something all leaders must do! Here are some questions you should ask yourself when clarifying mission and vision: 1. What has God called you to do in your ministry? (this is your "why") 2. How would you say this in one sentence? 3. How could we reduce that sentence even further? (remember, we went 31 to 5) 4. Will my students and leaders know how to summarize your mission/vision? Questions like this helped us at YM360. From 31 words to five. From 25 words to four. I don't know every single context from those reading this blog, but I do know some will face resistance, some will have to get executive leaders to agree, and some may be able to tackle this right here, right now. Regardless of your situation, let me encourage you to take small, faithful steps in this. One of my favorite books is Atomic Habits, and I love the principle of getting 1% better each day. This is one of the big concepts James Clear lays out in Atomic Habits, and I want you to think about this as you consider what this process looks like for you: Clear writes, "You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than your current results." That's permission to stop stressing about what may be lacking in these areas. What matters is that you're pointed more intentionally toward your mission ahead. Clear says, "If you can get 1 percent better each day for a year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done". Imagine what your ministry might look like next Christmas if you're 37X better in this area by small incremental changes that compound over and over. BUT FIRST, PRAY! Before the whiteboards, planning, or leadership meetings: pray. Mission and vision are not only strategic exercises, but they're also spiritual ones. When we stop long enough to seek God before addressing needs, goals, or dreams, we're reminded that direction doesn't start with our insight but with God's voice. Through prayer, allow God to reveal where He's already at work in your ministry and allow Him to shape the desires of your heart as you go forward. A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM ALL OF US AT YM360 AS YOU END THE YEAR As you wrap up the year, please hear this: You matter. Your leadership matters. Your students' discipleship matters. And because of that, your clarity matters. If you want help bringing clarity, focus, and fresh energy to your ministry in the new year, check out YM360+ for a yearlong discipleship solution. Or GENERATE for your Camp or Weekend Conference solutions. Let us help you win in the year ahead. From all of us at YM360: Merry Christmas, and thank you for giving your life to see students grow in Christ. We're cheering you on! Alongside, Les Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: How clearly can you state your mission in one sentence right now? How can you help your leaders, parents, and students rally around a shared, memorable mission? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 15. Seeing God Through the Details |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, December 15, 2025 @ 6:00 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. "Can I get a volunteer?" A question that all of us have asked in student ministry at one point in time or another. Whether it be for a kid to volunteer to play some silly, made-up-on-the-spot game or for an adult to step up and be that final chaperone needed for camp, we have needed a volunteer. Every single one of those volunteers, no matter how small their job may seem, makes an impact for the Kingdom. Every small detail makes an impact for the Kingdom. One of my all-time greatest volunteers was a dear friend of mine named Gene. Gene was willing to do anything that I asked of him except speak in public! Gene was the epitome of being a servant to the Lord. Every year on our journey to beach camp, Gene was faithful to take off work and drive the luggage trailer. While we were there, he would make runs to Walmart, Taco Bell, Starbucks, or anywhere else needed to serve his church, support our students, and just be a blessing to those around him. Every Sunday, you could find him in the nursery, walking a crying baby up and down the hallway so that the baby's parents could worship together and never for a moment be worried about the care that the child was receiving. No matter the task, Gene was willing. Even in the simplicity of driving a trailer, my friend Gene made an impact on the Kingdom of God. In 2022, the Lord called Gene home. His impact on the Kingdom is still felt today. God used Gene because he was always willing to answer the call. Friends, that is the challenge for all of us. To be willing and ready to do whatever God asks of us and watch Him work through the details, plans, and prayers. With Winter Retreats, D-Now's, and Ski-Trips right around the corner, planning all the things is in full effect. It might be finding host homes, budgeting for t-shirts, or making sure the speaker has everything they need; it feels like all our time and energy are going into the planning for an upcoming event. One initial reminder that I must give myself, and I want to give each of you, is that God is in all those details! No matter how mundane room assignments may feel, we don't realize how putting certain students together just might lead to the exact Christ-centered, Gospel conversations that need to happen amongst a certain group. God is working in those details, even if all we see is a tedious task. ALL THE PLANNING...IT'S WORTH IT! There have been many times that all this planning has felt overwhelming, exhausting, and, quite honestly, not even worth it. But what we must remember is that when the Gospel is proclaimed, when students draw closer to Jesus, when a student's eternity is changed because they are entering a relationship with Christ, all that planning shows its worth. It shows that Christ is in those details. We can turn to Psalm 138 and see clearly God's goodness in these details. Psalm 138:8 says, "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands." Man, isn't that exactly the reminder we all need? There are so many instances where we all feel like this exhausting work is overwhelming. Our mind wants to tell us that the work is too hard, and we question, "Is it worth it?" Repeatedly, the answer is yes! Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." His goal for all those plans will be fulfilled. I tell our team often that if the Gospel is clear and lives are changed for Jesus, all the plans are worth it. Maybe your role in the plan is "small" in your eyes. Don't ever take for granted how God can use you to impact and grow the Kingdom. You might be opening your home to a group of students, cooking a meal for students, or you might have the luxurious job of driving a bus full of middle school students to a weekend retreat. Don't underestimate how the Lord can and will use you according to His plan. The Lord uses faithfulness and the little things to continue His work. TO FOLLOW THE PLAN, WE'VE GOT TO PREPARE What do we have to do to be ready for these moments? Full obedience is the only answer. Friends, we must be in this constant state of preparedness for God to use us. For any plan to work, we must prepare well. Prior to my answering the call to ministry, I was a football and baseball coach, along with being a history teacher. Any time that I prepared well, whether teaching or coaching, the plan went off better than when my preparation was minimal. If we truly want to live on mission for Christ, our preparation must be a daily task. Yes, these big evangelistic events are great, and we see much life-change in each one of them. But if those events are going to match our desire, we must be in daily preparation with the Lord. After all, the results belong to Him. The plans that we set out, the schedule that we create, all belong to Him. And there may be moments when God will change the plan. It isn't our job to keep that plan simple for us; it's our job to stay obedient to Him and give the Holy Spirit room to work and move as only He can. Youth leader, as you plan and pray for your next big event, remember that whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. (Colossians 3:23) God is going to use and honor your hard work. The plan ultimately belongs to Him. Honor Christ as you plan, prepare yourself for what God is going to do, and honor Him with your effort. Your reward will be great in eternity! So, get ready, God is about to do something incredible! He wants to use you in mighty ways. Even in those details that seem so simple, God is at work. No matter what your role might be, be prayed up, studied up, and ready to have an impact on the Kingdom of God. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: How have you seen the Lord work through the planning of a trip or event? How can you take more opportunities to include Christ in all the details? What areas of your student ministry need more of His attention to detail? Read More... |
| 16. Creating A Ministry of Fun |
| From youthministry360 on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 @ 6:15 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. It's safe to say that those who work in student ministry have unique skill sets in their toolbelts. Our student team has recently taken on the task of becoming fluent in Gen-Z lingo and Memeish (although we are failing miserably). As student ministers, we are counselors, parental advisors, event planners, disciple-makers, teachers, and much more. One notable tool in our toolbelt is the ability to create fun in any and all situations. In fact, creating fun is such a part of our job description that I am sure many of you have heard the infamous line "all you do is play games" at least once, either from a parent, a volunteer, a student, or a pastor. While we do play games, we all know that we don't spend all our office hours focused on them, nor do we spend all our time at youth group just having fun. However, having fun is a huge part of our ministry, and for a good reason! This has been one of the biggest lessons I have learned over the last five years. CATCHING VISION FOR THE MINISTRY OF FUN When I took my first job in youth ministry, which is my current position, I had just come home from doing ministry to college students in a closed country. Talk about a major life change. Coming from that extreme ministry environment, I struggled a little to adjust to student ministry in our context. One thing I struggled with most was the fun elements of our job. Coming from the mission field, I was zealous for our students to know Jesus and be discipled, but I didn't realize at the time that part of that discipleship came through having fun together. Students, just like regular church members, need to feel connected and have a sense of belonging at church in order for them to stay. Unlike adults, who might have a little bit of an easier time making conversation with one another, students need a little help forming connections with one another. More often than not, students form bonds through shared experiences like camps, retreats, D-Now Weekends, or playing a silly game together. These FUN experiences break down any barriers that prevent students from making new friends and engaging people in conversation who are different from them. Having a shared experience provides common ground for students to bond over. One of my most memorable shared experiences with our kids was having a makeshift movie night on a mission trip. I happened to have brought a small portable projector (you can never be too prepared), and the church we were staying at had an accordion wall divider that made a great makeshift screen. We put on Nacho Libre and laughed and laughed together, at the movie, at the quotes that kids knew, and at how ridiculous the characters' faces looked on the curves of the accordion wall. It was a moment that we all still talk about - not because it was the most exciting thing ever, but because we were able to sit down and enjoy time together on what was a more difficult week physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Movie Night turned out to be exactly what our kids (and our team) needed. FUN is something that our kids need, whether we realize it or not. From that trip, a massive group chat formed that our kids still use today to plan pickleball hangouts, late-night food runs, and participation in the student ministry. Now, am I saying that Nacho Libre brought our kids closer to Jesus - not really - but, having fun together brought them closer together, which now allows them to sharpen one another and encourage one another in their walks with the Lord. Having strong bonds with other believers leads teenagers to be more likely to have long-term discipleship and church involvement. CASTING VISION TO PARENTS AND VOLUNTEERS For Parents and Volunteers who may not understand why we dress up in silly costumes, play gross games, or have quarterly nights just dedicated to fun, we need to cast a clear vision. Now that I have a clear vision of why we play games every other week before teaching or why we go on retreats at Spring Break time, I can more easily convey our "why" to curious parents and volunteers. One of our beloved volunteers, David, was curious one Sunday Night why we did not have any small groups that night. It was our annual costume party, and we typically do a short teaching, then lean more heavily on the fun (particularly launching pumpkins with a slingshot). David loves his group and serves us so well, and he had an honest question. I was able to share with David that our costume party week is not our norm. We have a shorter teaching time and no small groups, so that our kids can have some fun together launching pumpkins, playing basketball, and hanging out. That time just having fun is important for our kids, maybe not to the same level as teaching and small groups, but it still plays a functional role in connecting them with other believers. David caught the vision, and now their group has fun party nights for each holiday season on their own, and their group has grown in number and in depth. CHALLENGE TO US AS YOUTH MINISTERS For all youth workers, I want to challenge all of us (including myself) to be intentional when it comes to FUN. Colossians tells us, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Now, I'm not trying to say that Paul tells us to only have fun all the time as long as we do so in the name of Jesus. But I do believe we can use this verse to guide us in our ministry of fun. We want to utilize fun in a way that is faithful to our call to Gospel Ministry, honoring to the Lord, and beneficial for our kids. To do so, we can ask ourselves a few questions: Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: How am I currently creating opportunities for our students to build relationships? Do I have a good balance of faithful teaching and creating fun? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 17. Winding Down The Year |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 6:00 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. It's December. It feels different. There's a sense of something in the air. Maybe it's the cooler weather, lights, smiles, or knowing you're about to hit a different rhythm for a few weeks. Christmas parties, choir specials, and gift exchange replace some of your regular week-to-week schedule, and you're not sure if you like it, love it, or hate it. But no matter what, December always means a few things. First, it's a built-in moment to remind students about the coming of Jesus. That alone is incredible. Second, it's a chance to enjoy all the hot chocolate and peppermint bark, which will likely add a few pounds before the year's out. (Great opportunity for a classic joke: "I thought the dryer was shrinking my clothes. Turns out it was the refrigerator all along." Finally, it's a chance to wind down the year with intentionality, purpose, and forward thinking. For years, I've felt like December flies by way too fast. Perhaps it's a change in the rhythm. Maybe it's because I'm doing more. Or maybe, I'm in a month-long food coma of some sort. But what I do know is this: if I don't slow down on purpose and prioritize my thinking, December will speed me up by default. As I'm winding down the year, my focus can quickly shift to simply counting down the days until this year wraps up. I fear that many of us often sprint into the new year. Maybe we're excited, but what comes after a sprint? Tired. Fatigue. Exhaust. We're carrying the weight of 11+ months and never stopped long enough to process. Well, what if this year looked different? What if the final stretch of this year became a moment to finish faithfully? Here are a few practical ways to wind down the year to help your soul breathe, life reset, and heart realign with what matters most. CELEBRATE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, NOT WHAT YOU WISH HAPPENED We are really good at remembering things that don't go well and forgetting what did. Maybe that's the event evaluation side of us, or our drive to make things better. But if we're not careful, we become overly critical or blind to the things God actually did because we were hoping for a different outcome. Take 15 minutes and list out: The wins from the year Students who took a next step Volunteers who stepped up Parents who engaged Moments where God surprised you Full-stop here. The answers here are HUGE! They can't be overlooked. I hope that, as you do, you're shocked at how much God did that you forgot about. Fuel the end by remembering the work of God. Adjust your mindset from what didn't happen to look at what God did. IDENTIFY THE DRIFT Youth ministry is cyclical. There are patterns, seasons, and rhythms that repeat year over year. As you're winding down, this is the moment to ask: Where did things drift? Take 15 minutes and list out: What consistently drained me? (And what can I learn about that?) What consistently energized me? (And what can I learn about that?) What do I need to adjust for healthier rhythms next year? This isn't about being critical or complaining about something. It's rooted in a desire to learn. It's learning more about yourself as a leader, naming what's actually happening in your year, and creating space for new opportunities to grow. Maybe you realize that your Wednesday nights are draining you because you're trying to do too much alone. Maybe you're realizing that leading that small group is filling you up way more than that big event. Pay attention to the patterns. They can teach you something. IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE This is one of my favorites. As I reflect on my life and my year, I'm amazed at the men and women that God has placed in my path. God's gift and provision of these people keep me moving in the right direction. A question you need to spend time answering: Who shaped you this year? Maybe a mentor who called to check in. A volunteer who shouldered something you didn't ask them to. A spouse who gave you extra grace through a demanding season. A student who reminded you of why you do this. Pick five people and reach out before the year ends. Call them. Text them. Send a handwritten card. Tell them what their relationship means to you. We all stand on the shoulders of those who have invested in us and shaped us. Let them know what they've done in your life. Have that conversation. Say thanks. Bless them. It's not just a nice thing to do. It will fill your heart with humility and gratitude and remind you that you're not alone. REALLY REST Rest isn't sitting on the couch on your off day with your computer open, catching up on your emails. It's not being on standby for a phone call. Rest is unplugging. Disconnecting. It's choosing to slow down when you could be doing something else. Consider trying to turn your phone off for one day a week. Do something that fills your soul. Sit in God's Word quietly. Go for a walk without that podcast. Sleep in one morning. Play longer with your kids without glancing at a screen. Your body needs it, but more importantly, your soul needs it. It longs for it. LOOK BACK BEFORE YOU LOOK AHEAD Before you start dreaming about next year, take time to look back on this one. You led and discipled students through another year. You cared for them in ways they'll never know. You kept showing up even when you were tired or hurting. God was at work this year. In them and in you. Before you go running into the new year, stop and pause to remember how God was at work this year and how He is preparing you for next. Prepare yourself to step into the new year with a clear heart. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: What's one win from this year you need to celebrate before moving on What's one thing that consistently trained you this year, and what might that be telling you about next year? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 18. How Christmas Changes Your Leadership |
| From youthministry360 on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 @ 6:02 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. One of my most memorable Christmas gifts was a brand new Xbox 360 when I was in sixth grade. My dad, who lived in a different state from me, got me the Halo 3 edition, the envy of all of my friends. It served me well for many years. Then, in high school, Call of Duty: Black Ops was released and consumed nearly all of my free time. Among the hundreds of hours I put into that game, my favorite memory was when my dad got his own Xbox 360, so that he could play online with me. He was terrible at it. He didn't have a microphone to talk. He didn't know how to aim or shoot. I eventually put him in a game with computers on the lowest difficulty so that he could at least have a chance. Looking back, it is easy to see why this was so memorable for me even to this day. He became like me so he could be with me. Under normal circumstances, he would have never bought a video game console or played online, but he took on my hobby and interest in order to spend time with me. This is the wondrous truth of the Christmas story: that Jesus became like us to be with us. This transformational truth is called the Incarnation, which means the Son of God took on flesh. By the conception of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the virgin Mary, He took on a human nature, in addition to His divine nature, and all of the pains, hunger, temptations, and weaknesses that come with it, yet without sin (cf. Hebrews 4:15). John 1:14 explains why: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." First, in affirmation of the name "Immanuel", meaning God with us, He takes on flesh to dwell among us. Second, He takes on flesh to reveal God to us. Without compromising who He is, Christ became like us to be with us and to show us who God really is (cf. Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:2-3). INCARNATIONAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP While this truth has enormous Christological implications, it also has important implications for leadership, especially in youth ministry. Leadership in youth ministry must be incarnational. Incarnational leadership involves coming to the student's level, speaking a language they can comprehend, and being genuinely involved in their lives. It means knowing what problems they are facing, understanding it from their perspective, and empathizing with their struggles. It means being genuinely interested in what they are interested in, not just for the opportunity to share the gospel, but out of genuine love for them. As the Apostle Paul says to the Thessalonians, "So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Incarnational leadership does require change, but never compromise. Jesus took on humanity without compromising His divinity. Jesus lived, and still lives, an embodied life like us, yet without the sin that plagues our earthly experience. Therefore, to be truly incarnational is to maintain the spiritual standards of a qualified leader. We must not step into foolishness or sin, making friends with the world, in order to win or share life with our students. Jesus' holiness and power in the midst of a sinful world are what so powerfully communicated the holiness of God. In a similar way, our convictions before God and others show what matters to God and invite our students to orient their lives around those things. When we are willing to compromise our walk to show Jesus, we actually stop truly showing Jesus. PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR INCARNATIONAL LEADERSHIP So, how does following the example of the Incarnation of Christmas actually work in the day-to-day of student ministry? First, we must be willing to become like students to be with them. Perhaps, like my dad, you plug in the Xbox and play online with your students. Maybe you start studying up on college football so you have something to talk about on Sunday morning after a big game day. Like Jesus, be willing to go to "their world," rather than always asking them to come to "your world," the church. Let them see what it looks like for a Christian to cheer on a football team or play pick-up basketball. Show them what a person captivated by God's grace looks like at their level. Second, we do not have to, and must not, compromise who we are in order to share our lives and God with them. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to become a teenager to relate to teenagers. You don't have to wear the latest trendy brand. You certainly do not need to become immature, wear inappropriate clothing, or make inappropriate jokes to be like them. You can be "you" and still be relatable. This requires us to be very intentional about the things we take on in order to be relatable. Referencing a trend they like may get a quick laugh, but is it an inappropriate trend? An easy way to gain trust is to complain about their parents, but does that help them learn how to honor their parents even when they do things that are dishonorable? While we must be sacrificial in how we become like them, we must also be picky, letting God's word guide our decision-making. As you reflect on the wonder of the Incarnation this Christmas season, remember that it showcases Christ's humility. A humility that we can take upon ourselves if we are willing to adopt the mind of Christ. It may not always be comfortable, but it shows that we are not looking out for our own interests, but the interests of our students (Philippians 2:4). We must be willing to leave our comfort zone, what is safe, in order to show the incredible love of God in Christ. To close, let us reflect on this incredible Christmas passage, which shows us the lengths to which Jesus was willing to go to glorify God and rescue us: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8 Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: Can you think of anyone in your life who became like you to be with you? What are some ways that you can get out of your comfort zone to relate to students? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 19. A Call to Retreat |
| From youthministry360 on Monday, November 17, 2025 @ 6:00 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. "I don't think I ever knew how much I needed this..." That's what I thought as I sat in the easy chair in a cabin on my first pastoral retreat. No agenda, no plan, and no idea what to do next. Let me explain.... For years, I heard from others how important it was to go on a personal retreat as a pastor. Now I had been to conferences, seminars, and even "retreats" where pastors gathered together, but never one for myself, by myself. Over the years, I gave myself all kinds of excuses: "One day I will, but not now. I'm way too busy." "Our family has plans almost every weekend." "I'm not close to burnout yet. I'll go when I really need to get away." AN INVITATION TO REST This past year, a member of our church connected me with a gentleman who ran a pastoral retreat center for pastors and their families. He told me I was welcome to reach out and schedule a weekend to visit and relax. It had furnished cabins, a scenic lake with a stocked pond, miles of hiking trails, and more. It sounded perfect, but I told myself I just didn't have time for something like that; I had too much going on. With Fall approaching, I tried to "rationalize" the trip by making it into a planning weekend for our Fall curriculum and events. I brought all my things, especially my laptop, for access to everything I would need to get ready for Fall. I was told there was some spotty signal at the retreat center, but I wasn't too concerned. Upon arriving, I realized not only was there no wi-fi, but the "spotty" cell phone coverage was barely enough to load a single webpage. I sat, flustered and a little defeated, asking myself, "What am I going to do now?" The only thing I could think of was to pull out my Bible and have my quiet time. It was wonderful. Zero interruptions. I felt so relaxed. So relaxed that thirty minutes later, I was asleep on the couch. The rest of the weekend held a similar pace. I had no wi-fi to get work done and "feel productive." I had no cell phone coverage to waste time on my phone. I had to just...be. That's when I thought to myself, "I don't think I ever knew how much I needed this..." I had times of extended prayer and Bible reading. I read a book I had meant to read. (Not ministry related, solely for enjoyment.) I completed a LEGO set. (Hey, we all need hobbies.) I just sat and...thought. I thought about my relationship with God. My wife. My kids. My church. My ministry. I wrote down what was going through my head. I could not remember the last time I just sat and was alone with my thoughts. Normally, there's always the next thing, the next task, or the next distraction. After I left, I told myself I needed to schedule another retreat like this soon. Because before being there, I had no idea what I was missing. Here are some thoughts about taking a personal retreat that may help you plan one sooner, rather than later. YOU WERE MADE TO REST Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God..." I don't know about you, but I feel like I am terrible at keeping still. I feel like there's always the next task, a responsibility, a connection that I need to make. But if I don't take time to rest, to be still and reminded of who holds all things together (hint: it's not you or me), I will never be able to pour into others what God wants to pour into me. By rest, I am not just talking about a daily quiet time or a Sunday afternoon nap. I mean, take a walk, sit on a park bench, or find an empty parking lot. Take time to just be with the One who made you. God made you for work and for rest. Schedule rest into your week, and fiercely protect that time. THE WORLD WILL KEEP SPINNING WITHOUT YOU Even without realizing it, we all think of ourselves as more important than we actually are. You and I are not essential, and the world will move on without us. Other people can help you share the load while you're away. Ask church staff and volunteers to cover for you while you're gone. Give your spouse plenty of notice and discuss your plans together. Offer to watch the kids while they take a retreat in the future. But don't let the delusion of your own importance be your excuse. DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO ARRIVE WITH A PLAN Personal retreats can look different from each other. Some retreats may be about prayer, planning, and prep work for the year. Others, like what I'm talking about, are more focused on rest and recharging. But if you come in with a schedule and checklist of what you want to accomplish, you may leave feeling discouraged over what you didn't get done. If you've never taken a personal retreat before, I'd encourage you to start with a weekend retreat with no plan. Bring your Bible and a book or two, and a hobby you enjoy. DON'T PUT IT OFF Years ago, I heard someone say, "Don't wait 'til the car is on fire to take it to a mechanic". In other words, don't wait until you feel like you need a retreat to take a retreat. Making personal retreats a part of the rhythm of your life can help prevent burnout in ministry. If you can, consider taking an additional retreat with your spouse or your whole family. Model for them, and for your church, that we all need to rest. When I had first arrived at the retreat center, the director told me of a young youth pastor who had visited the month before. The young man talked about the hundreds of students in his ministry and bragged about how he had never taken a vacation day in the last 5 years. The director told me how that young man was on a one-way trip to burning himself out, and possibly his ministry in the process. May we never admit our need for rest and retreat as a weakness, but rather see it as being in obedience to what God has commanded us. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: When was the last time you took a personal retreat? If you have never, consider scheduling one within the next 6 months. Once you do, guard that date. Take a moment and think about all the people who would be affected if you left the ministry due to burnout. How important is it for you, and for them, that you keep yourself rested and renewed? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
| 20. Annual Goal Setting |
| From youthministry360 on Friday, November 7, 2025 @ 6:52 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category. If you're like most youth pastors, you're already thinking about the next semester or the next year. You not only think about it, you dream about it. You may have a note on your phone or some scribbles on a sticky note on your desk of some key areas to focus on, or even some goals you'd like to start working towards. But, if you're not careful, next year will fly by, and you'll find yourself caught up in the weekly sprint, wondering what are we trying to do again? And I get it. Ministry gets busy fast. Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights can go from the highlights of your week to feeling like it's just rinse and repeat. Instead of working toward something, you're trying to survive the night and make sense of the routine that you're in. I think as I reflect on ministry and goals, I recognize that some people care more about this than others, some are wired to crush goals and lead others through them, and some of us have goals given to us set by our leadership. No matter where you are, my hope is for you to consider setting a few realistic goals that not only drive growth but also health. In this blog, we're going to walk through a simple framework to help you think about goals and even set goals for your ministry. START WITH WHY Before you start writing or dreaming of a single goal, stop and zoom out. As a mentor of mine recently said, "Let your why lead the way." Why do you want to set goals this year? What would success feel like at the end of the year? How do you hope students, leaders, and families are different? Questions like these help you determine why your goals matter. Goals clarify the wins. If you aren't defining the win, how do you know where to aim? How do you know where to take people and why are you trying to get them there? The why behind the goals helps you and your team understand what matters most and why it's all worth the work. As you start with your why, you could rally some mentors or trusted voices around you to help weigh in and gather perspective. They can help you align goals and even think beyond your own ideas. PICK A FEW FOCUS AREAS There is no shortage of important things in your ministry. Events, communication, development, fun, discipleship, evangelism...Need I say more? Instead of chasing after 20 things in one year, pick 3-4 ministry focus areas. It's not to say those other things don't matter, but if everything is a top priority, nothing really is. Side note: That's why it's worth it to stay in ministry roles for the long haul. It help these things come to life! A focused ministry helps yield greater fruit than a ministry that tries to do it all. If you're ready to pick focus areas, spend some time praying through areas. Some areas to consider are: small groups, leader development/care, parent ministry, teaching strategy, follow-up plans, attendance, baptisms, salvations, students serving, etc. Spend time praying, reflecting, looking back, and looking ahead to these areas. Seek the Lord and listen to Him. SET A CLEAR GOAL FOR EACH AREA Now here is where the dreaming starts. Now that you've identified your top 3-4 areas, write a clear, measurable goal for each one. Let's break this down with some examples and think about what's controllable (lead) and uncontrollable (lag). See 80% of students regularly attend small groups. See five students baptized each semester. See two new leaders recruited and trained each semester. See youth group attendance increase by 10% by the end of each semester. These are also known as lag goals because they lag behind your actions. They focus more on measuring outcomes, but they aren't effective at guiding you to them. These are things that are out of your direct control. They help you dream, but you can't force someone to show up, be baptized, or attend a group; however, you can have influence in these areas. That leads to the next point. BREAK EACH GOAL INTO ACTIONABLE STEPS WITH DEADLINES Goals require plans and steps. They don't tend to accidentally happen. They require prayer, faith, work, collaboration, and effort. Goals may be out of your total control, but the influence you have, the steps you take, or the effort you put into them...you can control that. If lag goals are the things you wish would happen, lead goals are the actions that will get you there. You have control here. So, as we think about what's controllable and uncontrollable, here are some examples of focus areas, goals, and actions broken down: FOCUS AREA GOAL (LAG) ACTION (LEAD) Small Groups See 80% of students regularly attend small groups. -Promote groups weekly in service. -Equip leaders with rosters to reach out to students. -Follow up with students who are absent each week. Baptism See five students baptized each semester. -Offer clear Gospel invitations 1x per month. -Host a baptism interest meeting each semester. -Equip leaders to share the gospel. Volunteers See two new leaders recruited and trained each semester. -Personally invite one potential leader each month. -Hold a volunteer interest night once per semester. -Create an onboarding process for volunteers. Attendance See youth group attendance increase by 10% each semester. -Encourage small groups to invite friends with fun challenges. -Plan one "something different" type night each month for outreach. -Follow up with all first-time guests in a strategic system. This isn't perfect, but hopefully you see the idea. Lead goals are the steps or the things you can control. Lag goals are where you're hoping to be. One without the other is like shooting in the dark. The actions are things you can measure that lead you to where you're hoping to go. Put in dates and deadlines when these things should happen by. Your goals need deadlines and so do the action steps. In the chart above, I made it work for a semester-based approach. You can do that or think annually. I'd recommend having your action steps reflect monthly or quarterly goals so you can make adjustments as needed throughout the year. Now, to check hearts here. Every action still needs the work of the Holy Spirit. As you work through those actions, pray through, for, and over them. It's not in your own effort these things are accomplished. REVIEW, ADJUST, CELEBRATE Most of the time, the things you measure get improved. It may not be right away or even in the way you anticipated, but it might be more strategic, look different, or grow based on the attention it received. As you work through the goals, keep them in front of you and your team. Look at them monthly, talk about them quarterly, and pray about them daily. Don't only celebrate the result, celebrate the progress. Even if you don't hit your end result, there's celebration in the actions people are taking. Let's say you don't hit the number of students baptized. You talked with eight students, but only 3 of them were ready. Guess what that means? You now have five students to continue praying for, discipling, and fostering those conversations and relationships that you just started. That's worth celebrating! As leaders, you can't forget this step. As you rally around the goals, stay united and encouraging as a team. Celebrate and honor the progress. Goals matter. Don't set them up with guilt or pressure. Set them from a place of vision and calling. Don't be afraid of them or set the bar so low because you're afraid to fail. Where do you believe the Lord is leading your ministry. Pray through the actions you're taking and trust God with the results. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: What's one area of your ministry that needs more focus and clarity this year? What's one small, consistent action you can take to move it forward? When you think about where God is leading your ministry, what's one way you can make space for the Holy Spirit to guide your goals, rather than just your effort? Ready for more articles and training? Check out these top posts! Read More... |
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