Now is the Time

Now is the Time

The past month at youth group has been rough. Attendance has been lower than normal. The teens who were present seemed to have a hard time focusing or caring about the lessons. I started to worry the youth group I worked hard to build in the past four years was...
Finding Devotions in Every Day

Finding Devotions in Every Day

When I was a teenager, I used to think it was lame when Christians said they had to do their morning devotions. I thought it made God sound like a mean and boring history teacher making Christians do homework. Devotions were explained to me as the way to connect with...
Leading Yourself to Lead Others Well

Leading Yourself to Lead Others Well

Leading is hard. There’s no question about that. And leading a youth ministry is on a whole new level. Volunteers, tireless middle schoolers, sarcastic high schoolers, events, games, sermons, calendaring, budgeting… it never ends. And if you’re anything like me, you...
Leaving Space for Teens to Encounter Jesus

Leaving Space for Teens to Encounter Jesus

I used to take it personally when new students would come to youth group yet never return once they found the mega-church youth group with loud music, video games, and massive screens. Now, a decade later, I have learned to let it go. While at the store, I ran into a...
From the Pulpit to the Heart

From the Pulpit to the Heart

The role, or job description, of a youth pastor is often confused by parents, leaders and youth pastors themselves. There have been many times where people think we are only there to entertain and teach a lesson. Sometimes, with those types of parameters as...