I wasn’t expecting this phone call. The parent seemed a little embarrassed, but I could tell she needed to share what had been discussed in her son’s small group the previous week. She said, “Chris, I have nothing against my son’s small group leader, but my son came home asking if he could watch a certain television show because his leader was talking about it in the group. I’m not okay with the show, and I’m not sure this leader should be sharing that with teenagers ..read more

I held my breath as I opened my inbox. Despite putting up an away message, I knew I had sent out a series of email blasts before Christmas Eve, so I was expecting a sea of unanswered requests from parents, volunteers, and everyone else in the parish. Fortunately, when my email loaded, the damage was minimal. I let out a sigh of relief and began to knock off the dust from taking some time away ..read more

In my house, I'm the least competitive. At least that's what I tell myself as I'm getting my butt kicked in a board game. But even though I claim to be the least competitive, I still love games. For many years, games were a huge part of our ministry. When we had weekly large group programs, creating something that was both engaging and entertaining was a challenge—but when done right, it was so rewarding ..read more

She would always smile, but you could tell that what we put her through was torture. We had just downloaded a new software that would pick teens' names randomly; however, for the fifth week in a row, one sixth-grade girl kept getting her name selected to participate in the game or activity. Out of sixty middle school students, she had been picked again and again. No one seemed to mind. In fact, people saw it as an ongoing bit. It was fun—when her name would appear, we would cheer her on, and everyone but one person loved it ..read more

At my last parish, we went all out for Christmas Eve. Renting out space at the fairgrounds, we welcomed thousands of people over two liturgies to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It was beautiful—but exhausting. By Christmas Day, I was done ..read more

With over twenty years of experience in lay ecclesial ministry, you’d think I’d have it all figured out. But one key lesson I’ve learned is this: while I’m great at recruiting leaders, I’m not always the best at empowering them ..read more

I work with a lot of parishes that are looking to hire someone to fill a role. They often selected wonderful people, who love young people and the Church; however, they are completely overwhelmed ..read more

Usually, when asked, “What are you looking for in a youth minister?” the number one response is, “I want someone who can relate to the teens.” It’s not a bad answer, but it’s incomplete. Over the years, I’ve learned that shepherding the next generation—whether it’s kids or teenagers—takes more than relatability ..read more

When it was time to collect phones, the groans were minimal. Every year during our Confirmation retreat, we collect phones to help young people escape the noise of the world. In the past, teens would reluctantly hand over their phones, begging to check them occasionally, from maintaining a Snap Streak to insisting their parents would worry if they didn’t hear from them ..read more

Change is a natural part of ministry, but it’s rarely easy. You can be excited about a new idea, ready to share it with your team, and still face resistance. I’ve experienced that firsthand. After a youth ministry conference, I was eager to introduce mid-week small groups alongside our Sunday program. I thought it was a great idea, something that would take our ministry to the next level. But my team didn’t share my excitement, and the pushback hit hard ..read more