YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
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Youth ministry's premier provider of Gospel-based Bible studies, games, resources, camps & conferences, and more to leaders all over the globe.
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
1d ago
I think most people would say that a lot of theological training is centered around a combination of a few things: proper biblical interpretation, pursuing Christ-like character and leadership, and preaching/teaching. And I believe most of us would say these are worthwhile pursuits! During my husband’s time in seminary, he learned all those things and so much more, and we would both describe his time in seminary as a beautiful season of life full of rich spiritual formation. Whether you have received a formal theological education or attended conferences or trainings in the past, almost all o ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
1w ago
This is probably an understood point. But for the sake of conversation, did you know that your students are gifted? I’m sure you have students who are gifted athletically and are phenoms at their sport. I’m sure you have musically talented students who could play concerts for large crowds. But what I’m talking about is students gifted spiritually for the work God is doing.
One thing I have felt purposed with lately is equipping those around me for the ministry that God is calling them to. I will regularly ask adults in our ministry if they feel comfortable doing more than just being in the roo ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
2w ago
Youth ministry is a job that requires much of us emotionally and spiritually. We are asked to give of ourselves so we can serve our youth and their families. When navigated mindfully, this is a wonderful thing. However, it is easy to slip into tendencies that can lead to burnout quickly if we are not careful. Burnout is kind of a buzzword right now and is essentially a harmful mental/emotional state after prolonged or unmitigated workplace stress.
How can we serve sacrificially as God calls us to while still protecting ourselves and preventing burnout? Here are some ideas ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
3w ago
Each day of our lives, we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.
-Chuck Swindoll
More than most other facets of ministry, student ministry has many varying factors that can make the “balance” of family and ministry tough. Weekends, summer, and holidays are times when your ministry responsibilities ramp up. Ministry is especially tough when you have small children. We can’t simply tell our newborn to sleep through the night. We’ve all been there and wrestled with the physical exhaustion and the emotional/mental struggle of being there for students vs. being there for our fam ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
1M ago
Middle School students are some of my favorite people in the world, yet when I tell people that I teach 8th-grade English, the response is typically, “I don’t know how you do it!” I get it. Middle schoolers are navigating life in the middle between being a kid and quickly becoming an adult. They have boundless energy, a roller coaster of emotions, and that’s not even factoring in their incredible quirks. Did you know that other than infancy, middle schoolers’ brains are growing faster than they ever have or ever will? No wonder they can be a little strange. They have so much going on in their ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
1M ago
When I came on staff with FCA, I was a wide-eyed 22-year-old who just graduated from college and felt like the world was my oyster. Although I was sad to hang up my cleats from college athletics, that sadness slowly faded in light of my excitement to take on my new adventure in full-time ministry. Two things come to mind when I think about that 22-year-old – she was incredibly passionate, and she truly felt the weight of being in a position that allowed her to influence the spiritual lives of young people. As the years went on and I grew both as a person and as a minister, that passion was st ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
1M ago
Are you old enough to remember learning from a “felt” or “flannel” board at church? In case you don’t have that tucked away as a core memory, here’s how Sunday morning used to go. The leader would teach by using the felt board. Flat characters, buildings, and objects would magically appear on the board. If you were lucky, you might get to “help” move them around as the story was told. If you have no idea what a felt board is, google it! I can’t tell you how many Bible stories I learned from the felt board. They are the foundational stories of everything I’ve learned from the Bible. And I’m co ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
2M ago
I have a son who has been diagnosed with autism. He is four years old and nonverbal. He is the absolute joy of my life! God sent this little blessing to be my firstborn, and I am grateful to God that he is my son. After he received his diagnosis at the age of two, the Lord opened my eyes to my own shortcomings. I realized just how unprepared I was to parent this little boy as my wife and I searched for programs to support his needs. This inexperience in dealing with special needs individuals didn’t only rock my home life, but it also challenged my view on ministry. I realized that I had not be ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
2M ago
4, 15, 27, 33, 42, 55, 20. No, that is not a combination of my safe. That is a trajectory of the attendance number in my ministry. On my first night, there were 4 students. Fast forward all the way to March 2022, and we had 55 students at a Wednesday night service. To say times were great and I was riding high would be an understatement. Then, fast forward a year later to March 2023, and our attendance went from 55 to 23 in one year. What happened? How did it happen? That is for another article at another time, but I will say we graduated almost 20 seniors, so that was some of it but not all ..read more
YM360 | Youth Ministry 360
2M ago
Did this article’s title already trigger you? I hope so – it’s borderline clickbait! But recently, I was met with the age-old question that cuts Youth and Student Pastors at the knees, “are you, like, a real Pastor here?” Let’s go ahead and put the cart before the horse…YES, you are a “real” Pastor.
A few weeks ago, I went to pick up my daughter from our church preschool. We have a weekday preschool program that meets right down the hallway from my office, and I love that I get to see my kid in the hallway every day. I also get to interact with her teachers a lot. That day, I went down the ha ..read more