I remember feeling the temperature of the room rise. I quickly clarified, “To respond to the unasked questions I can read on your faces, no, this is not a reaction to any particular scenario. This is preventative! We are talking about this now so that there is not a damaging incident in the future.” The setting was a youth ministry parent meeting. We had recently revamped our student safety policies. We presented them to our volunteers but realized our parents and students needed to also know these expectations. We do not want any student to walk away from our ministry emotionally, physically ..read more

“Why don’t we do… for worship?” Many, if not all of us have found ourselves confronted with this type of question or one similar to it. There are many ideas to help us engage our students better in worship, but it can be hard to cypher through what is the most effective idea for our context. I want to offer some ideas that I hope can help us engage our students in impactful ways no matter what context we may find ourselves in. Before we do that, I want to remind us that creativity is a reflection of our Creator. Before we see the redemptive work of God through Christ in Scripture, we see God a ..read more

Spring can be an awkward time in youth ministry. The build-up from the beginning of the school year in August until winter break in December is gone. It’s typical to see a downward trend in attendance and participation. Schedules are overloaded with sports practices, theater rehearsals, and cramming for end-of-year exams. It is easy to see spring as a time to lament such things. But what if we shifted our focus? What if we looked at spring as a time to grow deeper and to offer a richness in teaching and spiritual discipline? What if we took what we were given and ran with it? Here are a few wa ..read more

There are certain places in Scripture where my attention comes to a screeching halt. I can’t go further until I dig into what God wants to say. Today, I want to share with you four ways Jesus gives us life. No matter who you are, these four ways can touch on the areas of our lives where we tend to strive the most to find meaning and purpose. I hope these few minutes together serve as a pit stop along your spiritual journey today. If you have a moment, look at your body in the mirror while you consider these facts. Here’s what you are: You’re a skeleton of 206 bones, each with a perfect balanc ..read more

I remember sitting across from Jamie and Matt at a nearby restaurant to enjoy pizza and wings. Our multi-ethnic and multi-cultural youth group had grown to reflect our culturally diverse neighborhood. Our students represented five continents, with over seven languages accounted for. The growth was exciting, and mostly everyone was embracing a variety of opinions and cultural experiences. Fairly quickly, we realized that our diversity meant there were different expectations for youth group and church. Our leadership team also realized that students enjoyed their time together but lacked communa ..read more

Like you, I have sat in my fair share of youth ministry strategy meetings. We ask questions such as, “How do we reach teens in our community?” and “How can we inspire our youth group to take their faith more seriously?” Out of these conversations often comes a set of new practices, some helpful, and others not so much. We come back to our office Monday morning with a plan for ways we will lead our youth ministry into a new season. And as good as our strategy and philosophy might be, we know this rigmarole all too well. If the ministry does not move the hearts of students towards a deeper relat ..read more

In today’s world and cultural landscape, incorporating times of service into the rhythms of church life and ministry is essential. By embracing the spiritual practice of service, we not only create opportunities to enrich and impact the lives of those around us but also allow for a transformation of ourselves through the influence of the Holy Spirit. 1. ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY Perhaps one of the most apparent benefits of regular, intentional service times is the provision of opportunities that allow us to engage with the community around us. Our communities are full of people with needs. These ne ..read more

It doesn’t take long to find someone who disagrees with you politically. Perhaps you’re reading this and feeling nervous about this topic (girl, same). Breathe easy; this isn’t an attempt to sway political views. As pastors, we recognize this nation is politically divided, and our teens sense the polarizing effects as well. Some students avoid any political conversation altogether. Others boisterously proclaim their political opinions on social media or in fiery debates. Still others deeply desire change for the world they live in and feel stuck about how that change is going to happen. As pas ..read more

The post UCNYI Event Calendar first appeared on NYI Connect ..read more

A professor of mine used to ask, “What is the church and what on earth is it for?” For those of us working in church ministry, the way we answer this question ultimately shapes the way we structure and imagine ministry to function. Youth ministry is no exception and if we are honest with ourselves, our sense of success in this work is often shaped by the number of youth who attend any gathering we host. It feels good when they show up and it hurts when they don’t. And while presence matters—it sure is tough to do discipleship when no one shows up—it is too often treated as the end goal rather ..read more