Gear up for summer with these ready-to-post social media Bible verses. This 10 verse pack is perfect for your youth ministry this summer. All you need to do is download and post. The post FREE summer bible Verse PACK appeared first on LeaderTreks Youth Ministry ..read more

Youth groups in smaller churches have the potential to create a family atmosphere for youth. Youth group gatherings play an essential role in cultivating spiritual growth and providing opportunities for a close-knit community. Despite smaller churches having limited resources, opportunities still exist to create vibrant and meaningful youth groups. Let’s discuss practical ideas and provide inspiration for youth groups of small churches. Three ideas to help small churches captivate and equip their youth: 1. INTERACTIVE Game Nights. Game nights build relationships as well as creating opportuni ..read more

Small groups fail because most small group leaders are not consistent over the long haul. Youth pastors need to remember that the goal isn’t to have a small group program but to help students grow in their relationship with Christ. I honestly think that small groups are a great idea, and I think that every youth pastor should have a small group program in their ministry. But when I am out meeting with youth pastors and small group leaders, I hear the same things: groups start with a bang and within a few months, things begin to fall apart. The truth is, we love the idea of small groups, and we ..read more

A person who is a 10 on the Leadership Scale does not want to work with someone who is a 6. A Leadership 10 understands vision, strategy, and execution—basically how organizations work—and can’t follow someone who doesn’t. They quickly become frustrated with disorganization and missed opportunities. True, they may join for a year, but you will lose them very quickly. We need to grow our leadership. Some youth workers tell me that leadership doesn’t matter; loving students is what is important. Yes, building relationships and helping students feel like they belong is the foundation of youth min ..read more

The heart of youth ministry is to help students grow in their relationship with Christ. We do activities and events to help students grow closer to Christ. It can be easy to lose sight of our goal by focusing on entertaining and getting students to come to youth group. We must walk a fine line between what we do to attract students and what is our ultimate goal of having them in youth group. The best way I have found to walk this fine line is to have purpose for all the elements of youth ministry. To be intentional with every relationship and event. To make intentionality happen, I have broken ..read more

Spiritual maturity is the ability of a follower of Christ to read God’s Word and be convicted by the truth it contains and by the Holy Spirit. Turn to God, confess sin, and seek repentance. Apply the truth of God’s Word by changing thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes. If we don’t apply God’s Word, then we are like the man who built his house on the rock.  This is the process of transformation.  Spiritual maturity requires a soft heart, open to God’s instruction and discipline so we can respond in humility, ready to trust God’s offer to forgive.  The opposite of spiritual maturity ..read more

In the first small group I led, I made a large square out of duct tape on the floor. If one of my jr. high boys could move me out of the square, by any means possible, then that boy would be crowned champion. Needless to say, we didn’t spend much time on Bible study, prayer, or building deep relationships. In my youth ministry journey, I call this the WrestleMania years. The boys loved me, and we had an awesome time together, but we never focused on what was important until the month of May, when another adult volunteer challenged me to share Christ with my boys every time we met for a month ..read more

We feel tons of pressure when leading a youth ministry. We want students to like coming to youth group. We want parents to believe that bringing their students to our ministry will have an impact on their child. We want our church leaders to see that we have a plan and that we can execute that plan. Due to these pressures, what often gets lost is spiritual development of students. So many competing pressures drive us to push programs. Why? Because we can control programs and they can make use look busy and productive. The problem with programs is they quickly become a monster you must feed ..read more

Sometimes people ask us why we love our job, and while we can answer that question in a number of ways, it truly comes down to one thing: youth workers. We LOVE getting to serve youth workers. You see, I think youth workers are a rare breed. Something makes them stand out from the crowd. Something makes them easy to spot. They’re the kind of people you like to spend time with. And they’re the kind of people you want to be like. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are 7 Reasons I’m Thankful for Youth Workers YOUTH WORKERS ARE INVESTORS In a culture that’s incredibly protective of time and m ..read more

It is tough parenting a teenager. Those of us with adolescents in our homes joke about it. We tell others with pre-pubescent kids to “watch out.” It’s all truth in jest. Most of us are hiding our overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. I understood how to put a Band-Aid on a scraped knee and how to give a bottle to a hungry baby. I can stay up with a sick child and care for them. However, one day my “little one” became distant and disconnected. Now it’s no longer simple to figure out their thoughts. A groan no longer means merely, “I am hungry.” Now it could mean so many things—and I don’t unders ..read more