You’re a youth leader. A leader of youth. But can you effectively lead if you aren’t walking the walk yourself? Not really. You can’t expect your students to follow you down the Gospel Advancing Ministry road, if you’re apathetic about reaching out in your own circle of influence. Which is why Value #3 of a Gospel Advancing Ministry is: “Leaders fully embrace […]
Student Ministry
How to Gospelize Transformers: The Last Knight
The Transformers sci-fi autobots’ unstoppable CGI saga will once again invade a theatre near you this summer. The latest installment of this blockbuster franchise, Transformers: The Last Knight, centers on destruction (surprise, surprise!) and redemption. And this time, the key to saving the future lies buried in the past. Humans and transformers are at war and the unfolding adventure yields a colossal struggle between good and evil. The last, great […]
8 Great Summer Outreach Ideas
Ahhh…Summer! The sweet, lazy, dog days of summer are just around the corner. Why do we call them “dog days”? Is it because dogs (and teenagers) tend to lie around in the summer heat doing as little as possible? As a youth leader, it’s all too easy to inadvertently fall into a pattern of slacking […]
How to Gospelize Pirates of the Caribbean
Captain Jack is back! The hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise has once again hit the theaters with #5: Dead Men Tell No Tales. So why not use the occasion to host a youth group movie night sometime this summer and pop in the DVD of one of the earlier classics in this […]
Spiritual Truth in the Age of Fake News
Our teenagers inhabit a world where spiritual beliefs are fluid and worldviews often get mixed and mashed together like a smoothie in a blender. Teenagers (and adults) increasingly like their spirituality customized to their personal taste…sort of like a “God-made-in-your-own-image” smorgasbord. It’s a tempting proposition, isn’t it? Want to believe God’s like this? Go ahead. […]
How to Build a Laser-Focused Youth Ministry
A light bulb can brighten up a dark room. A laser can cut through steel. Light bulbs disperse soft light in every direction for a short distance. Lasers can only be focused in a single direction, but theoretically, one beam can travel infinitely. In the same way, your youth ministry is either a laser or […]
