THE MIDDLE YEARS (5th-9th grade, Ages 10-14) ARE A HUGE TIME OF LIFE TRANSITION. IT MIGHT EVEN BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TIMES IN A PERSON’S LIFE! Do youth pastors/workers know and understand the transition that is happening in the lives of their students? Do we appreciate the power and the potential for doing effective […]
What does is it look like to have a Next Level Leadership Team? We all want long-term, invested volunteer leaders in our ministries. We want to build a connected and cohesive team willing to follow us. I have people ask me all the time how I get to a point where I have a waiting list […]
Helping Students Return to School… Ten Quick Hints and Ideas. 10. Offer Sharing Times, During Regular Meeting Times/Small Groups to Talk, Before and After Their First Week. 9. Be Available Virtually and In-Person After-School for Students That Need to Talk. 8. Support Parents in the Back to School Process. 7. Teach “Back to School” Lesson […]
Game To Never Play..AGAIN!! We all have those moments. Maybe it is the lack of sleep or over caffeinated brain syndrome, but you decide to play a game that you think will be amazing, but it is NOT!! There are also those game we find online, and think that MIGHT be cool, only to realize they are VERY out-dated. […]
Want to keep your students engaged and listening to your lesson? Consider the “7 Minute Rule” when it comes to planning your next lesson: I know traditionally, youth ministry lessons resemble a sermon/lecture (“Auditory Learning”) more than other kinds of presentations. The church is a setting for 20-minute-plus sermons, which might work for the adults, but it […]
Caught NOT Taught? “What are you teaching this week?” It is the question that students, parents, and others often ask us. We study, plan, and prepare for that moment when we stand up in front of our students and begin to speak. We are paid to communicate the greatest truths imaginable. We have the privilege and the responsibility […]
Running The Race Together, why my wife is involved in my youth ministry as a youth pastor working in a church with teenagers. By Dan Istvanik
Over the years, I have heard quite a few leaders say, “It is just my leadership style” when it comes to a particular action, attitude or even issue in their leadership. Leaders both young and old, I have heard say something along those lines in meetings and conversations.
Silver Bullets of Youth Ministry Success. We all want to know the “silver bullet”… the “secret sauce”… to youth ministry!
TEN BEST OTHER PRIZES, moving on and changing it up from youth group t-shirts, candy bars, and gift cards for your games and incentives. 10. “You Pick”– winner gets to pick next week’s game, snack or… lesson topic? 9. “Box Seats”- winner gets to have a special roped-off “couch” for themselves and two guests for […]
