As volunteers get set for a new school year, I wanted to share some ways to start out strong. a. Determine to last through the awkwardness Even secure people who are stable in every way can feel self-conscious when they begin working with students. Stepping into youth culture to care for students is about as [...]

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This week I attended a funeral for a good friend’s mom. While he’s in his mid-40′s, he’s still very close to his youth pastor. His youth pastor was even one of the speakers at the memorial service. He told a funny story about the first time he met my friend’s mom and how he and [...]

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“And he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Mt 6:33 (NLT) My pastor called all of the men of our church together for an early-morning meeting today. He shared a lot of vision for where we’re going [...]

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I’m bringing in 5 new students into my small group in the Fall. We’ve been spending a lot of time together this summer getting to know each other. One of the issues that’s come up is the city curfew which is 11:00 for drivers who have had their driver license for less than a year. [...]

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This has nothing to do with me, but it made me feel good to see it. A guy I follow on Twitter sent a message to encourage his youth pastor from his teenage years. I love stuff like this! I thought I’d pass it along because I know other youth workers will be encouraged by [...]

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Perry Noble wrote this excellent blog post. Some of the points won’t apply directly to volunteers, but the principles behind them will. Here’s a clip. Head there for the rest. I’ve been reading through the OT lately and have been challenged by the downward leadership spiral that Saul went on…here are TEN signs from his [...]

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We have a big problem in our high school ministry. More students than our leaders can handle want to be in small groups. While I love the desire or our students, it kills me to know that there is such a great need going unmet. I’m going to do my best to do something about [...]

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Tonight one of the small group leaders called to share his concerns about not going deep enough in his teaching. He’s been a little self-conscious since two of his guys gave that as their reason for leaving his group for a group at another church. This is understandably difficult on the self-esteem and confidence level. [...]

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Thanks Kurt Johnston for posting this on your blog so I could share it on VolunteerYouthMinistry.com. I’m so incredibly glad this video serves as a warning to me instead of a “what-was-I-thinking” regret. I filed this on my blog under “How to last in ministry.” The concept is you last in ministry by learning from [...]

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If you’re interviewing for a youth ministry position, Tim Schmoyer has created a list of red flags to watch for and what they mean. Be sure to check it out to save yourself from getting into an unhealthy church environment. I’ve pasted a few of them below, click here to read the rest. 2. We [...]

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