I was this great post by Jonathan Tripp over at SimplyYouthMinistry.com. The article is about one of my favorite topics: Training Youth Ministry Volunteers. I put a clip below. Head over there to see the entire article. Training As a volunteer, I was excited to get to attend training sessions. Now, I get so many [...]

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Sometimes a student will reveal something monumental in their lives that we’ll need to help them through. Conversations I’ve had or other leaders have told me about include such topics as drug use, gender identity, sexual impurity, abuse, thoughts of suicide, among others. These can catch any youth worker off guard. However, it’s always an [...]

Filed under: Counseling, For your newsletter, Training | 9 Comments »

Heading into the new school year, here are some blog posts youth pastors may want to pass on to volunteers: 1. Handout for Parents of Students in my Small Group – This is a quick list of expectations they can have of me and I will have of their students. It also includes a tip [...]

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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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I remember the first crisis I had to face when I first started in youth ministry. I was paralyzed at the idea of going into the home of some students I barely knew whose dad had just passed away. I’ve learned a lot since then. Seeing this article from Kurt Johnston and Josh Griffin confirmed [...]

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This week I get to talk about one of my favorite subjects: Helping students grow closer to Christ. It’s so great to get to share with others what I’ve been working on for the last year and to hear from them what’s happening in their neck of the woods. If you’re a youth worker, don’t [...]

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This August I’ll be part of the Celebrate Recovery Summit. My specific role will be helping teach the breakout session about The Landing (recovery from life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups for students). This program has been a big help to students at Saddleback Church. If there’s any way you can make it to this year’s [...]

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I came across this tiny tree today at the home improvement store. I chuckled at the sign attached to it which read “shade tree”. I went back later & took this picture because it’s a great reminder for me to see who students and leaders can be rather than limiting them by how they appear [...]

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The newest youth pastor at one of the newest Saddleback church campuses has a new (fairly new) blog that you should check out. He’s got a great talent and passion for youth ministry. His name is Rob Ham and his blog is IHeartYouthMinistry.com

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