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<item>
<title>Having Fun Matters (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/having-fun-matters-20537.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/having-fun-matters-20537.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2026 06:12:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[If you have a Bible degree, you probably learned a lot. The different views of end times, maybe even some Greek and Hebrew. Others of you studied Math, Marketing, Business, or something else entirely before you landed in youth ministry. But most likely, no matter what your degree says, there's something no college course ever really prepared us for.




Like how many pizza slices does it take to feed my students? We've all been there. Do you count slices? Boxes? Will my middle schoolers eat less than my high schoolers? And then, you either run out of pizza or you have enough left over to serve a small village.




Or even this one...at what speed can you throw that dodgeball at that one kid and it not be considered harmful? You know you've had that thought.




Courses like that would be so helpful, right? Well, here's another one: how to have fun in youth ministry and why it's important! Let's not be the generation of youth leaders who lead in churches where kids are growing up thinking that church is boring. God gave us the gift of laughter, joy, and fun. Let's bring those qualities into our ministries!




Now, we have to be careful. There's a pendulum swing here, and youth ministry can quickly get a bad rep if all we do is have fun in youth ministry. But at the same time, we want to be mindful and purposeful with our fun. We don't want to lead a ministry that's only known for fun and games, but rather one that helps find the balance between fun and spiritual formation.




Now, when I say fun, I do mean more than only games. Yes, games are meant to bring an element of fun into what we do in ministry, but that's not the only world where fun exists. Fun is a philosophy we can use in our ministry to create more opportunities.




Once upon a time, a famous theologian said, "It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how." That line came from the famous Dr. Seuss and was said by his character the Cat in the Hat. Having fun is fun, but as youth ministry leaders, we have to know how. It's important to have fun because if you're not having fun, it's likely no one else is either.




So, let's unpack why having fun matters in youth ministry:




Your Students Need Fun Fun matters. The students you minister to and lead each week need fun in their lives, and you get to be the one who brings that to them. I've always said that fun builds culture. If you want to shape your ministry, don't ignore the avenue of fun.




Fun gives students a reason to come back. You've been there before. You go somewhere, and it just feels lame, so you don't go back. When students are having fun in your ministry, they'll want to come back to the fun thing.




Fun is also essential to teenage development. Research shows that play helps develop critical thinking and adaptability, along with social and emotional skills. As students have fun with others, they talk, laugh, let their guard down, and build trust. That's huge.




Fun Builds Relationships When students are having fun together, they connect, do something together, and create a memory. Fun is an avenue for students to be themselves. In a safe environment, fun leads them to open up and build relationships with other students and leaders around them.




Some of my best moments in ministry were having fun together. Yes, through a game, but also through having fun conversations on a bus ride, serving pizza and being goofy together, and trying to act mature at the senior adult luncheon. Fun is a way to build relationships with people.




Fun helps create unique shared experiences. It's something students can bond over. Those shared experiences give students a sense of belonging, safety, and excitement to be part of something. We all want that. Let's create that for our students.




Fun Leads to Engagement When we create fun ministry environments, it leads to students taking a step closer. They're more likely to return. More likely to invite a friend. More likely to talk about it at school the next day. What if you built an invite culture in your ministry that answered the question, "Is what we're doing something our students would invite their friends to?"




Now, some of this might require some evaluating and tough feedback, but it's worth it. Invite some students and leaders to a seat at the table to speak about the "fun" elements of your ministry. Let them speak for themselves rather than you trying to figure it all out on your own. That gives them a voice in shaping a culture of fun for everyone.




Fun youth ministries capture attention. We all wish students would come only because they want to sit at the feet of your teaching and soak in the Word, but that's not reality. Use fun to build relationships and bring the Gospel to life.




Fun Enhances Learning You remember this from your own time as a student. Some of the best ways to learn are in fun, creative ways. What if we approached our Bible teaching the same way? Bible teaching is serious, and not every text opens the door to fun and laughter. But what if part of how we keep students engaged is by incorporating elements of fun - through stories, illustrations, an interactive moment, or a funny video? Use fun to help students learn more about who God is and who He calls them to be.




Do your own research into how having fun enhances learning in the classroom or even in the workforce. People who are trying to teach others want to do so in a way that helps them retain what they learn. Often, fun is at the top of the list of methods to incorporate.




Fun Strengthens the Student-To-Leader Relationship There's nothing better than watching your leaders make total fools of themselves playing a game or doing something fun with their students. When leaders get in the world and turf of students and have fun, it does something special. Those relationships strengthen and grow, which opens the door to further ministry opportunities. This is the goal, right? Invite leaders in and recruit them to have fun with you.




Fun Opens the Door to Gospel Conversations In my experience, trust rarely shows up first in a serious moment. It shows up in a silly one. A shared laugh at camp, an inside joke from a bus ride, a leader getting soaked in a water balloon fight. They tell a student, "This person is safe, and I actually want to be around them."




That trust is what makes the deeper conversations possible later. A student who's laughed with you is a student who'll text you when their parents are getting divorced. A student who's watched you make a fool of yourself during a game is a student who will open up to you about a doubt or spiritual question. Fun helps earn you a seat at the table for those moments. It won't replace a Gospel conversation, but it can open the door to one.




So when you're planning that game or that goofy moment in your programming, don't just think of it as filler before the real teaching starts. Think of it as relational groundwork. You're building the kind of trust that lets a student actually hear what you have to say about Jesus, because they already know you care about them outside of it.



Closing Thoughts There are a ton of ways to incorporate fun into your ministry. It can be small or big, a game or not. Make space for it and let it happen organically. As you plan your midweek, you probably have a game scheduled for seven minutes or so, but that doesn't have to be the only element of fun. Develop your own philosophy of fun. Schedule it, plan for it, but sometimes let it happen on its own. Talk to your students and leaders about how they'd like to have fun in your ministry. You might be surprised.




At the end of the day, having fun in ministry is more than entertainment or filling time. It's a relational tool, and ministry is highly relational. Fun does so much good for our ministries and opens the door to more ministry opportunities. If you're not having fun in ministry, you're missing out.




Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:




Where in your ministry has fun opened the door to a deeper relationship or conversation you didn't expect? What would it look like to build a "philosophy of fun" into your ministry rather than just scheduling seven minutes for a game?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>4 Ways to Empower Your Student Leaders (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/4-ways-to-empower-your-student-leaders-20538.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/4-ways-to-empower-your-student-leaders-20538.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:33:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As youth leaders, we find ourselves at different places in the ongoing conversations of raising up student leaders. Sometimes, we're in the early stages of engagement, drawing that "gold" out of them. Other times, we're right where we are today, empowering those students to begin leading out. For what it's worth, I believe this is a conversation that never truly ends, even though it may change and grow over time.

As students begin to take on leadership roles, part of the growth process is that we keep asking them the important questions and give them real opportunities to lead. In this blog, we'll look at four different ways to empower your students and truly give away leadership to them.

Give It Away To empower those we lead to step up and step out takes a unique leadership mindset. Leaders who focus on holding onto and maintaining their position rarely give leadership to anyone beyond what may benefit them. Leaders focused on the team, with a mission-first mentality, will empower those they lead. This sounds like a very corporate, business mindset towards leadership, but we actually see a lot of it in Scripture. To hand over the reins of leadership, in my opinion, is to put those we lead in positions of leadership roles, often before they're ready. I believe the best way to verbalize this is that leaders teach their teams to lead and give their teams the lead. Teaching our teams to lead means we're equipping them. Giving them the lead means moving ourselves out of the way and letting them make the calls, even though they may not always make the best ones. Part of empowering them is graciously allowing them to make mistakes. I do this in a few ways, but I call the two "introductory roles" passive leadership and active leadership.

Active Leadership Active leadership is what it sounds like. It's a leadership role that's typically out front, actively leading others. For my ministry, this is typically someone who leads a small group, teaches from the stage, helps to plan events, and the like. They step into, by many standards, a more prominent leadership role. It's not always the case, but it appears that way. Those who step into these active leadership roles are often comfortable being in the spotlight, but it doesn't mean they crave it. These roles can also often be viewed as hard things to do, but I don't think that's the case for all of them.

Passive Leadership On the other side of that coin, we have what I like to call passive leadership. As opposed to active leadership, passive leadership is a little harder to define, but for me, it's giving leadership roles to my team that aren't necessarily out front (although sometimes they are) but are just as important. An example of passive leadership may be someone acting in a greeter role for people coming in for the first time or possibly some tech role behind the scenes. Other times it may be asking someone to do announcements or a welcome at a gathering or service. Yes, I'm aware those are "up front" roles, but I've found that those have less pressure than teaching or leading a small group discussion. For the people stepping into these roles, it's usually a pretty big deal. 

Continuing The Conversation Whether you have active leaders or passive leaders (you probably have some of each), both groups require coaching and follow-up. Give them guidance for improvement and ask their thoughts on whatever they accomplished. Of course, always be one of their biggest cheerleaders! There's nothing quite like seeing someone you've led and developed step into a leadership role and succeed. That beaming pride they feel not only empowers them to continue but also gives them permission to take ownership in the ministry or organization. I guess the only thing left when it comes to empowering leaders is, again, the continued conversation. Some will move from active leadership roles to deeper roles relatively quickly, and others will need to hang out in passive roles a little longer. We have to know the people we're leading if we're going to gauge their next best step. Encourage them and continue to allow them to lead out. 



Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

In what ways are you currently passing leadership opportunities on to your students? What could you do to allow your students to take more ownership in your ministry? What are some active and passive leadership roles you currently have available? As you can, begin attaching students' names to these roles.]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>8 Hall-of-Fame Youth Ministry Thanksgiving Activities (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/8-hall-of-fame-youth-ministry-thanksgiving-activities-20536.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/8-hall-of-fame-youth-ministry-thanksgiving-activities-20536.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2026 03:24:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Looking for some fun Thanksgiving activities for your student gatherings? Here are eight ideas you can adapt for your youth ministry!]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>There is No Plan B: You are it! Stories from a Canadian. (Deep Thoughts by Gman)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/there-is-no-plan-b-you-are-it-stories-from-a-canadian-20534.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/there-is-no-plan-b-you-are-it-stories-from-a-canadian-20534.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2026 07:19:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I'm working on a memoir of sorts. My journey, thoughts and adventures all gathered together. Not that many people would read it, except maybe Len Evans if he was alive. He did have several published works and encouraged me to keep writing.




I've been featured several different places including: Christian Standard, Christianity Today, Youth Specialties, and quoted in a few books. People envision writing a book as getting $$$ and famous but that's not it. I'm writing more not for celebrity, nor being recognized but more of a therapy of sorts. A look back to look forward. A part of that will be blogging more and including some of the material here in my own source material. So Welcome. There is no Plan B, but God can use you and He will. Let's begin the journey together. 

http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO]]></description>
<author>fess2@juno.com</author>
<category>Blog</category></item>
<item>
<title>Giving Jesus Away (Deep Thoughts by Gman)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/giving-jesus-away-20535.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/giving-jesus-away-20535.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2026 07:10:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[From the Preacher's Desk: Giving Jesus Away

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out ...





Romans 10:14 says: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 



Recently a four year old boy had commented to me: "You're the guy who gives Jesus away." (For clarity's sake: I give away these mini-Jesus figures away as a reminder that to take Jesus with you and that everyone needs a little Jesus, Of course, some of us need a whole lot of Jesus).



How would you like to be known as the one who gives Jesus away? What a honor, responsibility and command. We are all called to be Jesus' hands and feet, part of the body of Christ. We are all suppose to be fulfilling the Great Commission as to go and make disciples. (Matt. 28:16-20) and the greatest commandment to Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. 



When was the last time you shared Jesus? Don't keep Him to yourself, share Him. May you be encouraged to give Jesus away.

See You Sunday. 

Your Smiling Preacher, Gerrard

http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO]]></description>
<author>fess2@juno.com</author>
<category>Blog</category></item>
<item>
<title>Taking Back the Holidays (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/taking-back-the-holidays-20533.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/taking-back-the-holidays-20533.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:07:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I never realized I could so easily lose sight of Christ during the holidays, a time of year when I talked about him so much.]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>Leaning Into the Grind (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/leaning-into-the-grind-20532.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/leaning-into-the-grind-20532.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 03:41:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Youth ministry is fun. I love what I do, even when it's hard. But some seasons are harder than others, and fall often feels like a grind.]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>The Question Box (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/the-question-box-20531.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/the-question-box-20531.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 03:43:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Use a question box in your youth ministry as a means for teens to ask their questions-in a safe, anonymous way.]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>Resting While Working (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/resting-while-working-20539.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/resting-while-working-20539.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:48:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Unless you are in ministry. Then just go non-stop because Jesus died on the cross for the world; what's your excuse?" Matthew 11:28*

Okay, maybe some of that is added to the text, but the reality is that we, as pastors, often live that way. So much to do, and if we truly want to do whatever it takes to reach this next generation for Christ, we would just go, go, go.

And then we wonder why our highest monthly expense is not our mortgage but our therapist sessions.

Over the past several years, I've seen an emphasis on the return to the Holy Sabbath. Books like John Mark Comer's The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry have reminded all of us (especially pastors) of the importance of regular and consistent times of worship and Sabbath. I pray this trend will continue. But for the purpose of today, I want to move beyond weekly sabbaths, vacations, or even structured Sabbaticals. I want to look at REST.

One definition I saw of the word "rest" was a temporary interruption of exertion. A temporary interruption...notice it doesn't say full stop.

Is it possible to work and rest at the same time? Is it possible to take a temporary interruption from my normal routine and still find rest while I work? I think it is. And I think you can do this.

Below are some examples of temporary interruptions that have worked for me over the years. These temporary interruptions have refreshed and renewed me in various seasons without ever having to take an official day off.

(Disclaimer: I had to receive supervisor approval for most of the suggestions below. In addition, I had to plan well and rely on quality leaders to fill in where needed. I strongly encourage you to do the same. It's worth it.)

Take A Rest from Daily or Weekly Tasks Do you ever have that one project that it feels like you've been working on for months or years but can't ever seem to finish because the day-to-day demands always take precedence? Are you a victim of the tyranny of the urgent?

What would it look like to rest from your daily/weekly routine, put up your out-of-office, and get away to a mountain cabin for a few days, a week, or maybe your favorite coffee shop for a day, and just focus on that one project until it is complete? Will everything fall apart if you tap out for a day or a week? If so, that's worth considering!

You're not taking time off. You're still working. But you are taking a temporary interruption from your normal routine.

Take A Rest from All Non-Discipleship/Relationship Tasks Do you ever feel like the thing you do the least as a pastor is...well...pastoring?

What would it look like to rest from your daily/weekly routine, put up your out-of-office, and schedule a week full of hangouts, gatherings, and discipleship with your leaders, students, and families? 40 hours of just "being" and not "doing."40 hours of:

Before school, the Chick-fil-A Bible studies Afternoon coffee with leaders Friday night local football game School lunches Dropping in at parents' homes Sitting around the campfire talking about how Jesus changed your life with some students and leaders. Take A Rest from Running Weekend Programming Do you ever feel like you run around like a chicken with your head cut off on Sundays, making sure that your programming is running as smoothly as possible?

What would it look like to take a rest not from attending but from leading? When was the last time you just sat back and observed? Or maybe took on a smaller role: hosting, check-in, audio/visual, etc. When was the last time programming was refreshing to you because you saw what God was doing rather than being focused on what you were doing?

How incredible would it be if churches let their staff pick select Sundays when they came to church simply to worship and be? Rather than coming every week to serve and work.

Take A Rest from Running YOUR Weekend Programming Or maybe you just seem bogged down by not having fresh ideas, and everything seems so stale in your Student Ministry. Maybe the well has run dry in the creativity department.

What would it look like to rest from your church and go and observe (or even serve) at another church in your community? Maybe even serve for a day? Or swap places with the Student Director at that church? Not only is it a break in your rhythm, but it's a chance to broaden your scope of ministry, see how other ministries are functioning, and give you space to do what you love to do without a paycheck or job responsibility behind it.

Take A Rest from Serving Your People As much as you love your sheep, there are times when it's good to remind ourselves that we can (and should) serve those outside our flock because we serve the God of the Nations. Different backgrounds. Different ethnicities. Different socioeconomic statuses. We get to serve them all.

What would it be like to rest from your church and serve in the community for a few hours? Or maybe even a day? What about serving on a national or international mission trip without teenagers?

Take A Rest from Teaching and Preaching Yes. The Golden Calf of Student Ministry. I know I'm treading on thin ice here...

What would it look like to rest for a month or so and have other elders, pastors, or qualified leaders in your church pour into and invest in this next generation? An amazing thing happens when we recognize that students need to hear the authoritative Word of God, but we also recognize that we don't have to be the only ones teaching them.

I could continue, but hopefully, the above at least spurs you to think more proactively about resting while working. Take what works. Modify it. Come up with your own.

But don't burn out. Fill yourself up so you can give yourself away.




Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Do any of the above suggestions seem appealing or feasible to you? If so, what's your next step in moving forward with them? Have any of the suggestions above spurred you on to think more creatively in terms of how you rest and work at the same time? Is there a Student Pastor in your area that could hold you accountable for it? Talk to them about it.]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Don't Burn Out the Best (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/dont-burn-out-the-best-20540.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/dont-burn-out-the-best-20540.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:14:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Youth ministry doesn't work without people. You can have the best curriculum, the biggest room, the coolest stage, and the strongest vision in the world, but if you don't have volunteers, you don't have a ministry. You have a dream and a locked door.

Scripture figured this out long before we did. In Exodus 18, Moses is trying to lead an entire nation by himself. He's hearing every complaint, settling every dispute, and carrying every burden. Jethro watches this and finally says what everyone else is thinking: "What you are doing is not good. You and these people will certainly wear yourselves out." (Exodus 18:17-18). God never designed ministry to be done by one person. He designed it to be shared. And yet, most of us have experienced the opposite in youth ministry. Instead of one exhausted pastor, we have one exhausted volunteer.

Every ministry has one. The all-star. The ride-or-die leader. The one who never says no. They can drive the church van because they're old enough to be on the insurance. They can chaperone overnight trips. They're free on weeknights, weekends, and random Sundays when someone else bails. If there's a hole to fill, they're already stepping into it. They are the gold standard of what we dream every volunteer would be.

We lean on them because they're capable. We text them because they're available. We trust them because they're faithful, and before we know it, their name replaces our senior pastor's in our pinned messages. The trouble is that slowly and subtly, what started as commitment turns into overuse. They don't eventually burn out because they love Jesus less-they burn out because we keep giving them more.

So how do we keep our best volunteers healthy, joyful, and in ministry for the long haul?

Clarify the Win Most volunteers don't burn out because they're doing too much. They burn out because they never know when they're done. When expectations are vague, responsibility becomes endless. If the win is "help however you can," then there is no finish line. There's always another student to text, another night to cover, another trip to chaperone, another gap to fill. Over time, even the most faithful leader starts to feel like they're failing simply because the work never stops.

Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 14:8: "If the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?" When the call isn't clear, even faithful people don't know how to respond. They may have a decent direction, but without a clear path, it's easy to get lost.

Your best volunteers don't need more things to do. They need to know what success actually looks like. What does a win look like for a small group leader? Is it showing up consistently? Is it building relationships? Is it creating a safe place for students to be honest? When you don't define the win, your leaders will define it for themselves, and they will almost always set the bar impossibly high. That's where burnout is born.

Build a Bench You can have the number one draft pick in the league and still lose games. Every sports fan knows this. One superstar can put points on the board, but championships are won by teams with depth. These are people who can step in when someone is tired, injured, or having an off night. You don't just need a great starter. You need a strong bench. Ministry works the same way. You might have one incredible volunteer. They are a gift. But if your ministry depends on them doing everything, you're not building a team-you're riding a hero.

Paul told Timothy to entrust the work of ministry to faithful people who could teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). That's not just leadership development. It's bench-building. God designed ministry to be shared, multiplied, and distributed so no one person carries all the weight. When only one person can play a position, that person never really gets to rest. They can't miss a week. They can't step away. They can't say no without feeling like the whole ministry might fall apart.

Building a bench means training people before you need them. It means letting someone else run the drill. It means allowing things to be a little less polished so they can become more sustainable. Because healthy ministries are not built on irreplaceable people, they're built on teams where everyone has a role to play. Your best volunteers don't need to be your only players. They need teammates.

Give Permission to Rest Some of your best volunteers won't rest unless you tell them to. They love students too much. They love the ministry too much. And sometimes, they love being needed too much. So they keep saying yes even when they're empty. They keep showing up even when their joy is gone, and because they don't complain, no one notices until they quietly start pulling away. Jesus saw this in His own disciples. After a season of intense ministry, He told them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). That wasn't a suggestion. It was shepherding. Jesus knew that people who never stop giving eventually have nothing left to give.

When you give a leader permission to rest, you're protecting them! You're telling them that their soul matters more than their schedule, and that their presence is more valuable than their productivity. Rest doesn't weaken a ministry. It strengthens it. If your ministry can't survive without one person for a week, it won't survive with them for ten years.

Your best volunteers didn't sign up to just be used. They signed up to be part of something God was doing. They showed up because they love students, they believe in the mission, and they trust you to lead well. The great thing is that you don't have to choose between excellence and care. You don't have to choose between getting things done and doing things the right way because when you lead with clarity, build real teams, and give people permission to rest, you create a ministry that is not just effective but healthy. And healthy ministries last.

Some of the greatest fruit you will ever see won't come from what you personally accomplish, but from the people you protect, develop, and keep in the game. The goal isn't to squeeze every ounce of energy out of your best volunteers. So don't burn out the best. Lead them well and build something together that outlives all of you.



Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

What value do you place on rest for your volunteers? What about for yourself? What is one area of your ministry where you currently rely on a single superstar, and what is one concrete step you can take this month to start "building a bench" around them?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin? The Answer and the Way Back (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/is-sex-before-marriage-a-sin-the-answer-and-the-way-back-20530.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/is-sex-before-marriage-a-sin-the-answer-and-the-way-back-20530.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:03:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Is sex before marriage a sin? Every youth worker hears a version of that question. When kids sin by having premarital sex, they need hope and forgiveness.]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>Don't Give Your Family Your Leftovers (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/dont-give-your-family-your-leftovers-20541.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/dont-give-your-family-your-leftovers-20541.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:26:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Today, I shut my computer at church with plenty of work still unfinished. There were texts I hadn't answered, emails still sitting in my inbox, an upcoming retreat to plan, and students I needed to follow up with. I could have easily stayed another two hours and still found more to do.

But I went home.

I walked through the back door to music blaring from my kids' rooms, my husband working on a project in the garage, and a house full of people I love who needed something different from me. They didn't need the girls' minister. They needed their mom and wife to be engaged, intentional, and present.

And that's the tension, isn't it?

I know the familiar thoughts: "I should answer one more text." "I should prepare a little more." "I need to be available." "I can get One. More. Thing. Done." In ministry, there will always be one more thing we could do. But I've had to wrestle with the reality that my family doesn't need the version of me that's left after everyone else has had my best.

For years, I've said I don't really believe in work-life balance. Some weeks my family simply needs more of me. Other weeks, student ministry demands more: camp week, retreat weekends, or seasons when there is just a lot going on. I don't think the answer is trying to divide our time perfectly between the two. I think it's learning to recognize the season we're in and putting healthy rhythms in place that help us love our families well while still doing the ministry God has called us to do.

I wish I could tell you I do all of this really well, but I don't. Some weeks are better than others. But these are five things I keep coming back to when ministry starts taking over more of my life than it should.

Look Honestly at Your Calendar Practically speaking, look at your calendar. Really look. Your calendar reveals your priorities just as clearly as your bank account reveals what you spend your money on.

Sometimes we need to keep a one-week time log and ask ourselves, "Where is my time bleeding?" What distractions (I'm talking to you, social media) have become habits? Or what am I saying "yes" to that doesn't really matter?

We may find too much scrolling, unnecessary meetings, mindless television, online rabbit holes, or conversations that accomplish nothing. We all have the same 24 hours-even though, at times, we may beg God for thirty. Before we complain that there isn't enough time, we need an honest picture of how we're using the time we already have.

Schedule What Matters One of the most impactful things for my time management has been moving beyond a to-do list and using time blocking (Google it). Instead of writing "answer emails," "prepare lessons," or "meet with parents," I actually schedule time by blocking it out in my calendar to do those things.

Family time needs to go on our calendars too. That might mean scheduling dinner, date night, your daughter's volleyball game, or a walk with your spouse. Literally put 5:00-8:00 p.m. as "Family Time."

Then, when someone asks, "Are you available at six?" the answer isn't, "Technically, yes." No, you aren't available. You already have something important scheduled. Ministry can easily fill every available space. If your family only gets what's left on your calendar, they'll eventually begin to feel like what's left in your heart.

Learn to Say "No" Let me be honest: saying "no" is hard for me. I'm working on it, so please don't take this as an expert opinion! But saying "no" is not selfish; it's stewardship.

In the little book The Tyranny of the Urgent (1994), Charles E. Hummel describes the constant tension between the important and the urgent. He writes, "If you withstand the urgency of the moment, you can weigh the cost and discern whether the task is God's will for you." Ministry creates an almost endless supply of good things we can do, but good is not the same as necessary, and urgent is not the same as important.

One question I've been practicing lately is, "What am I saying no to when I say yes to this?" I'm also learning to give myself time before saying yes; to sit in the unknown for a bit before committing to something that may not fit with God's will for my life.

Don't Give Them the Leftovers I can remember seasons when student ministry got my best energy, my coworkers received my best attention, ministry got my creativity and emotional capacity, and my family got what was left over.

I don't want that for me, and I don't want that for you.

When you go home, sometimes leave your laptop at work. Turn your phone on silent. Look your family members in the face and ask questions. Don't just go home; be home.

Sometimes we need to recognize, "I've been giving my family the leftovers." Maybe that means leaving work a little early or putting something on pause, so your family knows they are valued and important.

That's not failure in ministry. That's recognizing a season and adjusting accordingly.

Bring Your Family Along Lastly, work and family don't always have to compete. There are beautiful opportunities for them to overlap. Bring your spouse and children and let them serve alongside you. Bring students home to sit around your dinner table, watch movies, or have a cookout. Pray for students together. Bring your family to camp, retreats, mission trips, or events when you can.

And communicate. Be honest about busy seasons. Ask your family to pray for you and encourage you. Then tell them, "When this is over, we're going to have some family time because you are my priority."

Sometimes one of the healthiest things we can do is invite our family to join us on mission and in ministry.

I still don't believe perfect work-life balance exists. Some seasons will require more from our families, while others will require more from our ministries.

Maybe the goal isn't getting this perfectly right. Maybe it's more of what Paul encourages us to do in Colossians 3:23: to do everything as unto the Lord. So with our family, this looks like paying better attention: to where our time is going, to what we're saying yes to, and especially to the people waiting for us at home.

I know I won't always get it right, and neither will you. But I want to do ministry well without looking back one day and realizing that the people I love most only got what was left of me. For me, that's what I'm after: being faithful to the family He's given me and faithful to the ministry God has given me too.




Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: 

If your calendar really does reveal your priorities, what does yours say is most important to you right now? Is there an area where ministry has been getting your best, and your family has been getting what's left? What is one change you could make this week?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Everyday Evangelism for Students (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/everyday-evangelism-for-students-20542.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/everyday-evangelism-for-students-20542.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:36:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[You've seen the moment before: a student lingers after the youth group, the room is louder than usual, or something's on their mind. You can feel it, but what do you do with it, and where do you start? Do you wait for them to speak? Do you change the subject? Do you panic internally because you're not sure you have the "right words"? Do you hurry to gather other information about them before they come and talk to you? For many of us, evangelism lives in that tension between opportunity and uncertainty. We know we're called to share the Gospel, but in real-life moments with real students, it can feel unclear, forced, or even intimidating.

Evangelism isn't about having perfect answers. It's about having a simple, repeatable pathway centered on the core framework of relationship. That's where this framework changes everything: Initiate. Invite. Involve. It's not flashy. It's not complicated. But it is deeply biblical, highly practical, and incredibly effective in the everyday rhythms of student ministry. In this blog, I want to share with you this evangelism framework that we've seen make a huge difference in our ministry.

INITIATE: Take the first step. Stop waiting, start the conversation. One of the biggest misconceptions about evangelism is that it begins when someone asks us a spiritual question. But Scripture shows the opposite: evangelism often begins when we move first. Jesus didn't wait for perfect conditions. He stepped into conversations, crossed social boundaries, and met people exactly where they were. Jesus initiated the conversations!

John 4:1-10 - Jesus initiates the conversation with the Samaritan woman. John 5:6-8 - Jesus sees the man by the pool and goes to him. Luke 19:5-10 - Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name and invites Himself over. But initiating isn't forcing-it's noticing. A simple rhythm to help in the process of initiating the conversation is this:

Showing genuine interest Asking thoughtful questions Listening without rushing to fix or preach Repeat by showing interest in their response That's it. No script. No pressure. Just intentional presence and attention to the relationship with that person. Initiating communicates value before you ever share truth. And here's the encouragement we all need to hear: You don't have to have all the answers; you just have to take the first step.

INVITE: Call people to respond - to come, follow, believe, or repent. If Initiate is where evangelism begins, the next step of invite is where it gains clarity and purpose. Too often, youth ministry conversations stay vague:

"God loves you." "You're not alone." "Things will get better." Those things are true, but incomplete. At some point, evangelism requires a clear invitation to respond, just like Jesus did! Jesus and the Apostles did this constantly. It was not a passive invitation; it involved a clear direction and response.

Matthew 4:18-20 - Jesus says, "Follow me." John 1:35-52 - Jesus says, "Come and see." Acts 2:23-38 - Peter calls the people to believe, repent, and be baptized. Consider this idea: invitation is already part of their language. Students invite each other to things all the time! This is not an introduction to something foreign, but it is redirecting something familiar within our world toward a Gospel-centered mission. Jesus and the apostles called for a direct, clear response. For us, Gospel-centered invitations can sound like: "Would you want to come to church with me this week?" or "Jesus changed my life. Would you want to know how He can change yours?"

At its core, the invitation is simple. Invite someone to respond today! 

INVOLVE: Don't stop at the moment. Bring them into community and discipleship. I believe this last step is where many people unintentionally fall short. A person opens up. You have a great conversation. That person responds to the invitation. And then... nothing changes. No follow-up. No deeper connection. No next steps. It is almost like that person is then passed on to the pastor who does the "real discipleship," or just left in God's hands on the spiritual growth train.

But evangelism doesn't end at a decision; it moves into discipleship and community.

Matthew 28:19-20 - Jesus' command is to make disciples, baptize, and teach them. Acts 2:42-47 - the early church was involved in each other's lives. Hebrews 10:24-25 - Do not stop meeting together, do things together! Jesus' calling of His disciples was not just about carefully thought-out decisions, but about a plan to involve them in what discipleship is. The early church belonged together and were unified around the same invitation they had accepted: to be in community. The writer of Hebrews encourages believers that we are to do things together! And here's a key theological statement about this: Involvement is bringing them into your life. Students need formation more than just information. They need a sense of belonging, and sometimes the biggest barrier isn't their willingness; it's our availability.

Why this matters, and the response can be "I can do this!" Today's students are navigating a plethora of mental confusions and battles. Anxiety, identity confusion, loneliness, and constant digital noise. They don't need a more complicated evangelism strategy. They need present, intentional leaders (YOU) who are willing to:

Start the conversation Clearly call them to Jesus Walk with them afterward That's what makes Initiate. Invite. Involve. so powerful. It takes evangelism out of the abstract and places it directly into everyday ministry moments, centered on the relationships we already have and will form. This isn't a stage strategy or 3-week sermon series; it's a lifestyle that will greatly impact your witness and amazement of the Gospel.

If you're feeling the weight of "doing evangelism right," let me encourage you: you don't need to be perfect; you need to be intentional!




Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Where in my current ministry am I waiting instead of initiating, and what's one simple step I can take this week to start a meaningful conversation? Am I stopping at conversations, or am I intentionally inviting students to respond and involving them in ongoing discipleship? What needs to change?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>How to Prepare for First-Time Guests (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/how-to-prepare-for-first-time-guests-20543.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/how-to-prepare-for-first-time-guests-20543.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:26:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA["Hey, thanks for visiting our church. We're so glad you're here." This is a phrase we all hope to hear at our churches. Having first-timers in our student ministries is a really big deal because there are a million and one things a student could be doing instead of trying out our churches for the first time. Visitors at church can feel awkward. It's a new place, there are people they don't know, and they probably don't know you as the leader or pastor.

We all love having first-time guests in our church. Especially when we find out they are there because a friend or someone in the student ministry invited them. So, how do we prepare for first-time guests? What are the steps we should take? How do we realize the importance of it? So, here are a few tips to help you before, during, and after first-time guests come to your church.

Tip #1: Prepare for Them This sounds obvious, right? But if you want first-time guests, be ready for them before they actually come through the doors of your church. Don't be caught by surprise. Walk in your youth room or church or wherever a first-time guest would come and try to think, see, and hear as they would. Imagine what it would be like to be 12-18 years old and show up to your church for the first time. Ask questions like:

When first-time guests show up on church property, do they know where to go? Do we need some type of signage or banner to help direct them? Does their parent have to check them in? Who will be the first person to make a point of contact with them? What will that person say? Do I want to have a first-time guest gift for them? Do they need to fill out a form? Should I have someone give them a brief overview of the night? What is the plan if they don't know anybody in our church? How will they get connected, and who will do that? Do I have students who can immediately take a guest into the room and help them feel welcome? What do I do after the night is over? Who follows up with them, and how do I follow up with them? Does our church website and social media provide a new digital front door for people to find out information about our ministry? These are all helpful questions to get your mind and ministry prepared to welcome a guest. Get your leaders or students together and think through these things.

In our ministry, we have adults and student leaders at the door to help greet, and we have students check in every night. If someone is a first-time guest, they have a guest area where they check in and an adult is right there with them, greeting them and telling them about our ministry. They also will help them get connected with a staff member or a student in their grade to help them feel welcome and connected to students. They also get a gift bag at the end of the service with more information on the church and a coupon for a free t-shirt on their 2nd visit back to our church.

Tip # 2: Collect Information Gathering some contact information for first-timers is very important. Number one, it shows them that you actually care enough about them to learn more about them this way, but it also allows you to follow up with them outside of that specific time. When you collect information on them, you need to do something with it, or they could feel like their visit with you didn't matter. In our church, when we have first-timers, they have to check in at our guest area, and we have an iPad on a stand that students will fill out. Below is the information we put on our guest form:

Name Address E-mail Mobile Phone Parent Phone Birthday Gender Parent Names Grade School Name Do you want to receive text messages from our ministry text alerts? If you came with a friend today, who is it? Are you involved in another church somewhere? These are just some ideas to help you get the right data. There are several times when a student (middle school specifically) does not know the information above, so do your best to at least have one means of communication for the follow-up process, which leads to the 3rd step.

Tip # 3: Follow-Up Once a student visits, it's very important that follow-up happens quickly and clearly. If you collect information at the time of the visit, you can follow up within 24 hours. The follow-up part helps make students not feel forgotten. Use the information you collect to the advantage of your ministry. This can look in a couple of different steps. The first step is to send a personal postcard to them thanking them for coming and that we hope they had a great time and hope to see them again soon. Second, use another adult or volunteer who helps send their contact information to their small group leader, who can then send them a text, e-mail, or phone call within 48 hours of that student's visit. This allows them to hear from a staff leader and a small group leader within 2 days of their visit.

Follow-up is a huge part of guest ministry. One thing to consider for a first-time guest is making a personal connection with that student's parent. This allows you to introduce yourself, tell them about your ministry, thank them for bringing their son/daughter, and help create a relationship with the parents in the ministry. Having strong relationships with parents helps create a culture of buy-in and trust for the ministry, which can often lead to parents being big advocates for the student ministry to other parents you might not be able to reach! 

Tip # 4: Next Steps It's great to have students come once as a guest, but what about getting them outside of the visitor seat and into an actual part of your ministry? There must be some next steps to help get them connected. Maybe this means if they come on Wednesday, their next step is to come on a Sunday morning and get connected that way. Maybe there's a big event coming up, and you can get them signed up for that. Maybe the next step is that they want to join a discipleship group or begin to serve in the church in some way. Whatever next steps your church can have or establish for students will be a great way to move them out of the visitor seat and into a student actively involved in your ministry and calling your church "home." 

Creating a visitor-friendly culture is at the core of reaching new students and reaching the lost. You must think intentionally about this area. Be prepared for when the next first-time guest comes through the doors of your church, and you will look fantastic to them and their parents! These few tips can make a huge impact on your ministry and get you thinking more intentionally about how to reach first-time guests and what to do when you do reach them.




Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

What do you do for first-time guests in your ministry? What do they remember about their first visit? What do you think students think when they walk into your church's doors for the first time? How can you improve that?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Navigating Conflict in Youth Ministry (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/navigating-conflict-in-youth-ministry-20544.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/navigating-conflict-in-youth-ministry-20544.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:59:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you think the ministry or the church should go in one direction, and a fellow staff member, a pastor, or your supervisor thinks something completely different should happen? Or maybe you've been at youth group or on a trip, and a volunteer leader says or does something that leads students in the exact opposite direction from the one you are trying to lead. Or maybe a parent isn't happy with a decision you made or something you taught their teenager, and they make sure to let you, other parents, and your pastor know about it. Or finally, maybe you've found yourself having to correct or discipline a student for their behavior, and that interaction didn't go particularly well.

If you've been in youth ministry for any amount of time, you've probably experienced at least one of these situations. In my 30+ years of youth ministry, I've experienced all of them, and more. The reality is simple: ministry involves people. And people, me included, are imperfect and sinful. When you bring together staff members, volunteers, parents, and teenagers, you're going to have differing opinions, misunderstandings, and moments where people run into each other relationally. Conflict is inevitable. The goal of ministry isn't to avoid conflict altogether. That's impossible. The goal is to learn how to navigate conflict in a healthy, Christ-honoring way that protects relationships and strengthens the ministry God has entrusted to us.

Over the years, I've found that conflicts tend to fall into a few common categories.

Conflicts with Staff: Conflict among staff members can be some of the most challenging because these are the people you work closely with every day. When you care deeply about ministry, it's natural to have strong opinions about what should happen and how things should be done. One of the most important things to remember in these moments is to understand the nature of the relationship and submit when appropriate. If someone is your supervisor or pastor, part of serving well is recognizing their leadership and trusting the role God has given them in the life of the church. It's also helpful to remember that you rarely have the full picture. Leaders above you are often carrying information, perspectives, and pressures that you may not see. A decision that feels frustrating or confusing in the moment might actually make more sense when viewed through a broader lens. That doesn't mean you can't share your thoughts or advocate for your ideas. Healthy teams benefit from honest conversations. But once those conversations happen, unity matters. Supporting the direction of the team (even when it isn't your preferred direction) builds trust and strengthens the ministry as a whole.

Conflicts with Volunteers: Volunteers are one of the greatest gifts to any youth ministry. They give their time, energy, and love to invest in students, and most of them are doing it simply because they care deeply about teenagers and about Jesus. Because of that, it's important to lead volunteers with both clarity and gratitude. Many conflicts with volunteers can be avoided by setting expectations early. Be clear about your vision for the ministry, what your leaders' roles are, and where the boundaries are. When people know what is expected of them, it becomes much easier for everyone to stay aligned. At the same time, leadership always flows best through relationships. When volunteers know you care about them (not just what they do), they are far more open to guidance and correction if it becomes necessary. That relational equity matters. And remember: these men and women are volunteers. They are choosing to give their time to serve. Honor that gift and express gratitude often. But clarity and kindness don't mean avoiding hard conversations. As the leader, part of your role is protecting the culture and the direction of the ministry God has entrusted to you. When something threatens that culture, it's appropriate to address it with firmness and grace.

Conflicts with Parents: Parents can sometimes be the most emotionally charged area of conflict in youth ministry, and for good reason. We are talking about their children. These are the people they love more than anyone else in the world. At the end of the day, parents get to decide what is best for their kids. That reality should shape how we approach every conversation with them. It's also wise to remember that we rarely know the full story of what's happening inside a family's home. A parent's frustration may be connected to pressures, fears, or struggles we can't see from the outside. Because of that, it's important to approach parents with humility and empathy. Validate their role as the primary spiritual influence in their child's life. Communicate that you want to partner with them, not compete with them. At the same time, you are still called to lead. A single unhappy parent cannot be allowed to derail the vision God has given for the ministry or the direction the church has set. Listening well, communicating clearly, and staying grounded in the mission helps keep those moments from becoming larger than they need to be.

Conflicts with Students: And of course, sometimes conflict happens with the very people we're trying to serve, students themselves. Teenagers are still learning how to navigate emotions, relationships, and responsibility. When they make poor choices or need correction, those conversations can sometimes get tense. In those moments, one of the most important things you can communicate is this: You are loved, and I care about what's best for you. Students need to know that correction doesn't mean rejection. Discipline in youth ministry should always be rooted in care for the student, not frustration with their behavior. Even when boundaries have to be set, it's important to help students feel that they still belong in the group and are valued in the community. A difficult conversation should never make a student feel like they no longer have a place. And after a conflict happens, take intentional steps to restore the relationship. A simple conversation, a quick check-in, or even just a normal interaction at the next gathering can go a long way toward reminding a student that the relationship still matters.

Conflict will happen, but it doesn't have to define the relationship. No matter who the conflict involves, the posture of our leadership should always remain the same. We need to lead with grace. We have to work to embrace what Scripture says in James 1:19. We are to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. When we handle conflict this way, we not only protect relationships, but we also model the very Gospel we are trying to teach.




Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Which kind of conflict tends to be the hardest for you to handle, and what do you think makes it so difficult? Looking back at a conflict you didn't handle as well as you'd have liked, what would being "quick to listen and slow to speak" have changed about how it went?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>4 Questions to Ask your Student Leaders (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/4-questions-to-ask-your-student-leaders-20545.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/4-questions-to-ask-your-student-leaders-20545.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 07:02:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Developing student leaders can seem daunting to many student pastors, and many of us don't feel prepared to take it on. Many of us are good at engaging in conversation with our students to encourage them to step into leadership roles. In this blog, I'd like to look at how we equip our students for leadership.

I've come to define leadership development as a series of ongoing conversations. Like any good conversation, there is the initial point of connection, which I call engaging, and then we get to the heart of that conversation. The longer you find yourself in these leadership conversations, the deeper your relationship with your student grows, and the deeper the relationship, the better the conversation is. When it comes to engaging and equipping leaders, there has to be a personal touch to the process. If engaging people with leadership opportunities is the beginning of the conversation, equipping is the follow-up questions we ask throughout the journey. I'd like to give you some of those questions I ask my students. These are questions I constantly ask of all my student leaders, but especially new leaders or those stepping into new roles.

1. What Do You Feel Went Well? What Didn't? I typically ask this question after someone has done something for the first time, but that's not always the case. This can be a helpful question to ask after any leadership task has been completed. At this point, affirm the things they did well and coach them on the things they didn't. Have a conversation with them that is both life-giving and helps them grow for the next time they have to step into that role. Taking in their feelings in this way may seem trivial, but it's important because you're considering their thoughts and emotions. After a student engages in something unfamiliar, they're in an extremely vulnerable position. Make sure to take some time to help them process these feelings.

2. What Did You Learn? Whether it's stepping onto the stage to speak for the first time or making plans for an upcoming event that they've done a few times already, there's always something leaders can learn to improve their leadership. Asking your students this question forces them to think about how it went and process any takeaways they may have learned. Self-evaluation is a necessary step for any leader, especially young leaders who want to grow. It's not always easy, and sometimes it requires some tough honesty, but it's part of the growth process.

3. What Are You Going to Do with What You've Learned? It's one thing to recognize what we've learned and another to apply that knowledge to our lives. Knowledge is a great tool, but we won't benefit from it unless we seek to use it. For instance, if a student discovered that they weren't as clear in their communication as they believed they were, they now need to apply that knowledge to improve their communication skills. If not, the next time they find themselves in that role, they'll repeat the same mistake. If they choose to take what they've learned and apply it, they'll be a much better communicator the next time they need it.

4. What Can I Do to Support You? This is more of a traditional idea of equipping leaders. "What resource or resources do you need to help you lead better?" Many times, that resource is going to be you. To stick with the communication example from earlier, if you're a good communicator, you can coach that student in their communication skills. It may be something as simple as talking slower or louder, but it might take a little more intentional coaching. When we ask, "How can I support you?" and actually follow up on that need, it builds confidence and trust in your students. They need to know you have their backs and that you'll be a safety net for them if their wings don't work just yet. Every time you "catch and coach" someone you lead, their confidence in you and themselves grows.

Personally, I'll give constructive criticism and guidance throughout this whole journey. But I've learned that if students reach answers to these questions themselves instead of being fed the answers, what they learn really sticks.

Equipping your student leaders isn't about having all the right answers; it's about being consistent, present, and asking the right questions alongside them as they continue to grow.



Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Think through the continuing conversations you need to have with those in student leadership and those you'd like to bring into student leadership. How can you help them along the journey of growing as a leader? What are some ways you can "catch and coach" your students? What can you do to help your leaders recognize their growth areas on their own instead of just giving them the answers? Do you have any resources on hand that you think might be helpful for them?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Battling the Fall Doldrums (Part 2) (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/battling-the-fall-doldrums-part-2-20528.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/battling-the-fall-doldrums-part-2-20528.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 03:44:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Overcoming the fall doldrums will give you a new pattern and rhythm to your ministry and will encourage your students.]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>Battling the Fall Doldrums (Part 1) (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/battling-the-fall-doldrums-part-1-20529.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/battling-the-fall-doldrums-part-1-20529.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 03:31:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The fall doldrums refer to the short season after the end of summer and back-to-school season and before the Christmas holiday ramp-up.]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>The 3 E's of Leadership (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/the-3-es-of-leadership-20546.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/the-3-es-of-leadership-20546.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:23:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As a Youth Pastor, you have the potential to influence many people's lives throughout your ministry. If you're intentional about making interpersonal connections with the parents, students, and staff, your ministry can tremendously impact future generations. However, if you are not deliberate in building relationships with students and families, your ministry impact will be minimal.

I have known pastors who have given very little effort in building relationships within their church, and it has hindered their ministry. When the time comes for their transition away from the church, their exit is met with a shrug from the congregation.

The depth of the impact you have on the people within the context of your local church is directly connected to the level of your relationship trust. Therefore, how can we increase our relationship trust within the church and have a greater impact through our leadership?

1. Be Early Showing up to meetings, appointments, and gatherings early will increase the trust that people have in your leadership. Showing up early to a lunch with a parent, staff meetings, a student leadership council meeting, a volunteer training session, and even Sunday morning worship gatherings communicates to the people under your watch that you care and can be trusted.

Being early shows that you care about them as a person, respect their time, and are disciplined with your own schedule. Leaders: Early is on time. On-time is late. If a meeting starts at 6:00 p.m., and you show up at 6:05 p.m., it communicates to others that you either don't care or can't budget your time wisely. Your volunteers make sacrifices in their lives to serve the church. A simple common courtesy is for you, the leader, to show up early.

Side note: Sometimes, being late to a meeting or an appointment is outside your control. However, as a leader, it should be a rare occurrence - not a typical pattern or habit of your life.I live in a city almost completely surrounded by railroad crossings. The lament of our community is the frustration of idle trains blocking roads. However, as a leader who wants to be effective in my leadership, I leave for appointments early to avoid getting stuck behind a train. As a leader, budget time in your schedule to anticipate the surprise hiccup in your travel. *Quick Tip*: By arriving early to meetings, you will have extra time to catch up on reading books. Redeem the time you wait for people by reading a leadership, marriage, or ministry book. I have completed many books by simply showing up early to meetings with a book in my hand. 

2. Be Eager Several years ago, a friend of mine spoke at a chapel service for the New Orleans Saints football team. Sitting on the front row, leaning forward, eyes up, and with an open notebook and pen in his hand was the starting quarterback for the Saints, Drew Brees. Drew's eagerness set the tone for the rest of the team in the room. As the leader, his teammates were watching him model what leadership looks like.

People are watching you lead. The attitude you carry into meetings with your students and volunteer leaders sets the tone for the culture of your ministry. Showing up to gatherings lethargic, distracted, or disinterested communicates loud and clear to the people you lead. The leader's attitude sets the tone for the culture of their ministry.

If you spend your time in a staff meeting playing on your phone, constantly yawning, or staring out the window, your team will become frustrated, and your influence will diminish. When you go to meetings, show up with a positive attitude, excitement about the mission, and the joy of the Lord. As a leader, your passion for the Gospel and the work that God has called you to will infect those around you. 

*Quick Tip*: During the meeting, write down ideas you have, memorable quotes you hear, or dreams you have for your ministry in a notebook. People will note your engagement and eagerness and will follow your lead. 

3. Be Equipped School teachers can easily tell whether or not a student has completed their homework. The quality of their work and the preparation for the classroom are revealed in how well they know the material. If leaders show up to meetings unprepared, our students and volunteers will know it. As leaders, we must show up to meetings and appointments equipped to lead, contribute, serve, teach, and counsel.

Due diligence before the meeting will increase your leadership trust from your volunteers long after the meeting. When you are equipped with your preparation work completed, it will increase your leadership trust from your volunteers.

Leadership is hard, but it doesn't have to be complicated. By showing up early, eager, and equipped to do the work, you will increase leadership trust within your church and ministry.



Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

What do you currently do to be early, eager, and equipped in your ministry setting? Which of these three E's do you struggle with the most? What small habits can you put into place that might help strengthen that area of your ministry?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Three Principles (Deep Thoughts by Gman)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/three-principles-20527.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/three-principles-20527.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 02:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Paul wrote, "I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14 



Three Principles that governed Paul's journeys and can apply to us today. They are:



Dependence on God
Acts 13:1-4 tells us Paul was intentional in his reliance on God. His choices were the result of God's promptings. This dependence also enabled Paul to demonstrate joyful perseverance in his travels. Prison couldn't dampen his praise (Acts 16:25). Even when he had been stoned and left for dead, he "got up and went back into the city" (Acts 14:20).We can also depend on the Lord to empower us during difficult circumstances.



No Lone Rangers
Paul understood the value of companions and teamwork. In Acts 9, Ananias restored his sight and Barnabas introduced Paul to the other apostles. On all three of his recorded missionary journeys, Paul traveled with at least one companion. E Paul did not journey alone. Journeying with others provides encouragement and accountability.



Humility
Despite his confidence, Paul had an attitude of humility. He considered himself "the least" of the Lord's people (Ephesians 3:8). Paul was a powerful speaker, but he relied on the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit rather than on persuasive words. We also need humility when relating to others. When we demonstrate humility before God, our traveling companions, and those we serve, God receives all the glory.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO]]></description>
<author>fess2@juno.com</author>
<category>Blog</category></item>
<item>
<title>Character Before Leadership (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/character-before-leadership-20547.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/character-before-leadership-20547.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:27:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I have to admit that I don't find Christian leadership books, articles, or conferences all that interesting. They're rarely the first things I'm drawn to. That's not because I think leadership is unimportant. Quite the opposite. I've worked under poor leadership before, and it was exhausting, chaotic, and discouraging. It was draining. Any joy I experienced was dried up. There was no momentum and no trust. The church I serve now is filled with healthy (not perfect), thoughtful leaders, and I genuinely love being part of that team. Leadership matters. It shapes cultures. It affects people deeply.

And yet, despite all of that, leadership stuff just doesn't get me going.

I think part of this hesitation comes from watching many pastors slowly drift into what I'd call becoming "professional church managers." They're often incredibly competent. They know how to run a church, organize programs, cast vision, build teams, and move people. They speak fluently in leadership language and can deliver a well-timed one-liner about influence, growth, or systems. They know how leaders are formed and how platforms are built.

And let me be clear, none of those things are inherently bad. I have to do them. And in many ways, they're helpful. The problem arises when leadership begins to take center stage in ways I don't think Scripture ever intended.

At times, it feels like the Bible is being subtly hijacked to support leadership frameworks rather than allowing Scripture to shape and transform the leader. Jesus and the disciples are reframed primarily as a leadership development model. The Gospels are treated like a leadership manual, as if Jesus' primary goal was to train a high-capacity leadership team rather than to form hearts that loved God and people.

But when Jesus confronted the Pharisees, or even His own disciples, He didn't accuse them of being ineffective leaders. He didn't rebuke them for lacking strategy or influence. He went after something far deeper. He went after their hearts. "Why do you question these things in your hearts?" (Mark 2:8). Jesus consistently exposed internal motives, misplaced desires, and hidden pride. His concern wasn't image management or leadership effectiveness; it was character transformation.

That's what makes me wonder if we're avoiding something uncomfortable.

Is it possible that the enormous amount of time, energy, and even money we invest in becoming great leaders is actually hurting our growth in character? Could it be that our obsession with leadership development is quietly competing with the slow, hidden work of disciple-making? Leadership is visible. Character is not. Leadership gets applause. Character gets tested in private.

It's hard to ignore these questions when we regularly watch pastors, leaders, and even Christian authors, people many of us admire, experience very public and painful falls. And when you look closely, the issue is rarely a lack of leadership skill or ability. It's almost always a lack of character. Their gifting outpaced their formation. Their platform grew faster than their soul.

The uncomfortable truth is that it's entirely possible to do "successful" ministry without deep character. Churches can grow. Programs can thrive. Crowds can gather. But God has never been impressed by shallow success, and He has never been interested in shallow messengers. The message of Jesus is weighty, holy, and life-altering. It deserves messengers whose lives are being shaped by it from the inside out.

And if we're honest, our students can sense the difference. They don't need more charismatic leaders with perfect answers. They need a faith that has meaning. They need adults whose lives are consistent with their words. They don't want leaders who merely talk about Jesus or teach about Jesus. They want to see what that looks like. They want to know if you had to sit down and describe what Jesus was like, you could do it based on the conversations that you've had with him, not the systematic theology book you studied.

Maybe the question we need to ask isn't, "How can I become a better leader?" but "Who am I becoming when no one is watching?" Because in the end, leadership may build a ministry, but character sustains us through the real-life challenges.

That said, this isn't a call to abandon leadership or pretend it doesn't matter. Leadership is still important. Our students need direction, clarity, courage, and people willing to step up, take responsibility, and make hard decisions. Healthy leadership creates safe environments for our students, and it protects the vulnerable.

But the kind of leadership our students need cannot be manufactured by skill alone. It has to be formed deeply, and it's something only God can form in us. Character is what shapes leadership that is trustworthy, humble, and resilient. Character determines how a leader uses influence and success, and how they respond, not react, when things don't go their way. Without character, leadership eventually becomes about control, image, or self-preservation. With character, leadership becomes about service, sacrifice, and love.

In fact, character is what actually produces the leaders our students are longing for. Students don't just follow competence; they follow integrity. They are drawn to leaders who are consistent, repentant, and emotionally healthy. When students see leaders who are being transformed by Jesus, who listen well (James 1:19), confess sin (1 John 1:9), treat others with dignity (John 9:1-12), and remain faithful in unseen places (2 Timothy 1:6-8), they begin to imagine that kind of life for themselves.

If we want to raise up the next generation of leaders, the best thing we can do is prioritize our own formation. Leadership skills can be taught, and we need to learn them and teach them. But character is about proximity to Jesus. It's slow. It's honest work in our hearts, and when it's done over time, leadership doesn't disappear; it's strengthened. It becomes the kind of leadership that points away from itself and toward Christ.

And that kind of leadership is exactly what our students need.




Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Where am I currently investing more energy? Developing my leadership or allowing Jesus to shape my character? (Hint: look at your weekly calendar because it tells you what you prioritize) What practices, habits, or distractions need to be eliminated so that my influence flows from intimacy with Jesus rather than performance?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>A Youth Pastor's Back To School Challenge (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/a-youth-pastors-back-to-school-challenge-20548.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/a-youth-pastors-back-to-school-challenge-20548.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:19:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As the summer sun begins to set and the excitement of another school year begins, it's time for youth pastors to take advantage of the reality that school is back! Take a second and close your eyes to picture a new school year through the lens of a student. You've got many who are hoping for a fresh start, some who are brand new to that school, and many who are simply hoping to make it through another year of school.

As students head back to school, let me encourage you with a back-to-school challenge of your own. I know you've got a bunch of things piling up on your plate as you kick off the new school year, but let's not forget local schools. My hope is that this personal back-to-school challenge will ignite a passion and purpose for your local schools.

Challenge Number 1: Pray For a Local School I'm sure many of you have multiple schools that pour into your church, and that's awesome. Some of you might only have one local school that pours into your church, and that's great too! No matter what the surrounding school context is for you, pick a local school to pray for. Commit to intercede on behalf of that school all year long. Pray as you drive past it, pray as you think about it, pray in your office, park in the parking lot, and pray once a week on campus, or invite others to pray with you. Simply pray. There are tons of things to pray for as you think about the school. Things like students, staff, safety, God's light to shine, open doors for ministry, friendship, unity, etc. Charles Spurgeon, the famous prince of preachers, once said, "No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me." Challenge number 1 is to pray for a local school.

Challenge Number 2: Serve a Local School There are many ways to serve a local school. In the past, I've had leaders at church who provided a free meal to teachers and staff. I've gathered a crew to do landscaping and beautification of the property. And I've had a team go in and help decorate classrooms and set up offices before students return to school. I'd encourage you to reach out to a local principal or teacher and find out how you can serve a local school. The catch here is to do it with no strings attached. You're not looking for anything out of it other than simply blessing them and serving them. Over time, if you continue to serve a local school with no strings attached, you will find a strong partnership built that will open the door to exciting ministry opportunities. A simple way you can do this is to pick a weekday morning and take up bagels, coffee, and a fruit tray. Teachers love free food. Challenge number 2 is to serve a local school.

Challenge Number 3: Participate In a Local School I love this one. As your relationship begins to grow with a local school, find ways to participate there. Find ways where you become a "regular" there, and people know you because you're always around. If they have a local FCA, YCI, or Bible club, find a way to plug into that. Look for ways to partner with coaches and school teams. Buy a school all-sports pass and show up to as many games as you can. I know of some youth workers who have even been given permission from the church to be a substitute teacher. These are great ways to participate in a local school. The goal would be for you to be there and to be known by those at the school so that you can have new ministry opportunities. Challenge number 3 is to participate in a local school.

So, as your students are all headed back to school, in some way, it's kind of like you are too. Now, some of you might have a hard time with challenge number 2 or 3 because your local schools don't allow church staff to do things on campus. If that's your case, you can still do challenge number 1, and your prayer points will get really specific so that God might open a door.

Lastly, the goal of a back-to-school challenge isn't to see it automatically grow your youth group overnight. It's to be a steadfast presence in a local school for long-term ministry opportunities! So don't lose heart if your school ministry doesn't have a direct impact on your youth group. School ministry IS Kingdom-building ministry. Hang your hat on that truth! I hope that this year, you are able to be part of some incredible and new school ministry opportunities!



Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

What are some simple ways you could begin to pray for a local school? Who do you know in administration at a local school that could help you find ways to serve and participate in a local school?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Rethinking Worship Services (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/rethinking-worship-services-20550.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/rethinking-worship-services-20550.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:45:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Youth ministry has an unwritten rule of what every worship service should look like. A game, a few announcements, 3 songs, and a 30-minute sermon. We build it this way, hoping students will find a place to worship God together and grow in their faith. And for most of us, it works fine. But what if we mixed it up every once in a while? What if we tapped into ways of worship that might be new or out of the ordinary to a lot of our students?

Here are three ideas to try.

Prayer Walks Start the service with a 3-5 minute lesson on prayer. Keep it simple. A basic definition goes a long way. It's fair to assume that some of your students have literally never prayed or heard someone pray out loud.

Then release them into the prayer walk. Hang 8-10 papers around the room with different prayer prompts and focuses. Add a topic, a Bible verse, and a few ways to pray for each situation. Let students move at their own pace and take a seat when they're done.

Pro tip: play instrumental music so it is not awkwardly silent.

Group Projects Remember doing a group project in school that ended in a presentation? For some reason, those stick with us. What if you brought that same energy into a service to boost participation?

Try splitting students into groups. Pick a topic, such as Psalms or parables, and give each group a different passage, along with a poster board and markers. Then give them a short list of things to put on the board.

A few ideas:

Draw a picture of what happened Summarize the passage in 2 sentences Write down 1 thing you learned about God There are many other things that could be done in this format, but you get the idea. Make sure you have leaders in those groups. You don't want a student feeling embarrassed because they didn't know what to say about a passage.

Pro tip: Consider having Study Bibles available for groups to provide commentary and application.

Chapter Annotation I hated annotating in English class, but I have to admit it helped me. It's a creative way to help students dig into the text and pick up some skills for reading their Bible on their own.

Print off a chapter of Scripture, one copy per student, and hand out a pen and highlighter. Give simple instructions: highlight what you love, circle what confuses you, jot down two questions, start something you'd never heard before. Give them time to work through it on their own, then open it up for the group to share what they found. Use that time to walk through the chapter yourself and keep pointing students back to engaging with Scripture for themselves.

Try Something New Mixing things up every once in a while brings fresh energy into the room and challenges students to think about their own relationship with God in a new way. You don't have to overhaul your whole program. Just try one of these next month and see what happens. Be willing to explore, try new things, and have fun!



Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Which of these three ideas feels like the best fit for where your students are right now, and why? What's one part of your service that feels routine? What would it look like to shake that up this month?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>6 Back-to-School Conversation Starters (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/6-back-to-school-conversation-starters-20525.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/6-back-to-school-conversation-starters-20525.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:36:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Try these back-to-school conversation starters to invite youth into more substantial discussions. Don't be afraid to go deeper!]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>Getting Ready for the School Year (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/getting-ready-for-the-school-year-20526.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/getting-ready-for-the-school-year-20526.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:02:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As you're getting ready for the school year, have you thought about how the changes will impact your family?]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>10 Signs You Belong to a Healthy Church (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/10-signs-you-belong-to-a-healthy-church-20524.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/10-signs-you-belong-to-a-healthy-church-20524.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:34:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[When you plug into a church that is getting it done, it's a true blessing.]]></description>
<author>editorial@churchleaders.com</author>
<category>Articles</category></item>
<item>
<title>You're A Shepherd First (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/youre-a-shepherd-first-20549.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/youre-a-shepherd-first-20549.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:37:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[I get it. I've been there. Some days, you're trading out one hat for another as you prepare for the events ahead. Whether you're wearing the pizza party hat for the senior girls, the preaching hat on a Sunday morning or during a midweek service, or the janitor's hat because Sean spilled another Sprite in the Worship Center, the ministry calendar doesn't ever stop. Somewhere between staff meetings and calendar invites, a strange thing happens to many of us in youth ministry. It isn't that we stopped loving students or stopped believing in the Gospel. But we quietly started measuring success by how full the room was, how smoothly the night ran, and how impressive the next event was shaping up to be. We became really good at planning. Really good at our social media promotions. Really good at keeping things moving. And yet, if we're honest, some of us began to feel oddly disconnected from the very students we were called to serve.

I remember seasons when I could tell you every detail about the upcoming Fall Retreat, but couldn't tell you what was really going on in the heart of the kid who sat in the third row every week. I knew my calendar better than I knew my students. That's not because I didn't care. It's because I was busy, and busy is sneaky. Busy doesn't feel sinful because busy feels faithful and can quietly push shepherding to the margins if we let it. It was in the preparation of another midweek event when I felt this conviction. I knew I was spending way too much time putting together the trick shot challenges and thinking, "Why am I killing myself for 10-15 minutes of fun?" Then I heard it.

You're a shepherd first. Youth ministry can slowly turn you into a cruise director if you're not careful. You start worrying about the experience: Was it fun? Was it engaging? Did everyone feel included? Did the room feel alive? You plan games, decorate the space, cue the music, and script the transitions. None of that is bad. In fact, excellence honors God, but excellence without shepherding eventually becomes entertainment. You can run an incredible program and still miss the person sitting right in front of you. Trips, dodgeball, 9-square, s'mores, theme nights, and competitions aren't the enemy. They're tools, but tools are only useful if they help us accomplish the real work. And the real work is not impressing teenagers. The real work is loving them, guiding them, and helping them see Jesus. When the tools become the focus, the people fade into the background.


You're a shepherd first. Ministry carries a real cost. Late nights. Emotional weight. Walking with students through a parent divorce, anxiety, depression, addiction, and loss. You don't just clock out at the end of the night and leave that behind. You carry it home. You think about it in the shower. You pray about it on the drive. You feel it in your bones. You mention it when asked for prayer requests. Add to that the pressure to grow, to perform, to deliver, and it's no wonder so many youth pastors feel worn thin. But here's the tension: the cost of ministry is high, yet the calling to shepherd is what makes it meaningful. You can pour yourself out for the sake of programs and end up feeling empty. Or you can pour yourself out for the sake of people and find joy even in exhaustion. One is activity. The other is obedience because...

You're a shepherd first. God actually tells us what real shepherding looks like in Ezekiel 34, where God describes Himself as a shepherd who searches for His sheep, brings back the strays, binds up the injured, and strengthens the weak.

11 "For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice." - Ezekiel 34:11-16 ESV

Evan was a kid who started coming to our midweek service with a friend who was a regular. He was quiet, didn't add much to small groups, and never caused problems. Honestly, he was the kind of student who could easily blend into the background and never get noticed. For a while, that's exactly what happened. Not long after I felt that conviction that I wasn't shepherding the way I once had, I sent Evan a simple text. Nothing fancy. Just a quick check-in. I wasn't prepared for what came back. In a few messages, he opened up about the chaos in his home from a pending divorce, the pressure he felt at school with academics and sports, and how alone he felt most days. He wasn't okay. He was hurting. And the most sobering part was this: I had no idea.

Here was a sheep in pain, sitting in my ministry every week, and I didn't know it. Not because he was hiding, but because I wasn't looking, and honestly, that moment didn't make me feel like a great pastor. It made me feel like a shepherd who almost missed one of his own.

Shepherding rarely looks flashy or impressive. It looks like sitting on the floor after youth group while a student cries about their parents or a friend who has hurt them. It looks like remembering a test they were nervous about and asking how it went. It looks like sending a text on a random Tuesday just to say, "I'm praying for you." It looks like noticing when someone stops showing up and caring enough to follow up. Most of the moments that shape a student's faith will never happen on a stage. They happen in the quiet, ordinary, faithful presence of an adult who stays.

This isn't a call to stop doing ministry well. It's a call to remember why you're doing it at all. Events matter. Teaching matters. Structure matters. But none of it matters more than the souls God has placed in your care. So maybe it's time to pause and ask yourself a few honest questions. Who are the students you really know? Who feels seen by you? Who would notice if they didn't show up next week? You don't have to feel guilty to grow. You just have to be willing to recalibrate. Before you are a planner, a communicator, or a leader, you are a pastor to teenagers.

You're a shepherd first. One day, the lights will be off, the games will be over, the stage will be empty, and the schedules and events that once felt so urgent will fade into memory. But the students you walked with, the ones you prayed with, listened to, and loved, will carry those moments for the rest of their lives. Jesus didn't come to entertain the sheep. He came to lay down His life for them. That's still the model. That's still the calling.

You're a shepherd first. 
Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Who are the students in your ministry that you truly know, and who might be quietly slipping into the background without being noticed? What's one simple, unflashy way you could shepherd a student this week, whether it's a text, a follow-up, or a conversation after youth group?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Caring Well Without Carrying It All (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/caring-well-without-carrying-it-all-20551.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/caring-well-without-carrying-it-all-20551.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:14:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[There's a moment most youth pastors experience, and I guarantee that we don't talk about it.

A student sits across from you. Their shoulders are tense. Their eyes look tired. What they're sharing feels heavier than normal teenage stress.

Anxiety.
Depression.
Family situations that are far bigger than them.
Sometimes even thoughts that make your stomach tighten as you listen.

You do what you've always done.
You listen carefully.
You care deeply.
You pray quietly for wisdom.

And later, when the room is empty and the building is quiet, a familiar question creeps in:

Am I doing enough?

That question carries more weight than most people realize.

The Weight Has Changed Students today are navigating pressures that feel louder, heavier, and more constant than what many of us faced growing up. For some of them, a youth pastor/leader is the first adult they trust with what's really going on inside.

That kind of trust is a gift.
But it's also a weight!

Jonathan Haidt, in The Anxious Generation, observes that levels of anxiety now considered normal among young people would have been viewed as deeply concerning in earlier generations. What today's teenagers are often expected to manage internally would have raised serious red flags just a few decades ago.

Most youth pastors were trained to teach Scripture, disciple students, and build healthy, Christ-centered community. Very few were trained to navigate this level of emotional and mental strain with clarity and confidence.

So we respond the way caring leaders naturally do.

We stay longer after youth group.
We answer one more text.
We carry a little more than we probably should.

At first, it feels faithful.
Over time, it starts to hurt.

A Needed Clarification Here's a truth many youth pastors need permission to hear: You are responsible to your students, but you are not responsible for everything in their lives.

God has called you to be a shepherd.
A steady presence.
A trusted listener who points students toward truth and hope.

He has not called you to be a licensed counselor, a full-time crisis-response system, or the sole support for a student in pain.

Recognizing that difference isn't a lack of compassion.
It's wisdom.

Boundaries Are Biblical Jesus cared deeply for people, yet He did not meet every demand placed on Him. He withdrew to pray. He invited others into the work. He entrusted outcomes to the Father.

Healthy boundaries don't shrink ministry. They sustain it.

Caring well means knowing when to listen and pray, when to involve parents, and when to encourage professional support. That isn't abandonment. It's stewardship.

When youth pastors try to carry what only God or trained professionals were meant to carry, students suffer, families struggle, and pastors quietly burn out.

If You Feel Overwhelmed, You're Not Failing Feeling stretched doesn't mean you're weak.
Feeling unsure doesn't mean you're unqualified.

It usually means the landscape of youth ministry has changed, and you're still showing up with faithfulness and love.

The solution isn't to care less. It's to care wisely, together, and within the calling God has given you.

A Word of Encouragement Youth pastors rarely burn out because they lack passion.

They burn out because they love students deeply and slowly take on weight they were never meant to carry alone.

If that describes where you are right now, hear this clearly:

You're not behind.
You're not inadequate.
You're not alone.

You are doing faithful work in complicated times. And caring for students also means caring for the shepherd God has entrusted to this ministry!

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Where might you be carrying weight in your ministry that God is inviting you to release or share with others? What would it look like, practically, to care for students well while also honoring your own God-given limits?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Capitalizing on Summer Momentum (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/capitalizing-on-summer-momentum-20552.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/capitalizing-on-summer-momentum-20552.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 06:23:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[You're in the middle of it right now. Summer is only half over, and if you're like most youth pastors I know, you're starting to feel it. Events, VBS, mission trips, camps, and for a lot of you, you've got more coming. Summer is a grind, no doubt. But it's also the best kind because something exciting is happening in your ministry right now.

Here's what I want you to be thinking about in the middle of all of it: take a breath and pay attention to what God is doing this summer. Not just in your students, but in your ministry. And it's easy to let those things slip away unintentionally. School starts. Schedules get crazy. Before long, everything that God did over the summer can get quietly buried under the noise of a new year.

But it doesn't have to go that way. Maybe this summer, you saw a student trust Christ for the first time. Maybe someone who never talks finally opened up. Maybe a student who almost didn't come to camp is now connected to your church and is now asking about serving in the fall. The question is, what's the plan to steward that when summer is over, and you're launching into a new season? As you start thinking toward the fall, here are some rapid-fire thoughts, challenges, and encouragements to help you carry that summer momentum into something that truly lasts.

1. Create a "Next Step" list from decisions and Gospel conversations Before all the details and moments from the summer start to get fuzzy in your memory, sit down and write down the names. Who made a first-time decision? Who had a conversation with a leader that needs follow-up? Who looked like they were having a breakthrough? Get those names down, organize them, and make the plan for what you need to do next. That list of names becomes a ministry playbook for you and your leaders for the upcoming semester.

2. Follow up with every summer connection The students who showed up to your events throughout the summer are vital for ministry follow-up and church invitations. They likely heard about an event from a friend, and now that they've taken the first step, how will you help connect them? They've engaged over the summer, had fun, met new people; now what? Use students, leaders, and different channels of communication to reach out to them and their families.

3. Thank key people personally and specifically Think about the people who have driven vans, provided scholarship funds to help a student go to camp, stayed up late, opened their home, and served in some big ways. Pull out a card and pen and write a handwritten note, make a phone call, and personally thank them for what they did. Share how that helped in the vision and direction for an event and for your ministry. Help them see how their service was part of a much bigger moment.

4. Document what you learned this summer Right now, you have a kind of clarity about what's happening that you won't have in October. Use that to your advantage. Start evaluating the summer and be honest. What worked, what didn't work, what was a repeat, what can you build on, what needs to be retired, what cost you more than you anticipated, etc. It doesn't have to be anything overly formal; just make it effective, and don't let it pass without capturing it.

5. Map out your teaching series and curriculum Start praying and mapping out your teaching plans. If you can nail down your fall series while you've got some breathing room, you'll walk into the new semester with helpful confidence and clarity for you, families, and leaders. Get your curriculum ordered, get your series mapped out. Future you will be thankful!

6. Clean up your rosters and contact info This one isn't exciting, but it matters. Take some time to clean up your internal data. Make sure lists are updated, grades are promoted up, graduated students are moved out, and you have the most accurate lists possible. Add the new faces from your summer events. Verify your parents' contact info. Update your volunteer list.

7. Grace your space Before the fall rush hits, take some time to clean, tidy, and refresh your youth ministry space. Organize those closets that piled up, toss what's broken, rearrange what isn't working, clean up those random cables and cords, and see if you have margin to update or upgrade areas. There's something special about walking into a clean, organized space on the first Wednesday night of fall that helps set the tone for the semester. 

8. Prepare your volunteers for the fall Don't let your team drift back into the fall without clear direction. While you've got their attention and their hearts are full from what they experienced this summer, cast vision. Remind them what you're building toward, celebrate what God did, equip them, resource them, and help them be prepared for the next semester. Help them to see that they're not just filling a role; they're doing something that truly matters.

9. Plan your parent communication strategy for the fall Parents are already mapping out their fall right now. If you want a fighting chance at their calendar, you need to get in front of them before school starts. Decide now how you're going to communicate with parents this fall, how often, and through what channels. Communicating well with parents builds a kind of trust that pays dividends all year long.

10. Close out your budget and make adjustments Before you shift fully into fall planning mode, evaluate your budget for the semester and ministry year. Where did you miss? Where did you stay in the green? And how does that need to be adjusted for the upcoming year? Use what you learned about your spending to make wise decisions for how you'll use resources in the fall.

Lastly, as a bonus, I'd encourage you to celebrate before you strategize. I saved this for last because it's often last on our minds. Don't forget it. You need it. Your leaders need it. Spend a few minutes thanking God for what He did. It's easy to stay focused on what's next that we forget to rejoice over what God has done.

Summer momentum is real, but if you don't intentionally steward what God did, the busyness of fall will gladly take over. Don't waste what God has been building these past few months. Help students take next steps. Help volunteers stay engaged with purpose. And help families get connected to what God is doing through your church.


Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

When you look back at the summer, what's one thing God did that you want to make sure doesn't get lost in the shuffle of fall? Are your volunteers walking into fall with clear vision and direction, or are they just showing back up?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>
<item>
<title>Multiplying Yourself as a Bi-Vocational Youth Pastor (youthministry360)</title>
<link>http://www.ymnews.com/multiplying-yourself-as-a-bi-vocational-youth-pastor-20553.htm</link>
<guid>http://www.ymnews.com/multiplying-yourself-as-a-bi-vocational-youth-pastor-20553.htm</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 06:20:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Bi-vocational ministry isn't for the weak. Bi-vocational student pastors often can feel overwhelmed, overworked, undervalued, and underpaid. How am I going to keep up with my church's expectations? What am I going to speak about this week? What game are we going to play? What songs are we going to sing? Do I even have anyone to help me with the music? Oh yeah, softball season is almost over, and I haven't even been to a game.

These are just a few of the questions that I have personally wrestled with and stressed over as a bi-vocational youth leader. The pressure that leaders like me often put on ourselves is unhealthy, but it comes because we take the calling God has given us seriously. We want to see our ministry be the best it possibly can because we care about our students, and primarily about their salvation. When we take this call seriously, we understand that it will take more than just us to ensure our ministries are run effectively. Throughout the rest of this blog, I want to share some of the approaches I have implemented in our ministry and hope you gain a few tools to help relieve some of the pressure of bi-vocational ministry.

The Key to Multiplying Yourself in Mentoring and Discipling I think we can all agree that discipleship is a key part of any ministry. God has called each of His people to "go and make disciples," and as youth leaders, our disciples are primarily middle and high school and college-age students. Discipleship is something that takes intentionality and time, something a lot of us want to have but just simply don't. This is where I have learned to lean in and trust my adult leaders.

When I first got to my church, I had a handful of college students who were volunteering in our student ministry. Over the first year, they all fizzled out as life took them away from serving. One day, my wife and I walked into our student room and realized we had around 40 students and that we were the only adults. When we got home, we began talking about how stressful the night was. That night, I began to pray about finding a couple of adult leaders to help us manage.

One thing I want to make note of here is that I hand-selected who I was going to ask. I did not get up in front of the church and ask for any volunteers. I needed them to fit our culture and vision and to be able to fit in with our students. I was able to secure 4 adults to come and help us on Wednesday nights. And man, they were and still are game changers. But I did not just let them go in and hang out. I began to spend intentional time with them on Wednesdays. I clearly shared our vision with them and began to give them small responsibilities. They helped me greet students, make sure the pizza got to the student room and was cleaned up, and they helped make sure all of our students were where they were supposed to be. Once all of this was taking place naturally, we began to ask them to lead small groups and to join us in the discipleship strategy of our student ministry. And eventually, 4 turned into 10.

One thing I have learned is this: if you can get a few volunteers to buy into you and your vision, they will buy into your ministry. I began meeting with our adult leaders once a month on Sunday nights to develop them. It was a simple leader meeting. I purchased their favorite drink and snack and had it waiting for them when they got there. I asked pointed questions about how their small groups were going and if they needed anything. I took them through a book on discipleship. I put practical resources in their hands. I wanted them to feel valued, seen, heard, and prepared. I gave them the plans that I had for the next season of ministry. Having adult leaders in place really took a good amount of pressure and stress off of me to be able to focus my efforts on preaching and sharing the gospel with my students.

While I am still deeply involved in the discipleship of each of our students, our adult leaders take center stage now. They are building relationships with our students on their own. They are showing up at our students' events without being asked to. They have moved from volunteer to owner. I champion our adult leaders so that they can champion our students. We have now built a structure within our student ministry, and I am multiplying myself through our adult volunteers. They are the backbone of our ministry, and I am confident that if something ever happened to me, our ministry could be sustained because of these adult volunteers. But they have to know that you care about them, that they can be honest with you, that you are available to them, and that you are not throwing them to the wolves. Spoil them and pray for them constantly.

The Hidden Gem of Leading a Student Ministry One of the biggest hidden gems in building a sustainable student ministry is investing in student leaders. I am a massive supporter of developing students to take ownership of the ministry that they are in. One of the things that I have tried to implement into our student ministry since I started is a student leadership team. I was intentional with these students and helped them take ownership of our ministry. I am a big believer that this ministry is not my ministry; it's their ministry. Like my adult leaders, I began to hand-select a few students for that leadership team. However, I learned that it's not always those whom I think would be good leaders who are actually the best leaders. I struggled to maintain this leadership team through the first few years. It wasn't until I realized that I didn't need to look for what I thought were natural leaders to be on my leadership team that I needed to look for those who felt like this ministry was theirs.

This started with one student. And then another. And once I had a couple of student leaders, I began to allow them to help me seek out other students who fit our culture and who could help us grow. This turned into a 10-student leadership team. Just like I did with my adult leaders, I led my student leaders in a monthly leadership meeting where I shared my heart and vision of our ministry, but I allowed them to speak into it. I wanted our ministry to be theirs. And through listening to them and allowing them to have a say in the ministry, the student leaders went all in on our ministry.

I began to give each one of them a different role on Wednesday nights. And here is why they are the hidden gym for bi-vocational student leaders: because they are bought in and taking ownership. All I have to do on Wednesday nights now is preach. I don't have to worry about what game we are playing. A student handles that. I don't have to worry about creating new accounts for new students. A student does that. I don't have to worry about leading music on Wednesday nights. A student leads that team and handles all the song selections and logistics. I don't even have to worry about making sure students are welcomed and in the right place. Guess what? A student does that. And what is cool is that each one of them has recruited more students to join them in leading our ministry.

I include these students when I am planning events. They know they are free to share any and all feedback with me, both good and bad. They get a say in where we go to camp. They get to vote on where we go throughout the year. I am the final word, but 99% of the time, I agree with our students because they understand what we are trying to create in our ministry.

I have learned that when our student leaders feel equipped and empowered, our student ministry gets stronger. They are the true driving force behind our ministry. And for a bi-vocational student pastor, it frees me up to focus on my preaching and to be able to spend time with our new students or any student who needs to talk. Plus, I am able to get home to my family sooner, which is always a plus.

How To Get To This Point You may be reading this and asking yourself, "How do I get there? I've got 4 students and no adult help. I also have no time to develop leaders." My encouragement to you would be this: sit down one night after everyone is asleep and dream. Ask yourself questions like:

What are the goals of our student ministry? What is the vision of our ministry? Where could I use the most help? What do I struggle with in our ministry? What takes the most energy out of me in regard to our ministry? What could I give up to make our ministry better? Allow yourself to dream big. Whether you have 10 students or 100 students, make a list of things you want to see accomplished in your ministry. Once you do this, make a list of people in your congregation that you can invite to join you in making your vision become reality. Then go ask them! People often want to be part of something bigger than themselves, and you have an opportunity to give them a chance to do just that. If you try to run the ministry yourself, you will eventually experience burnout.

As I close, let me encourage you with this: What you do matters, and who you minister to matters. Don't do it alone. Multiply yourself so that you can sustain your ministry for the long haul and fulfill the calling God has given you.


Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

Who is one adult that you can ask to begin to serve alongside you in your student ministry? What is one responsibility that you can give them? Name 2 students who are active in your ministry that you could develop into leaders?]]></description>
<author>info@youthministry360.com</author>
<category>Resources</category></item>

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