Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk The Examen This is a cool ancient form of prayer that asks you to think back over the last week or month. Let your mind wander through the following questions as you pray: Thinking back over the […]
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on rethinkingyouthministry.com and is reprinted here with permission. by Brian Kirk As we move through Holy Week, here are a few suggestions for celebrating the end of the season of Lent with your students. Host a prayer vigil. Students respond well to prayer and silence. Have the sanctuary […]
by Deech Kirk Is a “professional youth minister” simply someone who gets paid to do youth ministry? Someone could pay you to treat an illness, but that would not make you a doctor, nor would winning a friendly bet on the golf course make you Tiger Woods. So how do you become a “pro” youth […]
Don’t have it all together for your summer retreats? Don’t know where to start? Read on for some time-tested tips from veteran youth ministers . . . Prayer and Purpose: Why? Begin in prayer with your ministry team about the purpose of your retreat or camp. Why do you need to have a retreat or […]
You’ve booked your retreat location, your general logistics are nailed down, and your schedule has a framework. (Read “Successful Retreat Planing: Part 1” here.) Now it’s time to think about the details: Lessons, Devotionals, and Worship Three months out, begin to plan out your lessons, devotionals, and worship times by developing sub-points or themes to […]
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Your ministry needs a maintenance calendar just like your car does. When you buy a new car, it comes with a reminder list with things like: Oil change every 3,000 miles Tune up at 60,000 and 120,000 miles Change wiper blades every two years A maintenance calendar is a great tool for you to have […]
Editor’s Note: Maria Ghianni is in her second year in the CYMT graduate residency program, and she serves as the youth director at Carthage FUMC in Carthage, Tenn. I was born and raised in Nashville and I grew up in the youth group at Calvary UMC. Kris Lott was my youth director and he was […]
The church is notorious for having ineffective meetings. Several times during my career, I felt physical pain prior to heading to the weekly staff meeting knowing that I was going to waste my time and be bored and frustrated. As youth ministers, we are responsible for leading meetings and for participating in others’ meetings. The […]
by Lilly Lewin Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, in a youth room in Nashville, Tenn., I was the resident “prayer hog.” I was the one at the end of youth group who, when my youth leader would ask who’d like to close us in prayer, would enthusiastically raise my hand […]
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