We have all been asked some variation of the question, “Is your student ministry a success?” Our response can be more than, We have so much fun! We have so many great relationships.
Challenges are par for the course in a diverse church, figuring out how to form community and follow Jesus together. But mostly, I have found, there is a deep and rich joy that comes from unity in diversity. These challenges are worth it.
It seems like summer just ended, and now I do really need to be thinking ahead to next summer. There really is an art to making a summer plan that helps everyone grow in their faith, but not stressing the family (yours included) by having a crazy schedule.
Volunteer 101 is really about serving. If the leaders do not have a servant spirit, they will eventually flop out and go serve in the next form of ministry.
I hope your summer was great, but now you need a break! You need a vacation, but on a youth minister’s salary? Good luck! However, I have found some great ways to take the vacation you want without breaking the bank.
For a lot of youth ministers, budgets can seem like one of those mundane tasks of ministry – at best, it’s something you have to do; at worst, it can seem overwhelming, confusing, and frustrating.
As Americans, we have a tendency to want to do things our way, and that line of thinking can cause barriers and make overseas mission work ineffective. Losing that way of thinking and embracing new ideas and new cultures is vital to successful mission experiences.
Every month or two there is another hot-button issue developing in the world. Students will be very disappointed if you never address the issue at all, but addressing these off the cuff can be disastrous in many ways, including students’ future spiritual well-being and your own job security. So what do you do?
This past March we held our largest retreat of the year. It’s one that brings in students from all over our community. Here are the steps and tools that we use to promote the weekend.
It happens to the best of us sooner or later. Sometimes it is our decision made willingly, other times forces and circumstances beyond our control propel us. I am, of course, talking about leaving. Your leaving will be stressful for the youth. If you care about them, do what you can to minimize this stress.
When it isn’t about me, when it is about what them, how do you ask a volunteer leader to step away? As hard as it is, firing volunteers who are not working with you will pay long-term dividends that far outweigh the difficulty of letting them go.
Small group discussion time can be a great way for staff and volunteers to build strong relationships with students and the perfect place to foster accountability and mentor-type relationships, but it can also be quite difficult. Here are a few keys that help make leading a small group discussion a little less challenging.
