Sometimes I wonder why I’m in youth ministry. Sometimes it feels like the most useless job in the world. Every Wednesday night, my kids show up, kind of sing the songs, and fidget through a 20-minute Bible study. Then finally, we get to the main event, at least as far as they are concerned: volleyball....

In 1994, I left my job in youth ministry and enrolled in seminary, hungering to learn a way of ministering grounded in continual attentiveness to God. I soon discovered I wasn’t alone in my desire to find a more transforming way to practice ministry. As I shared my studies at youth ministry conferences...

Give a youth pastor five sticks and a bag of marshmallows and students will be entertained for hours. Need an activity that teaches teamwork? Ask a youth pastor. Cool games, cool music, and cool church are the trademarks of youth ministry. These things may attract crowds, but do they fulfill the mission...

A decade ago most folks thought of Mark Yaconelli as Mike Yaconelli’s son. Now Mark has emerged with his own voice and a new book that challenges readers to reconsider everything they thought they knew about Christian spirituality. The director of the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project at San Francisco...