At the start of the 21st century, American churches seem to lie in a funk--paralyzed. The reasons for the decline later will be debated by historians, yet could some of them be the development of commerce, increase of wealth, breeding of materialism and parents remaining silent in their faith to allow...

Why has prayer become less important than skits, PowerPoint, and eating? As I traveled by plane to speak at a mega-church’s youth ministry weekend bash, I daydreamed of what I expected would happen.

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...

Just when you think you’ve got this youth ministry thing down — students are worshiping, small groups are flourishing, missions trips are maxing — something comes along that makes you say, “Oh, yeah, I should be doing that, too.” The apostle Paul gave us one...

Every week for 20 years, I’ve studied, prepped, and taught students God’s Word. I bring food for thought, prayer, fun, stories, surprises, community builders, provocation, truth, laughter, sugar, and caffeine. I am a teacher. I was made to teach. I echo Paul: “When I preach the gospel, I cannot...

One of the reasons I did not originally pursue work in the field of youth ministry is that I never took it seriously. So you can imagine my surprise that after years of planning to enter the mission field as an anthropological consultant, I now find myself deeply entrenched in youth ministry! But I still...

Avarice is hardly a word we hear every day! It even sounds like it could be the name of a great yacht or a prize-winning race horse or a villa in the mountains of the Andes. While some people may associate avarice with these things, the early church fathers recognized it as much more. While we know it's...

I’m not sure the pursuit of comfort has ever been a high priority in the world of youth ministry.

It’s the question no one wants to ask, but you find yourself asking it anyway: “What are you running these days?” The answer helps you get a sense of the issues the other leader deals with, but the numbers in the answer also help you compare your youth ministry to hers. Or when others get promoted and...