Here’s the story of a youth worker guy I know and the mistake he made that led him to getting fired. Immediately. I thought I was doing a good thing. I planned the lesson series around Christian Faith and Hu...

At the wise old age of 16, my best friend, Brian, and I created a list of modesty rules for the girls in our youth group. You can imagine how this went over. While on a mission trip to Mexico, we formed a b...

A number of years ago, our church began to take seriously the call to spiritual formation. We became aware that it is quite possible to be busy with church activity, yet not transform in any meaningful way. W...

Youth ministry may be more of a calling than a job, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get somewhat monotonous. When you keep doing your thing, year after year, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. You throw a k...

Just before Christmas, I was leading my sixth grade guys' small group in a conversation about the incarnation. My hope was to remind them this season was about more than presents and a break from school. Pretty...

  At YouthWorker, we're always looking for a conversation that will help us understand how we can better unpack the Gospel for teenagers. The truth of Jesus impacts the entire life of a student. In ligh...

Advent is the season of waiting, the season of preparation, the season of nearly but not yet. We prepare the manger, but the Baby isn't here yet. The season of Advent, traditionally the four weeks prior to Chr...

Before my seniors leave for college, we spend a good deal of time talking about various campus ministries. Our hope is to encourage students to get involved in them (or in a church on their college campus). As...

Christmas is the time of the year that we celebrate the Newborn King through hot cocoa, ugly sweaters, service projects, and crazy games. Here are 25 ideas that I’ve tested myself that you can use this Christ...

Over the last 25 years of teaching and training thousands of Christian teenagers across the nation, I’ve encountered countless young people who have struggled with sexual shame. For some, it is guilt as a r...