The parachurch ministry, Young Life, has a saying in regards to contact work. They say that in order to reach teens you need to “go where kids are”.  This may be hard for us to comprehend because many of ...

We start the year off with good intentions, but our follow through stinks… It's the dawn of a New Year, a time when many of us plot to do some internal remodeling in the form of some New Year's resolutions. S...

When we begin talking about mission, many people think of mission trips. That's not a bad thing. One of my most formative experiences was a youth mission trip among the poor in Prestonburg, Kentucky. Mission t...

Of all the ministries of the church, student ministry is more likely than any other to find resistance from stakeholders in becoming missional. The reason for this is rather simple. More than anything, Christ...

There is something refreshing about the month of January, specifically the date of Jan. 1. The New Year is like a built-in do-over that we get to enjoy annually. It's also a fitting analogy for the spiritua...

I was a teenager when I was first immersed in the sexuality conversation. A family member and I had an honest conversation about their struggle with homosexuality. This was back in the 80’s in the Midwest, w...

This game will require some creative preparation and listening.  For the setup, acquire at least a dozen objects that make various sounds. These objects could be small bells, or spoons, or some variety of holl...

This fun (yet simple) indoor game is perfect for smaller groups or while riding on a bus.  Beforehand, purchase some inexpensive shoe laces—one for each student—and create a series of knots in each shoe la...

For this game you will need several rolls of varying colored duct tape—same colors for each team.  You will also need some old pair of tennis shoes that can be purchased from Goodwill or another second-hand ...

I was talking about the power of written communication with students in group this week.  We were discussing pros and cons about using social media, texting, and direct messaging to talk to each other. One ex...