I’m the guy Walmart and Target loves. I enjoy walking into a store and making various types of purchases all at once. I hate going from store to store just to get everything I need. It’s more convenient to get everything under one roof. I’d much rather look at shoes, […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry
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We are not the first…
Many in this world are spending a lot of time and resources to be or to discover “the next big thing”. This Blog is not the first to write about Rural Youth Ministry. I am not the first to write a book on Rural Ministry. I get that. I hope […]
Christian Leadership , Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry
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Calendaring: Know What You Need
I remember my first youth group Christmas party. I had planned a big party for the youth group, which was heavily middle school at the time. I lined up a host home for the event. We hyped it and publicized it. We prepared games and activities and spent part of […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry
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Calendaring: How I Do It
In my first church, they liked to plan ahead. In November, I was handed a blank calendar and told to list all of my events for the next year. I had a month to get it done, turn it in and get my spots reserved at church. I always hated […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry
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Calendaring: Why it’s important
March is a month of transitions. We “spring forward” our clocks. We start wishing away the cold chill of winter and welcome the warm reprieve of spring. Seniors start feeling the pull of graduation. Upcoming elementary students begin anticipating the jump to youth ministry. In March, I always meet with […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry
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Rural Ministry on a Budget
Let’s be honest. Most rural churches have tight budgets, especially today with skyrocketing gas prices and higher insurance premiums. That means most rural church youth ministries have to get by with less money than more urban or suburban churches. With that being said, I’ve composed some cost-effective youth events that are […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , RYM Video Podcast , Student Ministry
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Rural Ministry Minute Podcast Episode 5… Josh Griffin (And Brian Berry)
I know you are thinking.. “Wait! Where are Episodes 3 and 4?” They are still being edited. They will be posted soon. In the meantime, here is a word from Josh Griffin from MorethanDodgeball.com about Rural Youth Ministry. There is also a cameo from Brian Berry, the author of the books […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry , SYMC
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#SYMC 2013 Sunday/Wrapup
Wow. SYMC 2013 is about to be over. Just a few more hours. Sunday was a great day. I had conversations with some great youth workers that are out there serving Jesus in their local community every day. The winning tweet for the “You Might Be in #RuralMinistry if” Contest was this.. […]
Ministry , Student Ministry , SYMC
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#SYMC Day 2 Recap…
Today I got to be part of Stephanie Caro’s Half Track on Small Church Youth Ministry. She did an excellent job. You can read her stuff here… I enjoyed some great time connecting with People from NNYM, YM360, Interlinc, and Lead222. Go see them they are great people and they […]
Christian Leadership , Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry
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Healthy Rural Churches: Part 1 – Limitations…
This post is part one of a series on Rural Church Health. One of the things I see over and over in small and rural churches is that most of them desperately want to be healthy, but do not realize that they are “sick”. In this series, I am going to borrow […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry , SYMC
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#SYMC 2013 Day One Recap…
Well, I have wrapped up a great first day to SYMC in Indianapolis. If you cannot be at the conference, the general sessions stream here… Here are some of the highlights. Got to connect with some great youth workers at lunch! I was honored to get to talk with a group […]
Ministry , Rural Ministry , Student Ministry
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“Rural Youth Ministry” review at Engaging the Shadows of Youth Ministry
Wednesday, Matthew Murphy at Engaging the Shadows of Youth Ministry wrote a review on Rural Youth Ministry:Thrive Where You’re Planted Here’s an excerpt: One universal takeaway was his format for thinking about Rural Youth Ministry, which in a few simple words he describes as: Stop, Look, Listen, Learn. This advice […]