In my book, Rural Youth Ministry, I spend some time talking about the future of youth ministry in rural communities. Almost three years out from the publishing of the book, I have seen some things transpire that show where I was right, where I was wrong, and what I didn’t […]
4 Things I Learned Leaving Church Staff…
Its now four months since I left my last church staff position. Its been a roller coaster of opportunities and some letdowns along the way. This has been the longest gap between serving on staff at a church in 14 years. There has not been the “normal” of searching and […]
Healthy Youth Leaders Do This: ______….
Since accepting my new position, I have accepted several speaking and training opportunities that give me a chance to pour into Youth Leaders. Honestly, this is one of my favorite things to do in ministry. I am doing a training in Illinois for Southern Baptist Youth Leaders at the end […]
Staging…
A couple weeks ago, I announced that I was embarking on a new ministry adventure. There has been much preparation in the transition (and not all is complete, but we’re getting close). In all the preparation and training, I feel like the driver sitting behind the wheel of a top-fuel […]
Campus Ministry
As schools across the country have started back and fall is in the air, youth ministers around the country are shifting their thinking to campus ministry. If you are a youth minister and you do not have a presence on your local school campus you are missing out on a […]
Lets Start a Facebook Prayer Meeting…
I received an interesting Facbook notification first thing this morning. Late last night Kevin Patterson tagged me and 9 other people, stating that he was challenged by a friend to choose 10 people publicly on social media to pray for in the coming week. Kevin added the ministries those people […]
Teen Devotion Ideas
One of the largest challenges in youth ministry is keeping students growing in their faith. One of the tools we have available to help in this area are daily devotions to help students think through having a daily time focused on prayer and God’s word. Here are some great resources […]
Bible Study Tools I Use…
If you are just starting out in ministry, you have a few great advantages that those before you have not enjoyed. One of those advantages is the Bible study tools available to you. When I started in Youth Ministry 14 years ago, we were just starting to drift out of […]
10 Blogs to Watch If You’re a Youth Worker…
I have been blessed to be around some folks that are smarter and more experienced than I am in the last several years. That can cause you to learn and can keep you humble. Some of them regularly blog. Here are 10 blogs that you can glean some great things […]
What does See You At the Pole Look Like if you Homeschool?
See you at the pole is a basic staple in youth ministry, with its roots dating back to 1990. I was involved at our school’s events as early as 1993 as a freshman in high school. I have seen some great things happen in unified prayer at the local school. […]
Poll: The Biggest Issue in Rural Youth Ministry is…
We are constantly working on new ideas and resources here at MinistryPlace.Net. One of the upcoming ideas involves a lot of feedback from our readers. We are taking a poll looking into the biggest issues of the Rural youth worker. Here are the rules. Vote for the issue that is […]
Guest Post: Are You Ready For Kick-Off?
Editors Note: This is a guest post by my friend Ryan Campos. Here is a little about him… I’m a student minister who lives in Hermitage, MO with my lovely wife and two beautiful children (one is probably pushing her luck as you read this). I am passionate about students, […]