This post is an update to the original here… and here.. and here… and here… (you get the idea.) When I shared this idea with Greg Stier, after Lead the Cause University, I had no idea of the traction the idea would get, and what Greg had in mind to […]
Youth Ministry on the Cheap: Super Bowl Party
I love playoff football. I’ll admit it. I’m a full-on NFL junkie. Here’s the deal: I’m not alone. This past weekend, network television set all time ratings records for the Wildcard Weekend of playoffs. The FOX game of San Francisco and Green Bay scored the highest ratings of any Wildcard […]
Youth Ministry On the Cheap: Youth Family Christmas Party
Do you want an inexpensive and easy Christmas idea? I stumbled onto this one a few years ago, and it’s been successful ever since. Knowing that everyone is busy in December (Christmas parties, shopping, family and work get-togethers), I didn’t want to add one more event parents had to drag […]
Guest Post: Ministry to Homeschool Families
Note from MinistryPlace: Vicki Williams is a Pastor’s wife in a rural community in Missouri, mother of seven, and a homeschool mom. She will be joining as a Featured Writer in 2014. We wanted to give you an early taste of what is coming… When you think of homeschooling the […]
Are We The Beast?. Or the Dad? Or Both?..
Having young children, (especially a 4 year old girl) ensures a fair amount of Disney movies are in the house. Yesterday, I watched Beauty and the Beast with the kids, because my daughter is enthralled with all things princess-related. Keep in mind that the last time that I watched this […]
Youth Ministry on the Cheap: Game Night
When I was in bi-vocational ministry, I learned quickly that youth ministry had to happen on a small budget. (And by small, I mean miniscule.) Every month, I would scrape and claw and put together an event on a shoe-string budget. Every year I asked for a raise in budget, […]
Youth Ministry on The Cheap: Living in Christ Study…
Living in Christ is a four session Bible Study from Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It is being used as one of the follow-up tools for the MyHope America with Billy Graham campaign. It is a great resource to use in youth ministry as well. It covers some of the basics […]
Rural Ministry in a Grocery Store…
At a local Pastor’s prayer breakfast, I heard the following statement: I do a large part of my ministry at the local IGA. I see people that would never walk into my office for counseling. I ask them how they are doing and they tell me. A lot of times […]
Turkeys, Hot Dogs, Teenagers, The Gospel.
Ok. I will try and explain this the best I can…. Yes, we bowl with turkeys in the church fellowship hall. Yes they are frozen. Yes, the trustees know about it. Yes, students from all over come to find out if we are really using turkeys. Yes, we use the […]
Special Needs and Rural Ministry…
There are a few factors in youth ministry that are “universals”. It does not matter what your context is in youth ministry, at some point you will have one or multiple students in your ministry with special needs. It may be mild, it may be severe, but it will happen. […]
Gangs and Rural Ministry….
The title of this post sounds like an oxymoron, but it is becoming a real problem. It has been for a while in parts of the country. Unfortunately this problem hit a little too close to home a few years ago. I grew up in a small town in Southern […]
Book Review: Uncommon Wisdom From The Other Side…
Ever wish you could sit in a room with a group of seasoned youth workers from all over the country and get “nuts and bolts advice” on youth ministry? In a small, easy to read book, now you can. Tony Myles does a great job in this book of giving […]