The YM360 Podcast - Youth Ministry: Recent Episodes
YM360 - YouthMinistry360
Youth Leaders wear many hats, so we provide high-quality resources and life-changing events which allow youth leaders to lead students in growing a meaningful relationship with Jesus.
Teenagers have the ability to actively shape each other's spiritual lives in a tremendously meaningful and positive way if we are intentional about fostering this involvement in our youth ministries.
Do you ever find yourself having issues with a volunteer who might not be a good ministry or role fit? Without clarity, navigating this tricky issue can cause anxiety, frustration, and potentially lead to you growing resentful toward a volunteer. There is no easy way to avoid these situations, but the best way to prepare yourself for them. Read this online article for 4 things to consider before parting ways with a volunteer.
Every December 31st, as the clock counts down to midnight, upwards of two million people pack into New York City’s Times Square, huddling together in the cold eagerly awaiting the 60-second drop of the Waterford Crystal ball atop One Times Square. For the millions of us either too smart or too far away to join the festivities in NYC, most still participate in yet another New Year’s Eve tradition; the making of a list of New Year’s resolutions. This is a time-honored tradition that invites each of us into a fresh start; an unblemished 12 months/52 weeks/365 days/8,765 hours/525,948 minutes/31,556,926 seconds where we can renew broken commitments, dust off unrealized projects, set fresh goals, and dream new dreams. Each new year calls us to reflect on the previous year’s journey while also providing us an opportunity to look ahead and chart our course forward. So every new year shortly after (or maybe even before), the crystal ball counts down to a new year. May I challenge you to carve out time for a checkup, an intentional time of reflection on your past year, and charting of what’s to come? Let’s count it down…
When it comes to doing youth ministry events, there is a whole lot we can't do and a whole lot we can do. And most times, it seems like there is more we can't do.
Instead, let's talk about 5 must-haves for your next event to keep it COVID safe and to allow you to continue to gather with your students!
Studies show that most teenagers don’t have a meaningful relationship with God’s Word. We know that the Bible is God’s primary way of making Himself known to us.
Therefore, it’s huge that our students know the Word and are regularly engaged in it. And yet, we know this is an uphill battle for most of them. What can we do this New Year to help jumpstart our students’ Bible reading? Here are just a few suggestions.
If you are a resolution maker, I feel it is important to tell you there is nothing wrong with not keeping your resolutions. I am not here to bash new year's resolutions because I will set many myself. This can be helped, though, and I want to take a minute to talk about five ways you can help keep your resolutions this year, especially those about youth ministry.
2020 was... something...
Instead of looking back on 2020 with contempt or regret, we want to shed new light on a year full of every type of disruption imaginable on youth ministry and our lives.
Let's talk about it together today!
We are all moved by passion, and when we see the passion of others, it can often inspire action. The same is true for our youth ministry, especially heading into a new year. 2021 has the potential for us to navigate uncharted waters, operate in the beginnings of a post-pandemic youth ministry, and ensure this will be a year that truly matters.
To accomplish these goals, we'll need vision. We have put together a shortlist of ways to help bring this vision to your people.
Read/Watch/Listen: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/cast-ym-vision
Youth Ministry takes up a lot of energy. Add in family, friends, and normal day-to-day stressors, and you can find yourself exhausted at times. But, our calling to youth ministry is not contingent on how much energy we have left in the tank.
Let's talk, together, about how to continue to do Youth Ministry even when we are completely exhausted!
Unfortunately, many youth ministries have glaring symptoms of unhealth, yet we refuse to take active steps to help bring our youth ministries back to a healthy place. For lots of people, though, we may not know the signs of an unhealthy ministry, but we know something might be wrong with what we do every week. We want to take just a few minutes to identify three signs of an unhealthy ministry and give you some remedies to overcome them and bring your ministry back to its full potential!
Christmas Parties are right around the corner, and with those parties will comes games! But with COVID-19 still affecting the way we gather with our students, we have to be safe and responsible with our games!
Check out these 5 games that will crush at your student ministry Christmas parties!
Right now, it can be difficult to understand if you are leading your students and your ministry in the right direction. So many different things are impressing upon the world of Youth Ministry and it can all feel confusing.
Let sit down and talk, together, about where and how to lead your ministry during what feels like very uncertain times.
From the position we're in, we interact with countless numbers of youth workers each week. We see people leading their youth ministries exceptionally well. While not perfect, the ones who do it best seem to have a few things in common.
Here are three traits for leading your youth ministry when the future has never felt more uncertain.
Thanksgiving is almost here. As the day approaches, we want to ensure that you are keeping a few things in the back of your head.
Listen as Jake and Robbie discuss 3 important things that you need to know regarding Thanksgiving and Youth Ministry.
Trust us when we say you don't want to walk into Thanksgiving without these!
As we have entered into the fall semester, a time when many of us are planning our 2021 calendars, you might be asking if it is really worth it to start planning a mission trip. It’s a fair question, and you might be tempted just to “skip it” for another year. But we believe there is great value in planning a mission trip, and today I want to share a few reasons why you should consider putting that trip on the calendar and what steps you can take to ensure a successful mission trip for 2021.
If you don't think about your Christmas season NOW you will be reacting vs leading your way through this important season in ministry.
Here are 5 Ways to Be a Successful Youth Pastor this Christmas Season...
Read/Watch/Listen here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/yp-christmas-season
Whoooooo buddy. What an election season this is turning out to be. I am 43. I have been in student ministry since the late 90s. I don't know that I remember another election that has trickled down into teenagers' awareness like this one has. Some of that credit is undoubtedly due to social media and the ability to communicate content like never before. But much of it is due to the contentious political climate we find ourselves in, not to mention the unique cultural factors that have defined 2020 (namely the effects of the global pandemic and racial unrest).
As youth workers, it’s not a question of whether or not we address it. I would say that we HAVE to address the election. My position is that it is much more important HOW we address it.
When your retreat finally begins, you are in the middle of such an incredible time with your students. Discipleship is happening, fun is being had, and we pray that lives are being changed. You’re being pulled 100 different directions, but here are 3 things to remember!
Here we are, in October, and looking around, it’s tempting to say that we’ve adjusted to the new normal. I’ve watched our students play in high school volleyball and football games in the last few weeks. I was wearing a mask and was socially distanced, but sports happened. Students are in school. We’re gathering again in church. And while many churches have yet to start back, some churches have been meeting for months. It’s easy to sit here and feel good about where we are. But then I try to write an article about planning and vision-casting, and I find myself hitting pause . . .
Read/Watch/Listen here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/ym-during-uncertainty
"Back in my day, we had to walk uphill both ways in the snow." I grew up hearing stories like this from my parents and grandparents all the time, and my eyes seemed to be in a perpetual state of rolling. It's a funny thing, though, how the older I get, the more I crave hearing stories about their past. It almost gives me a way to connect with them in a new way, and I have a new perspective to cherish their wisdom. It's also amazing how the more I deal with younger generations; I find myself using this phrase as well, "Back in my day…"
As we approach the fall season where we would have fall retreats, DNows, and event weekends, I want us to have a glimmer of hope. This virus is no surprise to Jesus, and with the right preparation, I believe we can still have incredible events this year. Here are five things for you to consider to COVID-Proof your retreat!
Read/Watch/Listen here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/covid-proof-retreat
There were games we believed would be successful, which struggled, and others, which have become impossible to play. I wanted to take a quick moment to share five games with you, which will keep your students safe and having a fun time as you return to this school year. Here are five socially distanced games for youth ministry!
It’s no surprise to anyone that we find our world, the church, and youth ministry in crisis. Not only are we facing a global health pandemic, but our nation continues to struggle with racial injustice and unrest. How do we strategically lead out of crisis and toward racial reconciliation? Being a youth pastor who is active in this area, I’d like to suggest four steps that leaders intentionally take to foster an environment of racial reconciliation: Listen, Learn, Lament, and Leverage.
Read/Watch/Listen here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/racial-reconcilliation
COVID likely not going away anytime soon. In our rush to return to “normal,” how do our expectations contribute to our frustration?
The key to being efficient and healthy in this environment is to be flexible. Easier said than done. But it’s true. When we are rigid, when we have strong expectations, when we have an agenda, and it doesn’t go our way, it leads to frustration. Let's talk about it.
Read/Watch/Listen here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/adjust-expectations
How many of you took the “Youth Ministry in a Pandemic” course in Seminary? Yeah. Me neither. The truth is that nothing could have prepared us for leading through and out of the pandemic that has plagued us over the last few months. But the crazy thing about a crisis is that it can help us rethink our strategy. A crisis forces us to do a level of triage on our ministries that, when done correctly, puts us in the position to come out stronger on the other side.
Read/Watch/Listen: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/rethink-strategy
“Leaders are readers.” Dr. Jay Strack and his team at Student Leadership University preach this to their students year after year. When is the last time you read a book for personal growth? Today we’re going to discuss five reasons a student leadership team will change your youth group, but before we can lead, we must be growing internally. You may be like me a few years ago, someone who avoided reading at all costs. I was a slow reader who struggled to make it through anything. Yet the more I read, the more there is immediate growth in my life.
No one wakes up in the morning, puts their feet on floor, and says, “You know what? I think today is the day I’ll make a ministry-killing mistake!” I mean, I don’t THINK anyone says that. I’ve been in and around youth ministry for over 20 years. I believe that the overwhelming majority of youth workers are passionate, committed people who want to do their best to see their ministries thrive.
And yet, there are mistakes we make, inadvertent mistakes, that if we’re not careful, can kill our ministries. I’ve seen it so many times over the years. And so, what I want to do is to share the five mistakes I have seen youth workers make over the years that can be sure-fire ministry killers.
Parent Meetings are stressful enough as is. You have to be short, clear, concise, and informative. Plus, you have to be ready to field any questions your parents may ask.
Instead of going in unprepared and risking a rough meeting, watch this video to get a few helpful tips to ensure that you are clearly communicating with the parents of your students at your next Parent Meeting! Watch/Read/Listen here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/news/parent-meeting
What is youth ministry? You could answer this question in many ways. Youth ministry is a place for games, it is a place to feel like you belong, or it's a place to invest in the next generation. Perhaps the best way to define what youth ministry is would be to look at our ministries.
Take a moment and picture you were presented with these two options. The first is to sit and listen to an hour-long monotone documentary describing how pyramid schemes work. The second option is to have a game night and laugh with your closest friends and family. This doesn't seem like a fair choice because one of the options outweighs the other.
Andy and Robbie break down this and more in this week's podcast!
Watch/Read/Listen here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/news/should-you-play-games-in-youth-ministry
The main question we want to talk about today is, how do I become a youth pastor? It's an interesting question because, unlike most careers, there seems to be a stigma surrounding it. People don't often discuss calling into the corporate world, lawn care, or even medical fields. Yet when ministry is discussed, we often refer to a "called to ministry" moment.
The overwhelming majority of us wake up with a deep desire to see our ministries thrive. And yet, there are times when we find our ministries NOT thriving. We look around and don’t see the spiritual growth in students we want to see.
We don’t experience the buy-in from parents or volunteers we envisioned. Simply put, we see a ministry that isn’t growing. If this describes you, or if this causes you to pause because you DON’T want this to describe you, the question we have to ask is why? Why is our youth ministry not growing?
It's a super exciting time in youth ministry. There's the excitement of new fifth grade students coming into sixth grade or your six graders coming in the seventh if that's how your youth ministry rolls. And if you have a Junior High and Senior High Ministry, this is a great season for your eighth graders now entering ninth grade to be involved in the Senior High ministry. Not only is this an exciting time for students, but also parents and adult volunteers. Read more here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/promotion-sunday
Picking a curriculum in the summer is a crucial decision to ensuring a successful school year for you and your students. Andy Blanks and Jake Rasmussen give you some insight into how you can pick the RIGHT Sunday School Curriculum for Youth Ministry!
Read more here: https://youthministry360.com/blogs/all/pick_curriculum
Does this game work over zoom? Could I play this game in person without people having to interact? How do I play a game in this current setting? If you have been questioning your games lately, let me begin by saying you are not alone. The entire youth ministry world is trying to figure out how to still have games while remaining safe for students.
With in-person gatherings happening more and more, we want to take a quick moment to solve your games problem for you. Here are three games that stand the test of time as well as give your students an incredible experience for your next gathering. These games work over zoom, in-person, or even via smoke-signal. Well maybe not the last one, but you get the picture. Let’s play some games!
On Wednesday evenings, for 4-weeks starting March 18th, YM360 is bringing youth group to you, right in your home. And it’s FREE. No strings attached. Youth Group canceled? Take it to your students with Youth Group at Home. For Free
It is important that when we travel on mission trips we don’t lead and go with the mindset of a tourist, but the mindset of a missionary, called by God and sent on mission for and with Him. J. Roger Davis and Zac Condie (Director at Servant Life) have shared with you FOUR simple thoughts to help you plan and prepare for your time serving with your students on any mission experience. Let's dig in!
Have you ever been in the room or even on stage when a game just fell flat? None of us walk into the room, hoping our games bomb, but the reality is we've all been there before. Games can hold tremendous power in your services, gatherings, and events. The right game led by the right person can energize your room like nothing else…IF everything goes well. This big if leads to the unfortunate truth that sometimes our games just bomb.
I believe there are four common reasons our games have come up short in the past, and I also believe there are four simple solutions to ensure it never happens again. Let’s jump right in.
Easter is a powerful time in the life of every Christ-follower, but also in the life of your ministry. It's a time where we can build on the meaning inherent in the season and lay the foundation for real spiritual growth. But to do so means making sure we're thinking intentionally. If we don't plan to get the most out of it, we likely won't.
So here are five ways that you can make sure your students' Easter experience is everything it should be.
Relationships are easy, right? That's why everyone has different types of relationships, and we talk about them all the time! Let’s be honest. Are relationships easy to navigate? Not so much. Are they navigable? Absolutely! Think about the students that you work with regularly. Do they handle relationships well? I would guess that a lot of them do not, but I cannot blame them. The older I get, the wiser I become, which is why we need to share this wisdom with our students! So, what do these students need to know when it comes to walking through relationships well? We'll tell you in this video today!
Easter has the potential to be a catalyst for change when it comes to our students and their relationship with Christ. But, after hearing the story year after year, your students can grow stale to the message of Easter. Make Easter 2020 AMAZING with the 3 simple tips! Listen now!
Games are the universal language between adults and students. Games grant people an opportunity to step out of their routine to show a different side of themselves. Here’s the problem with games: coming up with them. We’ve all witnessed incredible games before, and we’ve also seen those games which flopped upon arrival. But how do you re-invent a game after it has become stale? Robbie and Jake want to show you today!
It seems like when our schedule gets a bit lighter during the Christmas season; we can often get less done. We want to spend a few moments today talking about how you can head into this Christmas season with an intentional spirit to use this month as a youth ministry reboot.
We believe there are four things you can do to give your ministry that extra energy when 2020 rolls around!
Each year at Christmas, we turn the YM360 Blog into a youth worker's one-stop-shop for Christmas content. Be sure you check out this page for any FREE Christmas content you may need. And let us know if we can help in any way.
We’re all familiar with the metaphor: Sometimes, as Christians, we experience “mountain top” events. As a youth worker, we often hope the events we plan will be mountain top events. We hope that when we design a retreat weekend or a camp, these events will be moments where our students experience God’s presence. That’s not a bad thing to hope for. But there is another side of mountain top events that can be slightly problematic. Let us tell you what it is and how you can overcome it in your student ministry.
It is inevitable. Eventually, the shine and the glow of your small group is going to wear off. What do you do once that has happened? Andy and Robbie have some tips to help you get the shine back!
Today, I want to make the case that all youth pastors need to hit November with the same energy and hype as August. Why? Because of the Sports Pause. Don't know what the Sports Pause is? No problem, let me tell you.
We desire to serve and equip you with Gospel-centered, biblically solid, easy-to-teach, Bible study resources. Below you'll find high-quality lessons and some fun games designed specifically for using during the Thanksgiving season.
At times, youth ministry can feel more like office work, rather than worshipping with students, ministering, playing fun games, and hosting lock-ins. We wanted to take a moment to help you take a fresh look at how office work isn't meant to inhibit your ministry instead of enhancing it. Listen today!
This might be a tough pill to swallow, but if we're all being honest, your students probably think that the Bible is boring. Jake and Andy talk about this, and also ways that you can spruce up your Bible teaching to make it more engaging and inspire your students to find joy and comfort in the Bible!
YM360's Roger Davis interviews Bubba Crowder, Director and Founder of Fund the Nations, at the 2019 Conclave Event in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We learn more about Bubba, why he started Fund the Nations, as well as the importance of Fundraising and Church Branding.
Andy Blanks and Jake Rasmussen discuss 3 gifts that you can give to your graduating seniors to show them how important they've been in your Youth ministry.
Andy Blanks, Co-Founder and Publisher for YM360, recently sat down with Angela and asked her how, in the midst of so much commitment, she and her husband managed to avoid burnout.
Something you will hear a lot around YM360 is that the foundation of your youth ministry has to be built on God's Word. So many excellent youth workers get this and have solid plans and programs to teach teenagers to engage with God through the pages of the Bible. This is a great thing. But if we step back and ask ourselves if we're teaching students to memorize God's Word, to “hide it in their hearts” to quote Psalm 119, I think many of us find that we're missing out.
It’s time we reevaluate our relationship with Scripture memory and raise the bar on how we challenge students to engage with God’s Word.
We’ve all been there: You’ve done the prep work necessary to create a meaningful time of Bible study, but when the time comes to dig in and . . . You find yourself staring into a room full of mostly disengaged students. It's no fun. And over time, it can lead to real frustration. What are a few ways you can get students engaged in your Bible study lessons? Glad you asked.
A super brief youth ministry truth with you. Ready?
Your actions are determined by your desired outcome.
Let’s unpack this a little. This means:
- Your disciple-making actions (i.e., how you set up your programming, how you teach, etc.) are determined by what you desire to see in the spiritual lives of your students.
- The way you interact with your volunteers (i.e., how you recruit them, train them, empower them, etc.) will be determined by the way in which you envision them contributing to your ministry.
- The manner in which you engage with the parents of your students (i.e., how and what you communicate to them, how you involve them, etc.) will be determined by the role you envision them playing in your youth ministry.
- The way you plan your retreats (i.e., the speakers, the band, the theme, the schedule, etc.) is determined your desired outcome for the event. In other words, you act so that your retreat accomplishes what you want it to accomplish.
DISCIPLESHIP IS THE ACTIVE, RELATIONAL, EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEY OF FOLLOWING JESUS IN THE MANNER AND DIRECTION OF HIS LEADING.
YM360's Jake Rasmussen and Andy Blanks walkthrough 10 Truths for (Being Awesome at) Teaching the Bible.
Snd your feedback to jake@ym360.com