Splitting your youth group into separate middle school (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) ministries can spark intense debate among church leaders and volunteers. Should you split your youth group, or keep everyone together? The right answer often depends on your church’s size, culture, staffing, and discipleship goals. In this post, we’ll weigh the […]
Should You Split Your Youth Group? Read More »
Being a parent is hard! Being a parent that wants to shepherd your children in the Christian faith can seem completely impossible in the world we live in today. We face practical challenges, like keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table, as well as getting them off to soccer practice… but
Leading Your Family Through Devotions Read More »
Most of us are ready for 2020 to be over. While 2021 may carry some of the same struggles, there is just something about a new year that incites hope. For me, it has to do with the opportunity for a fresh start. Maybe in the new year, you or someone you know would like
Five Reasons We Fail in Personal Devotions Read More »
There are many different wrongs the girls in your youth group may need to forgive, and some offenses may be more difficult to forgive than others. We cannot treat the act of forgiving someone for flirting with a girl’s boyfriend or forgetting to call her after school the same as when a girl may need
Live as a Victor, Not a Victim: Helping Girls Forgive Read More »
In today’s world, many parents feel completely alone when it comes to raising their children. Often, family members are spread all over the country, leaving young families without grandparents or aunts and uncles to lend a hand and provide much needed advice. This also reduces the size of the circle of “Wise Counsel” for both
Parents Don’t Need to Go It Alone Read More »
Whether you are a 20-year veteran or just cutting your teeth in youth ministry, there is one area of ministry that is often overlooked: investing in your youth leaders. Ministry cannot effectively be accomplished as a one-man show. You need a team, a squad, a gang, a crew– whatever you would like to call them.
Investing in Your Leaders Read More »
How many of you think it’s your job to save people? As the emcee at the premier Dare 2 Share Live event in Maine, it was the first question I asked when I stepped onstage. When raised hands began to pop up around the auditorium, my heart sank. It was a sober reminder that so
Dare 2 Share Live: Empower and Encourage Your Church Read More »
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” You have undoubtedly heard this saying many times. While it’s true, it often leaves us with the question, “So how do I practically show them that I care?” You can tell your students time after time that you
Building Relationships in Small Groups Read More »
Small groups are one of the most effective ways to invest in the lives of young people. Why? Small groups allow each leader to build deeper relationships with a few students, rather than a singular pastor attempting to have relationships with the whole group. But, what do you do when a new student enters your
Connecting with New Students in Your Small Group Read More »
Did anyone out there have the same thought I did back in April? This pandemic should be over by the end of summer, and we will be ready to start the new ministry year running full speed. But here we are, knocking on the door of September and things aren’t normal. What do we do
Do You Have a Plan for the Fall? Read More »
The hardest person for me to lead is ________________. Go ahead, think of a name to put in that blank. Before dwelling too much on this person, would you consider the following statement? Of all the people you will ever lead, the most important person and the most challenging person is the same person. It
The Hardest Person to Lead Read More »
How Setting Goals Can Help You Reach Your Target, Brett Allen Taking my kids bowling is a blast. They are still young, so without the bumpers, every ball ends up in the gutter. With the bumpers in place, however, I get to experience the joy on their faces when they get a strike. It’s not
Staying Out of the Gutter Read More »
Phone: 518.494.6000 option #2
Email Us: youthministry@wol.org
Mail: PO Box 600
Schroon Lake NY 12870
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