Faith & Ministry
For many of us, summer ministry has ended. You may have led an incredible VBS, inspiring mission trip, or even had life-changing experiences at summer camp. Now is the time we move from the hustle of summer into the more rhythmic school year. So how do we help teens, children, families, our teams, and the... Continue Reading →
Ministry in the summer can fly by. Summer can feel like a whirlwind from ending the school year, celebrating graduations, jumping into camps or mission trips, assisting VBS, and family vacations. And before we know it, we’ve lost a golden opportunity. So I wonder, have you thought through how you are using summer? I believe... Continue Reading →
Toxic people create toxic groups and quickly derail your mission. What do I mean? A new student shows up to your group but never returns. A longtime student leaves. Both students say your group has too many cliques. There may be a lack of participation in games, activities, discussions, or events. Or no matter how... Continue Reading →
Regardless of how you got into youth ministry, I think there is one thing you and I have in common. We began in ministry because we love Jesus. In your life, you've had some encounter, experience, or insight that made it clear to you that Jesus will always be the G.O.A.T. (Does anyone say G.O.A.T.?)... Continue Reading →
You may be your ministry's worst enemy. A few weeks ago, in part one, we discussed one way you may be hurting your ministry. Today we are going to explore another way that you may cause harm. You may be your ministry's own worst enemy by failing to invest in your personal development. I think... Continue Reading →
You know that you need a team of leaders. To get this team, you will have to recruit people. It is probably not too far of a stretch to think that you want your team to be a strong team. So you need a team, and you want quality leaders. I wonder, though, have you... Continue Reading →
Your fall semester is about to begin, and you spend hours prepping for a massive back to school bash. You rent the tallest rock wall, knockerball, and inflatables. You purchase expensive prizes and enough food to feed three high schools. The band is ready, and you book an engaging speaker. After all, you want to... Continue Reading →
Parents. You can't avoid the fact that they exist. You went into youth ministry because you wanted to change the lives of teenagers, but you've been handed more than you expected. The younger, less experienced version of yourself probably didn't realize that loving teenagers also meant loving parents. The younger, less experienced version of yourself... Continue Reading →
You could possibly be the worst enemy of your youth ministry, volunteer team, and students. As leaders, this is never something you dream to be, but it does happen. Certainly, at times you might beat yourself up when you've made a mistake, but it isn't the norm. At least I hope not! I'm talking about... Continue Reading →
Brian M. Lawson 