Ryan NelsonA lot of Christians think they aren’t cut out to be a youth leader. But if you love Jesus and you care about kids, everything else falls into place. In my five years working with middle school students I’ve met multiple 80 year olds who...
Faithlife StaffEvery church outreach event takes some foresight to pull together, but vacation Bible school (VBS) planning? That can take even more. (How does it go from the start of spring to the dead of summer in a blink?!) Here’s a handy VBS planning checklist...
Guest AuthorTwo years ago, I transitioned from leading and overseeing our church’s youth ministries to overseeing and leading our children’s and youth ministries. Practically, that’s an eighteen-year gap of kids under my care—not to mention their older...
Mary JahnkeMillennials and Gen Z are weighing heavy on pastors’ hearts these days. According to Barna, When presented with a list of possible challenges facing their church today, half of Protestant pastors note that “reaching a younger audience” (51%) is a...
Dan Lovaglia, director of leadership development at Awana, says there’s a disconnect between the church’s objectives and our results—particularly in children’s ministries. Across denominations, ministries and churches share many of...
Providing separate ministries for children, teens, and young adults is how churches lean into knowledge of childhood development and adolescence. It’s how the body of Christ walks beside parents to teach kids to embrace and live out the gospel...
If you had told me a few months ago that I’d be a youth leader leading the high school and junior high groups at my church, I’d say you were crazy. Working with kids is something I’ve always told myself I wasn’t cut out for...