VY Blog
Written by vineyard youth workers,
for vineyard youth workers.
How to Plan for the Best Mission Trip Ever
I will never forget the best mission trip experience I ever had. I took twenty-two teenagers to Puerto Rico to serve at a kid’s camp for a short-term mission trip. After leading dozens of youth ministry trips, I can honestly say this was the best youth trip ever! The...
3 Tips for Creating a Plan for Your Youth Group
Are you much of a planner? Sometimes the thought of trying to plan a year for youth ministry is overwhelming - I've tried to distill what we do annually into a three step process. This hopefully helps! The first step… Why do you want or need a plan? Is it because you...
The Great Balancing Act of Work and Family
I never fully realized how much of a struggle it would be to balance family and work life. I thought being a Youth Pastor meant my family would somehow be integrated into the work I do. This is true sometimes; however, my kids are young and require a good deal of...
When communicating with teens remember: we’re not that different!
It was like most typical Sunday mornings... I was making my way around the room before the start of the worship service, chatting with folks about their week, high-fiving and hugging and looking for opportunities to listen and encourage. I found myself seated in the...
Soul Care: Reflecting Through God’s Eyes
“I am going to do it anyway…” Not to put all the blame on God, but he did make me this way. That statement is not one I often recommend falling back on, but sometimes the process of Spiritual Formation isn’t about learning something new, but instead taking something...
YP Fail: Don’t Forget Your Leaders
My worst fail was not youth-ministry-related, but it did happen in church. It involved an advent candle I forgot to blow out that led to a fire that burned part of the stage and caused the church to smell like smoke for a month. Let’s just say I haven’t lived that one...
Transformation Through Belonging
I will never forget the first day she came to youth group. She stood in the back behind the counter with her arms folded. Everything in her face seemed to scream to the world to leave her alone! So I made sure to give her an extra warm greeting despite the signals she...
1 Prayer and 20 Ideas to Center Your Life on Jesus
I try to be healthy. Sometimes I feel like everything is crashing in and I can’t do it anymore. God seems to always encourage me and revitalize me, sometimes gently sometimes surprisingly and often right when I feel like I am done or can’t go on. I remember a few...
Gratitude: The Key to Longevity in Youth Ministry
A friend of mine recently asked me, “Since we are both sevens on Enneagram, I am wondering how do you stay at your job long term?” The Enneagram is a personality assessment. Sevens are notorious for being high-spirited extroverts who can easily be distracted and often...
YP Fail: Ignoring What I Have While Waiting for What I Imagined
“Why are you still leading youth group every week?” I knew the question was coming from my lead pastor (again), and I dreaded it. When I came on as children’s pastor, it was understood that in time, overseeing our youth ministry would become my responsibility as well....
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