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Reimagining Youth Ministry

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100 Answers in (around) 100 Words

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Over at Life in Student Ministry, Tim Schmoyer has a post on “100 blog topics I hope YOU to write.” Well, I’m done.

I have tried to answer every topic with one (different) word. Some are serious, others are tongue-in-cheek. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

  1. How to use Facebook for ministry: Groups.
  2. How to build community among teenagers: Food.
  3. Technology I use in youth ministry: Huh?
  4. How to write Bible study lessons for youth group: Study.
  5. Conversation starters to ask a student you just met: Food?
  6. How to get parents involved in their kids’ lives: Less.
  7. How to handle confrontation: Carefully.
  8. How to teach students with learning disabilities: Patiently.
  9. How to market your events: Don’t.
  10. How to effectively use visual aids in teaching: Google.
  11. How to make time for personal prayer and devotions: Schedule.
  12. How to empower your youth leaders: Space.
  13. How to follow-up with new believers: Facebook.
  14. Using podcasts in youth ministry: Waste.
  15. How to engage students in worship: Example.
  16. How to deal with a suicide in your ministry: Immediately.
  17. Everything a youth worker should know about eating disorders: Watch.
  18. Addressing porn and masturbation at youth group: XXXchurch.com.
  19. How to help parents prepare their students for college: Trip.
  20. Recommended books for every youth worker’s library: Yaconelli.
  21. How teenage girls best relate to each other: Gossip.
  22. How teenage guys best relate to each other: Wrestling.
  23. Teaching students to evaluate their media consumption: Discernment.
  24. How to equip your students to achieve their dreams: Steps.
  25. Sermon presentations versus small group discussion Bible studies: Easy.
  26. Necessary elements for any youth meeting: Jesus.
  27. Balancing youth group events with athletics, homework and jobs: Missional.
  28. How to achieve longevity in youth ministry: Sabbath.
  29. What students need from their youth leaders: Time.
  30. How to take an idea and make it happen: Ask.
  31. How to plan a youth ministry budget: Last-year.
  32. The real influence of celebrities on students: Excessive.
  33. How to change a teenager’s world forever: Care.
  34. Why youth ministers should read their students’ blogs: Spying.
  35. How to evaluate ministry and implement change: S-L-O-W-L-Y.
  36. Addressing sin in your own life: Kill.
  37. How to make youth group visitors feel welcomed: Talk.
  38. How to use the arts in youth group: Worship.
  39. The youth event no one has ever seen: Marathon.
  40. What I wish every Sr. Pastor knew about youth ministry: Transition.
  41. Balancing youth ministry with my personal life: Calendar.
  42. The difference between part-time and full-time youth ministry: Money (not time).
  43. How to fix your mistakes in ministry: Move.
  44. How to develop students to be spiritual leaders: Risk.
  45. When I feel frustrated in ministry: Read.
  46. Youth group strategies for evangelism: Incarnational.
  47. How to come up with creative ideas: Notepad.
  48. How NOT to introduce visitors to the youth group: Hugs.
  49. What every youth worker needs to know about Jr. High students: ADD.
  50. What every youth worker needs to know about Sr. High students: Deep.
  51. How to earn the trust and respect of your Sr. Pastor: Communicate.
  52. How to lead a youth group when you’re the only volunteer: Help.
  53. How to help a student break an addiction: Prayer.
  54. How to teach through a book of the Bible: Quickly.
  55. What youth group students need from each other: Forgiveness.
  56. Internet tools I use for youth ministry: Bloglines.
  57. How to develop a world missions strategy for your youth group: Pick.
  58. How to simplify your life and ministry: Cancel.
  59. The future of youth ministry: Theology.
  60. How NOT to use video in youth ministry: Flashdance.
  61. How to handle the most common youth ministry struggles: Parents.
  62. How to keep God’s Word fresh for teenagers: Passion.
  63. How to work in a church that doesn’t support it’s youth ministry: Leave.
  64. What to do with “God sightings” stories in your youth group: Share.
  65. Tools for working with hurting teenagers: YouthSpecialties.
  66. How to get kids plugged in to God’s Word: Challenge.
  67. Youth ministry topics that need more coverage: Ecclesiology.
  68. How to become a student-led youth group: Failure.
  69. Expectations to hold for any youth worker volunteer: Perfection.
  70. How to turn conversations toward Christ: “Christ.”
  71. How to respond to criticism: “Thanks.”
  72. Ten youth ministry sites I like and why: TimSchmoyer.com
  73. How to work with the hyper-active kid: Exercise.
  74. How to address self-esteem at youth group: Yay!
  75. How to get your kids sharing and contributing to small groups: Force.
  76. A story of how Christ changed my youth group: Bible.
  77. When to let go of a student and trust God take care of the rest: Rebellion.
  78. How to recharge your emotional batteries: Nap.
  79. How youth ministry made me go crazy!: Busy.
  80. How to make the most of a youth group retreat: Plan.
  81. How to shake a student from their apathy for God’s Word: Live.
  82. Things to consider before purchasing a curriculum: Booo.
  83. American youth ministry and how I would change it: Think.
  84. How to give yourself away: No.
  85. How NOT to give advice to a student: “TheBibleSays.”
  86. The top 10 excuses every youth leader makes: Hectic.
  87. The top 10 excuses every youth group student makes: Soccer (or football, band, etc.)
  88. How to settle a disagreement with your Sr. Pastor: Lose.
  89. Common mistakes to avoid in youth ministry: Burnout.
  90. Guidelines to follow for selecting new youth leaders: Opportunity.
  91. How to facilitate communication between students and parents: Try.
  92. How to partner with parents in youth ministry: Humbly.
  93. Reaching rural kids versus reaching urban kids: Ha!
  94. How to support a student through difficult times: Embrace.
  95. The #1 best thing you can do for the kids in your youth group: Love.
  96. How to promote an attitude of prayer in daily life: Pray.
  97. How the Internet is changing students’ perspective of community: Weakening.
  98. Why I’m in youth ministry today: Teens.
  99. A passage of scripture every student should know: Many.
  100. How to get students involved in the rest of the church body: Integrate.

Comments

  3. Matt, how have you used xxxchurch.com with the whole porn and masturbation issues in youth group? I’d be interested to hear if it has been effective or not. I looked into them a while bacck but they only seem to tell their story of how they are getting into the porn industry and helping bring people out. We have tried their accountability software but on a mac it is spotty at best.
    What has been your experience with their site?
    Thanks for any feedback

  4. revkev-

    Actually, I’ve never used XXXchurch.com. I’ve heard of other ministries that have. In this blog post I pretty much went down the list and wrote down whatever came to mind that also happened to be one word. Sorry for getting your hopes up.

  5. HAHAHA i love you brother. good form. as i was reading this my mind kept going to how we as youth pastors waste our time. i mean he really dived deep with some of those…but 100…and you responded humorlessly…and i read them….i now hear a round of http://www.addictinggames.com calling my name so i must venture off…
    oh and for xxx.church.com i’ve used with a youth group before and for me i felt they are more geared at abolishing the concept and dealing with M word mentality that the church is needing to be more open about it. i didn’t find very much helpful about it though.
    Revkev you could check out this book…which i found very interesting…(had some huge disagreements with but still worth a read)
    its called the Struggle by Steve Gerali. that really tackles the concept of masturbation head on.

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