Ministry Lessons

Showing Up During A Crisis

I remember the first crisis I had to face when I first started in youth ministry. I was paralyzed at the idea of going into the home of some students I barely knew whose dad had just passed away. I’ve learned a lot since then. Seeing this article from Kurt Johnston and Josh Griffin confirmed what I’ve learned during the many years between then and now, but also made me wish I had this information back then.

Being an Easy Example for Your Students to Follow

By Dennis Beckner

Tonight I saw two of our students at Taco Bell hanging out with another kid I didn’t know.

After a few minutes of chit chat about their fishing trip that day and seeing picture, I turn to the kid I didn’t know and started this conversation:

Video: A Non Christian's View of Christians

By Dennis Beckner

Last night I invited my friend Alex who is an Atheist to the high school Bible study I teach. We videotaped the event to show other youth workers what we’re up to.

I believe this illustrates a missing link to our outreach programs. If we can talk to non-Christians, we’ll have a better idea how to reach them.

Holding Students Accountable for Small Group Attendance

By Dennis Beckner

Caution: I wouldn’t recommend doing this with students you don’t have a solid relationship with.

I have a small group student who has become very lazy about attending small group. It’s a little ironic because he lives just a couple of streets over from where we meet. Others who have to drive a much longer distance, however, never miss.