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Having Fun Matters

From youthministry360 on Monday, October 19, 2026 @ 6:12 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
If you have a Bible degree, you probably learned a lot. The different views of end times, maybe even some Greek and Hebrew. Others of you studied Math, Marketing, Business, or something else entirely before you landed in youth ministry. But most likely, no matter what your degree says, there's something no college course ever really prepared us for. Like how many pizza slices does it take to feed my students? We've all been there. Do you count slices? Boxes? Will my middle schoolers eat less than my high schoolers? And then, you either run out of pizza or you have enough left over to serve a small village. Or even this one...at what speed can you throw that dodgeball at that one kid and it not be considered harmful? You know you've had that thought. Courses like that would be so helpful, right? Well, here's another one: how to have fun in youth ministry and why it's important! Let's not be the generation of youth leaders who lead in churches where kids are growing up thinking that church is boring. God gave us the gift of laughter, joy, and fun. Let's bring those qualities into our ministries! Now, we have to be careful. There's a pendulum swing here, and youth ministry can quickly get a bad rep if all we do is have fun in youth ministry. But at the same time, we want to be mindful and purposeful with our fun. We don't want to lead a ministry that's only known for fun and games, but rather one that helps find the balance between fun and spiritual formation. Now, when I say fun, I do mean more than only games. Yes, games are meant to bring an element of fun into what we do in ministry, but that's not the only world where fun exists. Fun is a philosophy we can use in our ministry to create more opportunities. Once upon a time, a famous theologian said, "It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how." That line came from the famous Dr. Seuss and was said by his character the Cat in the Hat. Having fun is fun, but as youth ministry leaders, we have to know how. It's important to have fun because if you're not having fun, it's likely no one else is either. So, let's unpack why having fun matters in youth ministry: Your Students Need Fun Fun matters. The students you minister to and lead each week need fun in their lives, and you get to be the one who brings that to them. I've always said that fun builds culture. If you want to shape your ministry, don't ignore the avenue of fun. Fun gives students a reason to come back. You've been there before. You go somewhere, and it just feels lame, so you don't go back. When students are having fun in your ministry, they'll want to come back to the fun thing. Fun is also essential to teenage development. Research shows that play helps develop critical thinking and adaptability, along with social and emotional skills. As students have fun with others, they talk, laugh, let their guard down, and build trust. That's huge. Fun Builds Relationships When students are having fun together, they connect, do something together, and create a memory. Fun is an avenue for students to be themselves. In a safe environment, fun leads them to open up and build relationships with other students and leaders around them. Some of my best moments in ministry were having fun together. Yes, through a game, but also through having fun conversations on a bus ride, serving pizza and being goofy together, and trying to act mature at the senior adult luncheon. Fun is a way to build relationships with people. Fun helps create unique shared experiences. It's something students can bond over. Those shared experiences give students a sense of belonging, safety, and excitement to be part of something. We all want that. Let's create that for our students. Fun Leads to Engagement When we create fun ministry environments, it leads to students taking a step closer. They're more likely to return. More likely to invite a friend. More likely to talk about it at school the next day. What if you built an invite culture in your ministry that answered the question, "Is what we're doing something our students would invite their friends to?" Now, some of this might require some evaluating and tough feedback, but it's worth it. Invite some students and leaders to a seat at the table to speak about the "fun" elements of your ministry. Let them speak for themselves rather than you trying to figure it all out on your own. That gives them a voice in shaping a culture of fun for everyone. Fun youth ministries capture attention. We all wish students would come only because they want to sit at the feet of your teaching and soak in the Word, but that's not reality. Use fun to build relationships and bring the Gospel to life. Fun Enhances Learning You remember this from your own time as a student. Some of the best ways to learn are in fun, creative ways. What if we approached our Bible teaching the same way? Bible teaching is serious, and not every text opens the door to fun and laughter. But what if part of how we keep students engaged is by incorporating elements of fun - through stories, illustrations, an interactive moment, or a funny video? Use fun to help students learn more about who God is and who He calls them to be. Do your own research into how having fun enhances learning in the classroom or even in the workforce. People who are trying to teach others want to do so in a way that helps them retain what they learn. Often, fun is at the top of the list of methods to incorporate. Fun Strengthens the Student-To-Leader Relationship There's nothing better than watching your leaders make total fools of themselves playing a game or doing something fun with their students. When leaders get in the world and turf of students and have fun, it does something special. Those relationships strengthen and grow, which opens the door to further ministry opportunities. This is the goal, right? Invite leaders in and recruit them to have fun with you. Fun Opens the Door to Gospel Conversations In my experience, trust rarely shows up first in a serious moment. It shows up in a silly one. A shared laugh at camp, an inside joke from a bus ride, a leader getting soaked in a water balloon fight. They tell a student, "This person is safe, and I actually want to be around them." That trust is what makes the deeper conversations possible later. A student who's laughed with you is a student who'll text you when their parents are getting divorced. A student who's watched you make a fool of yourself during a game is a student who will open up to you about a doubt or spiritual question. Fun helps earn you a seat at the table for those moments. It won't replace a Gospel conversation, but it can open the door to one. So when you're planning that game or that goofy moment in your programming, don't just think of it as filler before the real teaching starts. Think of it as relational groundwork. You're building the kind of trust that lets a student actually hear what you have to say about Jesus, because they already know you care about them outside of it. Closing Thoughts There are a ton of ways to incorporate fun into your ministry. It can be small or big, a game or not. Make space for it and let it happen organically. As you plan your midweek, you probably have a game scheduled for seven minutes or so, but that doesn't have to be the only element of fun. Develop your own philosophy of fun. Schedule it, plan for it, but sometimes let it happen on its own. Talk to your students and leaders about how they'd like to have fun in your ministry. You might be surprised. At the end of the day, having fun in ministry is more than entertainment or filling time. It's a relational tool, and ministry is highly relational. Fun does so much good for our ministries and opens the door to more ministry opportunities. If you're not having fun in ministry, you're missing out. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: Where in your ministry has fun opened the door to a deeper relationship or conversation you didn't expect? What would it look like to build a "philosophy of fun" into your ministry rather than just scheduling seven minutes for a game?

4 Ways to Empower Your Student Leaders

From youthministry360 on Friday, October 16, 2026 @ 6:33 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
As youth leaders, we find ourselves at different places in the ongoing conversations of raising up student leaders. Sometimes, we're in the early stages of engagement, drawing that "gold" out of them. Other times, we're right where we are today, empowering those students to begin leading out. For what it's worth, I believe this is a conversation that never truly ends, even though it may change and grow over time. As students begin to take on leadership roles, part of the growth process is that we keep asking them the important questions and give them real opportunities to lead. In this blog, we'll look at four different ways to empower your students and truly give away leadership to them. Give It Away To empower those we lead to step up and step out takes a unique leadership mindset. Leaders who focus on holding onto and maintaining their position rarely give leadership to anyone beyond what may benefit them. Leaders focused on the team, with a mission-first mentality, will empower those they lead. This sounds like a very corporate, business mindset towards leadership, but we actually see a lot of it in Scripture. To hand over the reins of leadership, in my opinion, is to put those we lead in positions of leadership roles, often before they're ready. I believe the best way to verbalize this is that leaders teach their teams to lead and give their teams the lead. Teaching our teams to lead means we're equipping them. Giving them the lead means moving ourselves out of the way and letting them make the calls, even though they may not always make the best ones. Part of empowering them is graciously allowing them to make mistakes. I do this in a few ways, but I call the two "introductory roles" passive leadership and active leadership. Active Leadership Active leadership is what it sounds like. It's a leadership role that's typically out front, actively leading others. For my ministry, this is typically someone who leads a small group, teaches from the stage, helps to plan events, and the like. They step into, by many standards, a more prominent leadership role. It's not always the case, but it appears that way. Those who step into these active leadership roles are often comfortable being in the spotlight, but it doesn't mean they crave it. These roles can also often be viewed as hard things to do, but I don't think that's the case for all of them. Passive Leadership On the other side of that coin, we have what I like to call passive leadership. As opposed to active leadership, passive leadership is a little harder to define, but for me, it's giving leadership roles to my team that aren't necessarily out front (although sometimes they are) but are just as important. An example of passive leadership may be someone acting in a greeter role for people coming in for the first time or possibly some tech role behind the scenes. Other times it may be asking someone to do announcements or a welcome at a gathering or service. Yes, I'm aware those are "up front" roles, but I've found that those have less pressure than teaching or leading a small group discussion. For the people stepping into these roles, it's usually a pretty big deal. Continuing The Conversation Whether you have active leaders or passive leaders (you probably have some of each), both groups require coaching and follow-up. Give them guidance for improvement and ask their thoughts on whatever they accomplished. Of course, always be one of their biggest cheerleaders! There's nothing quite like seeing someone you've led and developed step into a leadership role and succeed. That beaming pride they feel not only empowers them to continue but also gives them permission to take ownership in the ministry or organization. I guess the only thing left when it comes to empowering leaders is, again, the continued conversation. Some will move from active leadership roles to deeper roles relatively quickly, and others will need to hang out in passive roles a little longer. We have to know the people we're leading if we're going to gauge their next best step. Encourage them and continue to allow them to lead out. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: In what ways are you currently passing leadership opportunities on to your students? What could you do to allow your students to take more ownership in your ministry? What are some active and passive leadership roles you currently have available? As you can, begin attaching students' names to these roles.

8 Hall-of-Fame Youth Ministry Thanksgiving Activities

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Thursday, October 15, 2026 @ 3:24 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
Looking for some fun Thanksgiving activities for your student gatherings? Here are eight ideas you can adapt for your youth ministry!

There is No Plan B: You are it! Stories from a Canadian.

From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Friday, October 9, 2026 @ 7:19 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
I'm working on a memoir of sorts. My journey, thoughts and adventures all gathered together. Not that many people would read it, except maybe Len Evans if he was alive. He did have several published works and encouraged me to keep writing. I've been featured several different places including: Christian Standard, Christianity Today, Youth Specialties, and quoted in a few books. People envision writing a book as getting $$$ and famous but that's not it. I'm writing more not for celebrity, nor being recognized but more of a therapy of sorts. A look back to look forward. A part of that will be blogging more and including some of the material here in my own source material. So Welcome. There is no Plan B, but God can use you and He will. Let's begin the journey together. http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO

Giving Jesus Away

From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Friday, October 9, 2026 @ 7:10 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
From the Preacher's Desk: Giving Jesus Away 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out ... Romans 10:14 says: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Recently a four year old boy had commented to me: "You're the guy who gives Jesus away." (For clarity's sake: I give away these mini-Jesus figures away as a reminder that to take Jesus with you and that everyone needs a little Jesus, Of course, some of us need a whole lot of Jesus). How would you like to be known as the one who gives Jesus away? What a honor, responsibility and command. We are all called to be Jesus' hands and feet, part of the body of Christ. We are all suppose to be fulfilling the Great Commission as to go and make disciples. (Matt. 28:16-20) and the greatest commandment to Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When was the last time you shared Jesus? Don't keep Him to yourself, share Him. May you be encouraged to give Jesus away. See You Sunday. Your Smiling Preacher, Gerrard http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO

Taking Back the Holidays

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Thursday, October 8, 2026 @ 12:07 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
I never realized I could so easily lose sight of Christ during the holidays, a time of year when I talked about him so much.

Leaning Into the Grind

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 @ 3:41 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
Youth ministry is fun. I love what I do, even when it's hard. But some seasons are harder than others, and fall often feels like a grind.

The Question Box

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Monday, October 5, 2026 @ 3:43 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
Use a question box in your youth ministry as a means for teens to ask their questions-in a safe, anonymous way.

Resting While Working

From youthministry360 on Monday, October 5, 2026 @ 8:48 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Unless you are in ministry. Then just go non-stop because Jesus died on the cross for the world; what's your excuse?" Matthew 11:28* Okay, maybe some of that is added to the text, but the reality is that we, as pastors, often live that way. So much to do, and if we truly want to do whatever it takes to reach this next generation for Christ, we would just go, go, go. And then we wonder why our highest monthly expense is not our mortgage but our therapist sessions. Over the past several years, I've seen an emphasis on the return to the Holy Sabbath. Books like John Mark Comer's The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry have reminded all of us (especially pastors) of the importance of regular and consistent times of worship and Sabbath. I pray this trend will continue. But for the purpose of today, I want to move beyond weekly sabbaths, vacations, or even structured Sabbaticals. I want to look at REST. One definition I saw of the word "rest" was a temporary interruption of exertion. A temporary interruption...notice it doesn't say full stop. Is it possible to work and rest at the same time? Is it possible to take a temporary interruption from my normal routine and still find rest while I work? I think it is. And I think you can do this. Below are some examples of temporary interruptions that have worked for me over the years. These temporary interruptions have refreshed and renewed me in various seasons without ever having to take an official day off. (Disclaimer: I had to receive supervisor approval for most of the suggestions below. In addition, I had to plan well and rely on quality leaders to fill in where needed. I strongly encourage you to do the same. It's worth it.) Take A Rest from Daily or Weekly Tasks Do you ever have that one project that it feels like you've been working on for months or years but can't ever seem to finish because the day-to-day demands always take precedence? Are you a victim of the tyranny of the urgent? What would it look like to rest from your daily/weekly routine, put up your out-of-office, and get away to a mountain cabin for a few days, a week, or maybe your favorite coffee shop for a day, and just focus on that one project until it is complete? Will everything fall apart if you tap out for a day or a week? If so, that's worth considering! You're not taking time off. You're still working. But you are taking a temporary interruption from your normal routine. Take A Rest from All Non-Discipleship/Relationship Tasks Do you ever feel like the thing you do the least as a pastor is...well...pastoring? What would it look like to rest from your daily/weekly routine, put up your out-of-office, and schedule a week full of hangouts, gatherings, and discipleship with your leaders, students, and families? 40 hours of just "being" and not "doing."40 hours of: Before school, the Chick-fil-A Bible studies Afternoon coffee with leaders Friday night local football game School lunches Dropping in at parents' homes Sitting around the campfire talking about how Jesus changed your life with some students and leaders. Take A Rest from Running Weekend Programming Do you ever feel like you run around like a chicken with your head cut off on Sundays, making sure that your programming is running as smoothly as possible? What would it look like to take a rest not from attending but from leading? When was the last time you just sat back and observed? Or maybe took on a smaller role: hosting, check-in, audio/visual, etc. When was the last time programming was refreshing to you because you saw what God was doing rather than being focused on what you were doing? How incredible would it be if churches let their staff pick select Sundays when they came to church simply to worship and be? Rather than coming every week to serve and work. Take A Rest from Running YOUR Weekend Programming Or maybe you just seem bogged down by not having fresh ideas, and everything seems so stale in your Student Ministry. Maybe the well has run dry in the creativity department. What would it look like to rest from your church and go and observe (or even serve) at another church in your community? Maybe even serve for a day? Or swap places with the Student Director at that church? Not only is it a break in your rhythm, but it's a chance to broaden your scope of ministry, see how other ministries are functioning, and give you space to do what you love to do without a paycheck or job responsibility behind it. Take A Rest from Serving Your People As much as you love your sheep, there are times when it's good to remind ourselves that we can (and should) serve those outside our flock because we serve the God of the Nations. Different backgrounds. Different ethnicities. Different socioeconomic statuses. We get to serve them all. What would it be like to rest from your church and serve in the community for a few hours? Or maybe even a day? What about serving on a national or international mission trip without teenagers? Take A Rest from Teaching and Preaching Yes. The Golden Calf of Student Ministry. I know I'm treading on thin ice here... What would it look like to rest for a month or so and have other elders, pastors, or qualified leaders in your church pour into and invest in this next generation? An amazing thing happens when we recognize that students need to hear the authoritative Word of God, but we also recognize that we don't have to be the only ones teaching them. I could continue, but hopefully, the above at least spurs you to think more proactively about resting while working. Take what works. Modify it. Come up with your own. But don't burn out. Fill yourself up so you can give yourself away. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: Do any of the above suggestions seem appealing or feasible to you? If so, what's your next step in moving forward with them? Have any of the suggestions above spurred you on to think more creatively in terms of how you rest and work at the same time? Is there a Student Pastor in your area that could hold you accountable for it? Talk to them about it.

Don't Burn Out the Best

From youthministry360 on Friday, October 2, 2026 @ 7:14 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Youth ministry doesn't work without people. You can have the best curriculum, the biggest room, the coolest stage, and the strongest vision in the world, but if you don't have volunteers, you don't have a ministry. You have a dream and a locked door. Scripture figured this out long before we did. In Exodus 18, Moses is trying to lead an entire nation by himself. He's hearing every complaint, settling every dispute, and carrying every burden. Jethro watches this and finally says what everyone else is thinking: "What you are doing is not good. You and these people will certainly wear yourselves out." (Exodus 18:17-18). God never designed ministry to be done by one person. He designed it to be shared. And yet, most of us have experienced the opposite in youth ministry. Instead of one exhausted pastor, we have one exhausted volunteer. Every ministry has one. The all-star. The ride-or-die leader. The one who never says no. They can drive the church van because they're old enough to be on the insurance. They can chaperone overnight trips. They're free on weeknights, weekends, and random Sundays when someone else bails. If there's a hole to fill, they're already stepping into it. They are the gold standard of what we dream every volunteer would be. We lean on them because they're capable. We text them because they're available. We trust them because they're faithful, and before we know it, their name replaces our senior pastor's in our pinned messages. The trouble is that slowly and subtly, what started as commitment turns into overuse. They don't eventually burn out because they love Jesus less-they burn out because we keep giving them more. So how do we keep our best volunteers healthy, joyful, and in ministry for the long haul? Clarify the Win Most volunteers don't burn out because they're doing too much. They burn out because they never know when they're done. When expectations are vague, responsibility becomes endless. If the win is "help however you can," then there is no finish line. There's always another student to text, another night to cover, another trip to chaperone, another gap to fill. Over time, even the most faithful leader starts to feel like they're failing simply because the work never stops. Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 14:8: "If the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?" When the call isn't clear, even faithful people don't know how to respond. They may have a decent direction, but without a clear path, it's easy to get lost. Your best volunteers don't need more things to do. They need to know what success actually looks like. What does a win look like for a small group leader? Is it showing up consistently? Is it building relationships? Is it creating a safe place for students to be honest? When you don't define the win, your leaders will define it for themselves, and they will almost always set the bar impossibly high. That's where burnout is born. Build a Bench You can have the number one draft pick in the league and still lose games. Every sports fan knows this. One superstar can put points on the board, but championships are won by teams with depth. These are people who can step in when someone is tired, injured, or having an off night. You don't just need a great starter. You need a strong bench. Ministry works the same way. You might have one incredible volunteer. They are a gift. But if your ministry depends on them doing everything, you're not building a team-you're riding a hero. Paul told Timothy to entrust the work of ministry to faithful people who could teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). That's not just leadership development. It's bench-building. God designed ministry to be shared, multiplied, and distributed so no one person carries all the weight. When only one person can play a position, that person never really gets to rest. They can't miss a week. They can't step away. They can't say no without feeling like the whole ministry might fall apart. Building a bench means training people before you need them. It means letting someone else run the drill. It means allowing things to be a little less polished so they can become more sustainable. Because healthy ministries are not built on irreplaceable people, they're built on teams where everyone has a role to play. Your best volunteers don't need to be your only players. They need teammates. Give Permission to Rest Some of your best volunteers won't rest unless you tell them to. They love students too much. They love the ministry too much. And sometimes, they love being needed too much. So they keep saying yes even when they're empty. They keep showing up even when their joy is gone, and because they don't complain, no one notices until they quietly start pulling away. Jesus saw this in His own disciples. After a season of intense ministry, He told them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). That wasn't a suggestion. It was shepherding. Jesus knew that people who never stop giving eventually have nothing left to give. When you give a leader permission to rest, you're protecting them! You're telling them that their soul matters more than their schedule, and that their presence is more valuable than their productivity. Rest doesn't weaken a ministry. It strengthens it. If your ministry can't survive without one person for a week, it won't survive with them for ten years. Your best volunteers didn't sign up to just be used. They signed up to be part of something God was doing. They showed up because they love students, they believe in the mission, and they trust you to lead well. The great thing is that you don't have to choose between excellence and care. You don't have to choose between getting things done and doing things the right way because when you lead with clarity, build real teams, and give people permission to rest, you create a ministry that is not just effective but healthy. And healthy ministries last. Some of the greatest fruit you will ever see won't come from what you personally accomplish, but from the people you protect, develop, and keep in the game. The goal isn't to squeeze every ounce of energy out of your best volunteers. So don't burn out the best. Lead them well and build something together that outlives all of you. Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community: What value do you place on rest for your volunteers? What about for yourself? What is one area of your ministry where you currently rely on a single superstar, and what is one concrete step you can take this month to start "building a bench" around them?

Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin? The Answer and the Way Back

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Friday, September 25, 2026 @ 12:03 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
Is sex before marriage a sin? Every youth worker hears a version of that question. When kids sin by having premarital sex, they need hope and forgiveness.

Battling the Fall Doldrums (Part 2)

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Monday, August 24, 2026 @ 3:44 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
Overcoming the fall doldrums will give you a new pattern and rhythm to your ministry and will encourage your students.

Battling the Fall Doldrums (Part 1)

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Monday, August 24, 2026 @ 3:31 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
The fall doldrums refer to the short season after the end of summer and back-to-school season and before the Christmas holiday ramp-up.

Three Principles

From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 @ 2:21 PM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Paul wrote, "I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14 Three Principles that governed Paul's journeys and can apply to us today. They are: Dependence on God Acts 13:1-4 tells us Paul was intentional in his reliance on God. His choices were the result of God's promptings. This dependence also enabled Paul to demonstrate joyful perseverance in his travels. Prison couldn't dampen his praise (Acts 16:25). Even when he had been stoned and left for dead, he "got up and went back into the city" (Acts 14:20).We can also depend on the Lord to empower us during difficult circumstances. No Lone Rangers Paul understood the value of companions and teamwork. In Acts 9, Ananias restored his sight and Barnabas introduced Paul to the other apostles. On all three of his recorded missionary journeys, Paul traveled with at least one companion. E Paul did not journey alone. Journeying with others provides encouragement and accountability. Humility Despite his confidence, Paul had an attitude of humility. He considered himself "the least" of the Lord's people (Ephesians 3:8). Paul was a powerful speaker, but he relied on the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit rather than on persuasive words. We also need humility when relating to others. When we demonstrate humility before God, our traveling companions, and those we serve, God receives all the glory. http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO

6 Back-to-School Conversation Starters

From ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders on Thursday, July 30, 2026 @ 2:36 PM PST
in the "Articles" Category.
Try these back-to-school conversation starters to invite youth into more substantial discussions. Don't be afraid to go deeper!