The Three Vital Practices of Today’s Youth PastorPosted on: 01/23/18 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee“How can I become the best…
The Math We Miss
The Math We MissPosted on: 11/5/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKeeSome youth workers aren’t very good at math.Let’s do a…
Poor Leadership 101
The youth ministry was fizzling out and no one knew why.It was as simple as this: kids weren’t meeting…
What youth ministry should look like
What youth ministry should look likePosted on: 03/19/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKeeI walked into the small church Fellowship Hall…
Four Numbers That Will Always Matter in Youth Ministry
Life is full of over-reactions…but they are abundant in youth ministry circles.Have you noticed these swings of the proverbial…
Training Your Own Volunteers
Training Your Own VolunteersPosted on: 06/3/14 5:30 AM | by Jonathan McKeeIf you’re a ministry leader, what do you do to…
Chaperone… or Sherpa?
Chaperone… or Sherpa?Posted on: 10/20/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKeeWhat do you call your adult leaders in your youth ministry? Chaperones?…
Developing Student Leaders
Developing Student LeadersPosted on: 05/7/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKeeThis week I received a great question in the form of…
Back to School Conversations
Back to School ConversationsPosted on: 08/23/17 3:03 PM | by Jonathan McKeeIf your kids aren’t already back to school, they’re headed…
Top 3 qualities I’m looking for when I hire
Top 3 qualities I’m looking for when I hirePosted on: 03/8/16 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKeeSomeone just asked me, “Jonathan,…
The Power of Coming Together
The Power of Coming TogetherPosted on: 10/16/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKeeLast weekend I was in a small town outside…
Principles for Newbie Youth Pastors
I have a friend who just started a job as a youth pastor for a small town church. When…
Communicating with Clarity
Why talk for 25 minutes when you can say it in 5?Seriously. Think about it for a moment. Picture…
Connecting with Students
Real Relationships in a World of IsolationLast month a student from the high school just down the street from…
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Telling Teenagers the Explicit Truth About Sex
Four Facts About Sex We Just Can’t Keep to OurselvesBy Jonathan McKee Talking with our kids about sex is never easy….
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Coming Out of the Closet…And Into the Church
What Should the Church Do About Homosexuality?By Jonathan McKee and David R. Smith The MajorityTeens and tweens filled the living room, Bibles in…
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The Biggest Objections of “The Unchurched”
Understanding the Mind of the UnchurchedBy Jonathan McKee A few years ago, CBS kicked off a television series called Joan of…
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Do They Run When They See You Coming?
How to NEVER reach students!By Jonathan McKee This article is an excerpt from Jonathan’s award winning book, Do They Run When They…
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Speaking to a Generation with a Short Attention Span
Speaking to Make an Impact, Not Just to Entertain!By Jonathan McKeeIt’s Wednesday night, a ton of students showed up….
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Discovering Bus-Ride-Conversations
This article originally appeared as a guest post from Jonathan McKee on StudentMinistry.org A bus full of middle…
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Teens Love Jesus, but Not Reading the Bible
This article originally appeared as a guest post from Jonathan McKee on StudentMinistry.orgWhen I was a kid, my attention…
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Networking with Other Ministries
This article originally appeared as a guest post from Jonathan McKee on StudentMinistry.org It doesn’t matter the size…
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Splitting High School and Middle School
This article originally appeared as a guest post from Jonathan McKee on StudentMinistry.org“My 6th grader is hangin’ out with…
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It All Started with a Stupid Game
This article originally appeared as a guest post from Jonathan McKee on StudentMinistry.orgThe location wasn’t anything special—a multi-purpose room…
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Shhhhh! Don’t Talk About Sex!
In the spring of 2012, I was speaking at a camp in rural Wisconsin and I brought up the…
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Recruiting Volunteers
An Effective Strategy to Get More Help!I’ve never met a youth worker who hung a sign on his office…
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GROWING IN IMPACT
Dear Youth Pastor, We’re glad that you’re serious about becoming a better youth leader, and helping your volunteers…
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How Do I Keep Volunteers?
Got volunteers? Getting them is one thing… but what’s the trick to keeping them? Glad you asked….
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Ministry to BY Teenagers
The following article is an excerpt from Jonathan’s brand new book, Ministry by Teenagers: Developing Leaders from Within. Get…
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I Hate Recruiting Volunteers
“I love children’s ministry—all of the creative parts of developing exciting programs, but I …
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Connecting with Students
Last month a student from the high school just down the street from me excused himself from class about…
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Simmer Down Now
We recently received an email from our friend Joe that asks some great questions about discipline: …
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Leading Small Groups… without Losing Your Mind
A Closer Look at What Small Groups Can DoLet’s cut to the chase. Do you want a ministry tool…
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How Do I Run a Successful Program?
Find a Purpose or Theme This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a discussion topic theme, like "Knowing God."…
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When the Ministry Budget isn’t Big Enough
His motives seemed pure. “I just want to see kids reached with the Gospel.” Who can argue with…
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How Do I Make My Youth Group Grow?
One of the most frequent questions I am e-mailed is “How can my youth group grow and reach more…
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Developing Student Leaders
Millions of teenagers are apathetic about their faith, and their indifference greatly reveals itself each year when many…
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Programming Large Events
Question: What do you do with an audience of over 1,000? Good question. It’s not like you can…
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Jonathan’s “Seven Deadly Sins” of Game Leading
The Seven No No’s – Do these seven things and your games will stink! 1. Tell…
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They Came Forward… Now What?
Recently I’ve spoken at several events that were very well planned… until the altar call. Think about this…
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Planning for Impact?
People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan!As I was previewing Jim Burns new edition of THE YOUTH…
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How Do I Program a Basic 20 Minute Program?
Twenty Minutes? What’s so important about programming a 20 minute program? Good Question. Ask yourself the following:…
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When My Wife Had Enough!
I’ll never forget the moment when my wife had HAD ENOUGH! She scooped up our kids and walked for…
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Where Has All the Ministry Money Gone
When it comes to fund-raising in a down economy, giving the extra $20 at a car wash or bake…
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How Should a Youth Pastor Schedule Their Week?
You’re sitting somewhat paralyzed in your office chair. The dazed and confused look on your face comes from seeing…
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Does Street Evangelism Work?
A Quick Note from Jonathan… A few weeks ago I read an amazing article written by…
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How Should a Part Time Leader Schedule Their Week?
We recently received this email from a part-time youth worker named Araceli: I read your article of…
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Presenting the Gospel
Here are five Biblical facts that you can share with someone about a relationship with God. Each fact has…
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Hire Me!
So, you believe that God has called you to invest your life into loving and leading teenagers? Awesome! …
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Are You Ready for Kids With Special Needs?
And I thought I had experienced disruptive kids! Carol Race can’t take her son to church. One Sunday she…
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The Delicate Art of Asking Questions When Being Interviewed
Do you provide cell phones for the youth pastors? The interview had gone quite well until the…
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My “2 Cents” on Small Groups
Dear Small Group Leaders, Every time we speak to kids they have the opportunity to hear the truth….
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How to Make Your Movie Night Flop
Do you remember years ago when “Jurassic Park” came out on video? I’ll never forget it. Because that’s when…
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The Source Podcast
Listen to authors, speakers, and youth ministry veterans discuss relevant youth ministry issues, equipping us with the tools…
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How Do I Program ‘Hang-out’ Time
I like to survey students whenever possible, and one of the purposely-vague questions I always like to ask…
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Training Your Own Volunteers
When you hear the word “training,” what comes to mind? A large conference? A Saturday workshop? Bringing in…