“These men who are turning the world upside down have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” (Acts 17:6-7) I spent some years as a youth pastor in a larger established church running a big youth program … More Plotting Revolution at Jason’s House
They found him…sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions…And Jesus grew in wisdom.” (Luke 2:46, 52) Jesus was a middle schooler once. Can you imagine that? Popping pimples. Voice cracking. Surging hormones. Changing body. Our stained glass images of a stoic Jesus the Son of God and second person of the … More Sermon: Growing in Wisdom
In this series I’m sharing some of the Scriptures that have most radically influenced my own life and faith. Read full series here. I love the moment in The Lord of the Rings when Samwise turns to Frodo and asks, “I wonder what kind of a tale we’ve fallen into?” The two hobbits perceptively realized that their … More LIFE VERSES 9: Acts 17:17
As the school year wraps up, I’m reminded of my youth pastor days. Here’s a repost from 2009. I’m typing this blog from my laptop while text messaging, checking my email, listening to my Ipod, updating my Twitter and sipping an iced mocha. I’m totally wired and buzzed — both from caffeine and all the … More Constantly Buzzed: Teens & Technology
In this series we’ll be picking apart this episode in Luke 10 piece by piece, exploring what it looks like on the road to discipleship in the company of Jesus. “The Lord now chose seventy (-two) other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. These … More Two by Two 1: He Sent Them
Here’s a repost from 2009. Enjoy! -JB “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself.” -Jesus As fall stares tired youth pastors in the face, weary from summer trips and fun-in-the-sun adventures, we try to take a deep breath, grab a mini vacation before ramping up for another year of bringing the good … More Worship at the Altar of Self
Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you’re ready” (Song of Solomon 2:7). “How far is too far?” That’s the most often asked question every youth pastor receives during those annual “Purity Month” talk series and Q & A time. Every (responsible) youth pastor is poised with the standard response: “That’s … More Virgin Lips: Another Sexual Revolution
What do you think of these words? My thoughts follow. Certainly his words apply to some teenagers — namely, privileged kids who grew up like me, blessed with an intact family and an actual yard to mow who waste their lives away. But that’s not the family background that many troubled youth who stand in … More Teenagers need more than words
MainStreet is preparing to launch a new youth ministry in Mound to reach Westonka youth for Christ. MainStreet Church is about bringing the light and love of Christ beyond the church walls and into the marketplace — i.e., Main St. Our foundational verse is Acts 17:17 where Paul conducted his ministry “in the marketplace daily … More Welcome to The Alley!
A long time dream for Mound is getting closer to being realized. My original call to ministry was more specifically a call to bring a fresh approach to youth ministry to my home town of Mound. Most of you know that I spent a couple years leading a grassroots youth movement called Revolution in Mound … More Westonka Youth Ministry – COMING SOON!
I’m reposting an oldie but goodie from several years back. -JB These days, teachers in the news facing charges of “corrupting the youth” are usually repeat sex offenders. But did you know that the great philosopher, Socrates (469-399 B. C.), was also charged, convicted and ultimately executed for “corrupting the youth”? Socrates’ mode of “corruption” … More Socrates & I: Corrupting the Youth
From Doug Fields and Matt McGill on growing and utilizing student leaders: Summer is a great time for you to develop student leaders and get them more involved in the youth ministry and feeling like they are making a difference. In order for this to happen, the youth ministry leadership team will need to “raise … More Expect More From Student Leaders
A good reminder for all Christian leaders by Pete Johnson from YouthWorker.com. His article begins, This issue of YouthWorker Journal contains some great articles about resources, methods and techniques, which can improve our effectiveness in working with teens; but I want to remind all of my fellow youth workers that all this stuff doesn’t mean a … More Our Lives are the Best Curriculum
One of my good friends in youth ministry, Paul Baudhuin at St. Croix Valley United Methodist Church, has an outstanding vision and purpose set out for his youth group. I can’t help but share it. While many students often only see what’s on the surface level of the “youth group experience” — the fun and … More More Than ‘Youth Group’
Read my article “Guard Your Treasure: Teens, Sex and Cellphones” recently published at http://www.YouthWorker.com. Just click image below to read.
One of my favorite resources for finding timely research on youth culture and understanding teenagers is the Fuller Youth Institute. A recent article explores the “secret underworld” of what Michael Kimmel calls “Guyland.” I highly recommend reading the FULL ARTICLE HERE. So, what’s going on in the hearts and minds of today’s teenage boys? What … More Welcome to Guyland – What’s up with Guys?
Rob Bell is one of the most popular pastor-teachers in America today. He is best known for his Nooma short films used by churches everywhere. He was recently interviewed by YouthWorker Journal at a national conference to give us some of his thoughts on youth ministry today. Here’s the interview originally published on October 2, 2009 … More Rob Bell on Youth Ministry
USA TODAY.com News featured a story entitled How Stressed Are Kids? More Than We Think. I care deeply about the world today’s teens inhabit and the unique challenges they are facing. To the best of my knowledge and from my own personal observation, the world of teenagers has been changing over the last couple decades … More Teens and Stress
Every fall youth pastors must decide which direction we’re going to take our students in our Bible teaching. And, in my experience, this is not always a clear-cut decision and there are a thousand different topics I’d love to tackle. So, we all must go through some discernment process, prayerful consideration and preparation. Here are … More Youth Pastors & Message Topic Selection
Jesus Creed recently alerted me to a post by Jen Bradbury on “Outcome Based Education” for our youth groups. She asks youth ministers what they hope their students will take away from our ministry before they graduate on to college. Read her full POST here. Otherwise, I thought she nailed all of the “biggies” I certainly … More Desired Outcomes for Youth Ministry
“Above all things guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Prov. 4:23) Her hands shook and her eyes roamed restlessly about the bus. I could tell she was agitated about something. I walked up the aisle of the bus and met the eager eyes of many teens as we turned the corner just … More Guard Your Treasure: Teens, Sex & Cellphones
During the summer months our high school ministry drops regular weekly programming and moves to an event-driven schedule. We have a calendar jam packed with exciting events we don’t want anyone to miss out on. Yet, recently, I have beenpulling out my hair and trying every possible mode of communication to get the word out … More Hearing God: A Modern Parable (for Frustrated Youth Pastors)
Brian McCracken from Relevant Magazine article called “The Problem of Pride in the Age of Twitter” tackles the quiet, subtle, unseen trend related to a culture of micro-communication: “We’ve become addicted to a strange sort of connectivity – a connectivity that maintains a comfortable balance between distance and proximity, anonymity and overexposure. We’ve become … More TWITTER BUG – A Disturbing Trend?
The Internet Monk Michael Spencer recently devoted 3 blog posts to describing the coming Evangelical collapse in America. I recently posed the same question: “Is the Evangelical Church in America sinking?” I think I want to bring my observations from the perspective of a youth pastor since that is where I’m currently ministering. The evangelical … More SINKING (2): A Church Health Lesson from our Teens
Jeremy L. Berg 