1. Please describe the context in which you minister (geographically, ethnically, socio-economically, etc.) In a culture so dominated by both secularism and Roman Catholicism, the Gospel of Grace is not easily understood and is often under attack from…
Admittedly, I’m not a very patient person. As a young adult, I thought I had my irritability, anxiety, and restlessness under control…and then I got married and saw the real me. But where my recognition of sin increased,…
Some youth ministers labor for years on end without ever seeing a conversion or they see very little spiritual growth. Others, however, seem to have it all together—big crowds, mass baptisms, teens singing Ke$ha to the tune of…
My mentor in my early days of youth ministry was a straight-talking, loud-walking, 6 foot, 9 inches, 280-pound man who had done student ministry for over twenty years. He had about eight maxims that he would repeat, reminding…
Maybe it’s because right now in our Bible study we’re looking at the book of Acts, but when I stopped this morning (on my day off: hypocrite) to put down some thoughts for this blog, my mind went…
Josh Cousineau is a church planter at Redemption Hill in Auburn, Maine, coordinator of the Lead Conference, and a former youth minister. This piece is reposted with permission from www.joshcousineau.com. Busyness; It has become almost a badge of…
To guard, or not to guard… that is the question. Or is it? How has the idea of ‘guarding our hearts’ evolved? We see the phrase used in Proverbs (4:23), but everyone has their own idea of…
As we wrap up our Theology of Sex series, we welcome new blog contributor Ryan Viner, the Sr. High Youth Pastor at Independent Presbyterian in Memphis, TN. The following letter is written by Ryan to a person who…
Several years ago, I participated in an online forum with a network of youth ministers who had pursued seminary studies. During this time, one youth pastor asked for help and direction in dealing with a teen who had…
