Why is this not working? Why are we not making progress? Why does it seem like we’re taking three steps forward and two steps back? These are questions I’m sure you’ve asked at one point or another; I…
A few years ago one of my youth leaders remarked that working with middle and high school students is a lot like being Alan Shepard. Intrigued, I asked him to explain, and he said, “Shepard was the first…
I, for one, am convinced of the necessity of formal training for children’s and youth ministry, and Oak Hill College is committed to the rigorous theological education of men and women to equip them for a lifetime of…
“Youth Ministry” without “Formal Training.” Sounds daunting, right? Heart surgeons spend countless years in school before they pick up a scalpel to mend the body. Yet we aim to mend the soul, something infinitely more valuable, by ministering the Word of God that…
A few years ago I shared with our church my desire to enroll in a doctoral program and was immediately met with a few responses. Some thought it was great that I was going back to school. Some…
It is probably the most common lament of youth workers across the nation (maybe even the world) – “working with parents so hard/ difficult/ frustrating/ makes-me-want-to-pull-my-arm-hair-out!” I’ve said it before and so…
Even if we had wanted to be pregnant we would have felt inadequate; our post-honeymoon ‘”accident” only amplified that feeling. How could I be a decent pastor, father, homeowner, and husband with less than a year of marriage…
MY FIRST MISTAKE My first mistake was watching Aziz Ansari the night before my sermon. Mr. Ansari – like the rest of the intoleristas in Hollywood – riffed on Christians’ refusal to accept homosexual marriage. He called us “douche bags” who…
The first ministry assignment I had was taking over for a student minister who had been in the position for over twenty years. He had developed a culture within the ministry, and he was highly regarded by the…
