Gospel Inclusion for Isolated Teens

Do you remember what it was like to be in the 9th grade? Can you easily recall the feelings of fear, insecurity, and dread by simply envisioning the hallways of your high school? If you are like me, being…

Youth Group and the Reluctant Teen

My teen does not want to be part of a youth group. Now what? There is no easy answer to whether or not parents should force their children to attend youth group when they have expressed a disinterest….

Youth Ministry as a Modern English Parish

In my family, we have a joke. Every time my wife makes anything with potatoes, I respond at the dinner table with my best nasally tone, “What excellent boiled potatoes – it has been many years since I…

The Unimportance of Being “Cool”

In a recent meeting for our upcoming Summer mission trip, I found myself hesitant to announce that girls were required to wear a one-piece bathing suit, a rule which in the eyes of a teenage girl is essentially…