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Category Archives: Youth Group Management

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Tips on Helping Teens Dress with Modesty

By | August 21, 2009

I work at a parish in South Florida that is located about 5 miles from the beach. It is sunny and warm year round and the dress attire of the parish usually reflects the weather. Recently, I was at a funeral at our parish and I looked around to discover that I have never seen so many people at a funeral in tropical shirts, shorts and flip-flops! The dress of the teens in our youth group usually reflects the warm weather as well – but in a different way. Let’s just say that I frequently want

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Lessons from a First-Year Youth Minister

By | August 11, 2009

The alarm wailed, wailed, WAILED to tell the world of my big oversight. We were set to bob for apples, decorate pumpkins, and laugh over pie-eating contests. The fog machine was supposed to set the scene for trick-or-treating in the hallway. Except for that darn smoke detector. Whoops! Youth ministry should be humbling, and I felt good and humiliated. The smoke eventually cleared, and during my first year of youth ministry, many other lessons followed, some small and others significant. All were

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Practical Tips for Teaching Teens to Pray

By | July 21, 2009

A few months ago I took twelve of my teens to our Lenten Parish Mission to listen to a talk about the Holy Spirit and evangelization. I’ll never forget it. I was sitting in the front row at the end of the pew next to my teens. The speaker asked us to open up our Bibles to the book of Leviticus. I looked down the pew at my teenagers and they all had their Bibles with them, along with pens, highlighters and notebooks to take notes on the talk. As I looked down the row I saw that all of their Bibles

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Learning from the [Good] Parents of Reality Television

By | May 26, 2009

Ever since our favorite (or not so favorite) Octa-mom, Nadya Suleman, burst through the delivery room and into our homes, I have been enthralled by reality shows like 18 Kids and Counting, Jon & Kate Plus 8 and Table for 12. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar from 18 Kids and Counting amaze me. With children ranging from newborn to 21 years this family understands how to love, how to pray and how to help one another. Which got me thinking; could we, as youth ministers, learn a thing or two from parents

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Edge Small Group Discussions and the Brain of a Middle School Youth

By | May 14, 2009

Anyone who has ever worked in middle school ministry has at one point asked the same question: Does every middle school youth have ADD? Q: How many middle school youth does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: Wanna go ride bikes? Oh look, something shiny! To gain and maintain the attention of a single middle school youth is a challenge. To keep the attention of an entire small group of middle school youth can feel like a Herculean task. Not too long ago, I was observing a small group leader

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4 Common Mistakes of Starting Life Teen (And How to Avoid Them)

By | April 29, 2009

As the youngest child in my family, I have found tremendous joy learning from my mistakes of my brother and sisters. If you are the youngest in your family you know what I’m talking about. Your older siblings make massive mistakes, and you just sit back thankful you’re not the one with the bar of soap in your mouth and enjoy the show. Many life lessons have been learned as the youngest. Mistake #1: Buying a prom dress because it was a good deal. A good deal isn’t always good looking. Mistake

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Dealing with Dating Drama in Your Life Teen Program

By | April 16, 2009

Dating… boyfriends, girlfriends, hookups and breakups. As a high school minister, it is all part of the scene. Teens are dating someone, wanting to date someone or trying to get out of dating someone (and sometimes it is all three at the same time). As we attempt to lead teens closer to Christ, we cannot ignore this enormous part of their lives. Spring is in the air! For the rest of the school year, you can bet some new relationships will begin sprouting. So, what do you do when young love

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Finding Teen Leaders in Your Youth Program

By | April 9, 2009

Do you know where your leaders are? For years I overlooked one of the most powerful tools in youth ministry and now I can’t help but think how many teens we could have reached if I had paid more attention developing teen leadership. I know this probably sounds like just one more thing on the “to-do list” for a youth minister who doesn’t even have time to breathe. So before you hit that big red “X” in the top right corner (or the red dot in the top left corner if you are on a Mac), let me

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Ripping Off the Roof for the Teens in Your Parish

By | March 27, 2009

We had Confirmation at our parish two weeks ago, and something that our Most Reverend Bishop Cupich shared with the congregation struck a cord in my heart. His sermon which focused on the Gospel reading, Mark 2:1-12. It is the passage where a paralyzed man was taken to a house, and lowered in through the roof by four friends to be healed by Jesus. Bishop Cupich said to the teens, “You have had many people assist you on this journey to Confirmation. Such as parents, family members, and youth

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How to Have Spirit-Led Small Group Discussions

By | March 19, 2009

I must admit that I like eating ice cream. I like ice cream so much that I once changed sleeping assignments on a trip because teens brought me a big tub of ice cream and begged A LOT. If you’re considering taking a bribe to change room assignments, be sure to get more than just one tub of ice cream – you’ll need it. Lately, more than before, I’ve found myself at Coldstone “padding myself for an extended winter” and having a great time getting to know the teens who work there. (Note: I live is Arizona