Tips

This page contains the resources that I have found useful in my personal and professional life. Admittedly, it is an eclectic list. It contains everything from quotes and books that I like to podcasts, videos, and slideshows.

If you don’t want to scroll through the entire list, you can click on one of the links below and filter the resources by specific category.

I will update this list as I discover new resources. If you have a resource you think I should add, please email me.

Inevitable it is Not – The State of Youth Ministry in Decline (2024)

Boredom leads to cynicism. Growing old, we realize the importance of youthful hope and idealism.

But only young people can spark and sustain a true revolution. Older people can only help and guide them.

Young people in the age of social media saturation are growing more cynical and bored because they are being told and pressured to pretend. They agree and comply. This is not youthful.

So who of the young will stop pretending and revolt from the social media trance and once again grow curious? Choose life.

Ashley Denton

10 Great Questions to Get Your Small Group Talking

TIP: START YOUR SMALL GROUP MEETING WITH A GOOD QUESTION:

  1. What was your one of your highs and lows from this week?
  2. What is the something you did this week that you wish you could to do over again?
  3. When you have some free time, what kinds of things do you like to do?
  4. If you could change anything about when you were growing up as a kid, what would you change?
  5. If you could have any job you wanted in the future, what would it be? Why?
  6. When do you feel most alive or the most “yourself”?
  7. What is one of the hardest things about being a teenager?
  8. Can you remember when you first heard about Jesus? What did you think about Him?
  9. How might you describe your relationship with Jesus these days?
  10. What is something you really would like to change in your school? Your city?

Tip: If you lead a small group of middle school, high school, or college students I like using the small book, The Personality of Jesus: How to Introduce Young People to Jesus Christ and Help Them Grow in their Faith as a great study to discover Jesus. It has great discussion questions at the end of each short chapter too!

T-Shirts & Hats are Great Conversation Starters

start conversation by looking at hat or t shirtConversation starters are one of the most important skills to learn in student ministry. Coming up with a good conversation starter to meet a new person can be one of the hardest parts of student ministry. One of my favorite ways of how to start a conversation with a new person is simple: Look at people’s hats and t-shirts. They give you free information about something they might care about. Whether their hat or t-shirt has the name of a college, team, or brand, it is an easy way to strike up a conversation.

For example: if their hat or t-shirt has the name of a team on it, ask them, “How do you think (the team on their shirt) is going to do this year?” Or if their shirt has a brand on it like, Patagonia, you can ask them, “Hey, how do you like Patagonia gear? Does it hold up? I’ve been thinking of getting a Patagonia jacket for a while, what do you think?”

This is one the easiest ways to start a conversation. And who knows, that little conversation could be the first stitch in the fabric of a relationship that God may have opened up to lead that person to Jesus. So give it a try!

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