While we all know numbers are not the only factor, or even the strongest factor, in determining the health of your ministry, it is also true that we can't make an eternal difference in an empty chair. In this Youth Leader's Coach we are talking about one of youth ministries' most puzzling topics, "How To Hold On To Numerical Growth."

So grab your coffee and join me as we talk about a few key pragmatic ways to get kids in the door and keep them.

Still Growing 1% at a Time,

Ever preached a pretty decent message only to have it take a major nose-dive when you came to closing prayer? I sure have. That's why this Youth Leader's Coach was especially fun to do. I've entitled it, "Effective Closing Prayer Times And Invitations."

I'm not sure I've ever heard a teaching on pragmatic suggestions to help make your closing prayer times and/or invitations to receive Christ more effective. So I took several hours to reflect personally on a few of the keys the Lord has taught me through the years.

Please listen closely. For though we all know that lasting spiritual fruit only comes through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we often make His job pretty tough by our own lack of planning as we conclude our services. So take some notes and begin to put careful attention into the closing 10 minutes of your message. I promise that it will reap an eternal difference.

Still responding to my own altar calls,

Youth Ministry Basics is eight pragmatic teachings with informative "how-tos" that have consistently made significant differences in my youth ministries over the years.

One of the most exciting things about youth ministry is watching teenagers come to the Lord and jump-starting their walk with Christ. But unless the follow-up is good, the results won't stick. Years ago, teenagers knew what it meant to stick around and finish the job. Today teenagers are so different that unless we strategically figure out how to help them grow, we are doing more harm than good.

This Youth Minsitry Basics Resource will walk you through a simple three session strategy to help jump-start your new believers that can be done in 10 minutes during part of your normal youth service. These sessions stress the importance of time in prayer, God's Word and Christian friendships.

Lovingly,

Youth Ministry Basics is eight pragmatic teachings with informative "how-tos" that have consistently made significant differences in my youth ministries over the years.

Lots of times when a teenager tries to give their life to Christ spiritually, it's tough for them to know where to start. This Youth Ministry Basics Resource is designed to give them a road map of how to walk out the Christian life. With both teacher's and student's guides, each week is mapped out in an easy to teach format that provides key Scriptures that all believers need to know, the importance of Christian friendships, and prayer. It describes what "Christian Discipleship" looks like and how to walk it out. There is a class on "finding your Ministry SHAPE" and the last class walks believers through developing their own mission statement. You'll find this is an invaluable tool for taking your students to the next step in their walk with Christ.

Lovingly,

I got off the phone not long ago with an "unhappy" (code language for "ticked") mom who comes to our church. She went on a long, emotional banter about how our youth ministry "shouldn't be letting "THOSE KIDS" in...after all, her daughter was a pretty model teenager until she met a certain young man at the youth group!" Long sigh in my heart.

It's the repeating dilemma that youth leaders face often. How do you create a youth service that both disciples and motivates your "already Jesus followers" at the same time you are also reaching teenagers who are far from being anything close to being a Christ-follower? That's the challenge I tried to unpack for the mom who was calling me to "verbalize her strong disappointment in my approach."

Lovingly,