If your calendar could speak, what would it say? If you look at a typical youth pastor's weekly schedule, often times you'll find a great deal of time being spent creating a "fast-paced, high-tech, entertaining youth service." However, according to Group Publishing's "Cool Church Survey" of 10,000 students, it ranked dead last in the importance of 10 factors that influence a student's commitment to church.

What was #1? "A welcoming atmosphere where you can be yourself." So, in this Youth Leader's Coach, listen in on seven strategic elements in building a Christ-honoring, welcoming environment. Refuse to fail at this youth ministry success test, choose instead to up the ante when it comes to the friendship/family tenor of your ministry.

All in,

This iVolunteer resource is a COACHING RESOURCE for volunteer youth leaders who want to be the BEST they can be!

Group Magazine did a survey of 10,000 youth and young adults, asking them what the #1 thing was they were looking for in a church. The top answer from an overwhelming majority was "a welcoming, warm environment." The honest truth is, if you "fail the friendliness test in ministry...you've failed." This isn't surprising as we live in a culture of shallow friendships and broken families.

Often our leaders have great intentions, but they don't have a clue where to start. Listen in to this iVolunteer, "Creating A Sense Of Family In Your Ministry," as I share one of my favorite stories that will help your leaders visualize the importance of creating a sense of family. I also give them seven pragmatics to start putting steps behind launching and developing a friendship culture in your youth ministry.

Building A Family,

You'll love this resource! It's a special love gift from my heart to yours from a recent message I shared during our college days, "Experience," with Master's Commission Atlanta. It's for far more than potential college students though, as it's a topic that students of all ages deal with...family. Family can be pretty broken these days, but my reminder to our students is to say, no matter your story or your family, your past does not define you. People can always disappoint us, but there is a Heavenly Father who never will and because of His love, He has placed destiny and purpose on all of our lives.

In this month's Source, "In Search of a Real Dad," I'm pulling parallels from the life of Mephibosheth and the movie Antwoine Fisher, as I take a run at sharing the Father heart of God for all us. It's been so pivotal in my own personal walk with Christ and let me just remind you my incredible youth leader friend, His love carries you to His table.

Grateful for His Father's Heart,

As a youth pastor, you connect well with students, but sometimes it's a little intimidating and a genuine struggle to relate and connect to their parents. But, it's important to remember that parents need you too! Parents are just kids who grew up and had kids. It's so important that we as leaders communicate the "I like you" vibe, choosing to partner with the parents.

In this Youth Leader's Coach, "A Youth Leader's Guide To Understanding Parents," I share 14 different ways to help you make your student's parents your allies in youth ministry. We must remember, we never take the place of parents no matter what. The more deeply we understand that, the more we work towards building bridges and not blowing them up.

Lovingly,

It's a sad fact that the average American child will spend more time in front of the TV by the age of only 6...than he will spend talking with his father for HIS ENTIRE LIFE. And the truth is all of us unconsciously attach feelings that we have of our own earthly father to our concept of our Heavenly Father.

In this month's Source, "Freedom From The Father Wound," I talk about one of the biggest...if not THE biggest...challenges we face in ministry...overcoming the FATHER WOUND. The majority of our students, and even many of us, have a wound that we received from our earthly father. Even many students that may seem to have a "perfect" family life have things that they have buried deep inside of them. Through some personal sharing, some memorable stories, and key impacting Scriptures, this Source allows students to hear how they are ACCEPTED by their Heavenly Father, regardless of what they have experienced here on Earth.

Lovingly,