Big Ideas in Youth Ministry

Top 5 Youth Leader Hacks

5. Order youth by Class. Class of 2030. Put names in your phone by class.

4. Birthday Cards at the start of the year.

3. FaceList for each trip and leader list.

2. List of Small Jobs you do NOT want to do for when people ask if there's anything they can do to help.

1. Google Calendar.

Bubba’s Top 5 Game list

5 Animal Farm

4 Flippin Burgers

3 Fishbowl

2 Alien Abduction

1 Christians and Romans

Cliff and Michelle talk with Erin Rugh and take some Questions

Top 5 ways to get Youth involved in Leadership in the Church

5. Creating Space for Listening

4. Treat them like adults

3. Recognize their gifts

2. Youth Sponsored Annual Event

1. Be Flexible

Michelle and Cliff talk with Shelly Donaldson and Ashley McFall-Irwin about how to do affirming and welcoming ministry with LGBTQ+ youth and adults.

Kari Morgan also gives her Top 5 "mixers".

5. Hot Choclate

4. Memory Match

3. Story Bag

2. Happy, Grappy, Buffalo

1. Post Past

This Podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the APCE Edowment Ministry Team. Visit apcenet.org to register for the next national event!

Cliff and Michelle talk with Maggie Johnson, Director of Youth at Shallowford Presbyterian Church about Small Groups

Top 5 Go to Program Ideas

Choose a Book. When youth arrive at youth group, they get the book and a few highlighters. During youth group, go through a few key stories, passages and let them highlight, talk about the book. It is “backwards” because then they can take the book home and have it on their shelf.

Favorites: Anne Lamott, Help, Thanks, Wow.

Cooking, changing a tire, etiquette. Learn some skills you need for life. Make a devotion out of feasting together, considering who the feeding of the 5000 and what it means when Jesus says- you feed them. Look at the faith journey and learn to change a tire. What are the lessons from the road.

Meet at a grocery store, take the church van. Everyone brings $5 and combine your funds to buy for your local food bank. Pair up youth and give them a situation. Older couple with grandchild but the child eats breakfast and lunch at school. They need a few meals and snacks.

Discussion: What was hard? What would it be like to buy for your family on a limited budget? What do people need when we donate to our local food bank? Who might be food insecure in your town?

Supplies: Play money. Give out $1000 to each person. List on the board all things up for auction: Great hair day forever, cure cancer, write a novel, play in a major league game, Sing back-up for your favorite artist, Unlimited knowledge, Dinner with Jesus etc. Add fun things and serious.

Discussion: What do your purchases say about you? This could be part of a 10 commandment series, considering what we worship.

1) Broken Pottery Crosses or Bowls made - Same concept 3 ways

Tiny clay pots. Put one in a brown paper bag and Pottery pieces put on small wooden cross

Beautiful Bowl dropped once, glued back and then gold paint painted over the crease.

Discussion: God takes the broken pieces of our lives and makes them new and beautiful. This is resurrection hope in which we stand.

Other Ideas:

Birthday Party for Everyone, play birthday games, celebrate each other and end with shout-out’s for each other.

Let us become little like children: PJ night, cereal bar, bring stuffed animals and have a contest. Read children’s stories.

This Podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the APCE Edowment Ministry Team. Visit apcenet.org to register for the next national event!

Top 5 Parenting Books

5. Wise Minded Parenting: 7 Essentials for Raising Successful Tweens + Teens by Dr. Laura Kastner

4. The Spiritual Child: The New Science on Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving by Lisa Miller

3. Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Kara Powell

2. How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims

1. Getting to Calm: Cool-Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens + Teens by Dr. Laura Kastner

This Podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the APCE Edowment Ministry Team. Visit apcenet.org to register for the next national event!

Michelle and Cliff talk with Allison Billings, Middle School Coordinator at Myers Park Presbyterian Church

and Genevieve Brooks, Director of Youth Ministries at White Memorial presbyterian Church talk Volunteers

This Podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the APCE Edowment Ministry Team. Visit apcenet.org to register for the next national event!

Shannon Guse, Director of High School and College Ministries at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in

Dallas texas and Alan Bancroft, Youth Ministry Coordinator at Cary Presbyterian Church in Cary NC join Michelle and Cliff to talk about Camino Pilgrimages and Allison Billings has a top 5 List around connecting.

This Podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the APCE Edowment Ministry Team. Visit apcenet.org to register for the next national event!

Cliff and Michelle talk with Louden Young-Associate Pastor of Emerging Generations and Mission at New Providence Presbyterian Church

in Maryville TN about Generational Connections and hav a Top 5 List for Mental Health Books and Resources.

5 THRIVERS by Michele Borba

4 Spiritual Practices for the Brain by Anne Kertz Kernion

3 Shining Like the Sun, Seven Mindful Practices for Rekindling your Faith by Steve Wiens

2 Mindful Games Activity Cards, Susan Kaiser Greenland with Annaka Harris

1 Therapy Games for Teens, 150 Activities to improve Self-Esteem, Communication, and Coping Skills by Kevin Gruzewski

This Podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the APCE Edowment Ministry Team. Visit apcenet.org to register for the next national event!

Anne Stark has a Top 5 List for Youth engagement and John Weicher talks planning and when to divert from the plan.

This Podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the APCE Edowment Ministry Team. Visit apcenet.org to register for the next national event!