Youth ministry

Eat. Pray. Skate: A skateboarding ministry offers unconditional love to teens

Serious JuJu is a ministry that meets young people where they are -- in a skate park.

By Katie Cantrell Journalist

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We are physical beings -- what if our ministries reflected that?

Physical labor and activity have been a boon to teens during the pandemic, leading a youth pastor to realize that the physical matters -- to us and to God.

By Matt Overton Associate pastor, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, Washington

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What will summer be like without the usual VBS, camps and youth mission trips?

Christian professionals and families partner to experiment with innovative approaches to youth formation in a socially distant environment.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald Journalist and UCC minister

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Excerpt: "Delighted: What Teenagers Are Teaching The Church About Joy"

Written by four faith leaders with deep connections to youth ministry, "Delighted" was published in April. In this excerpt, co-author Wesley Ellis reflects on how churches can offer joy and authentic friendships to young people.

Kenda Creasy Dean Wesley W. Ellis Justin Forbes Abigail Visco Rusert

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Mending more than nets

Taking the time to fix what is torn can build strength and resilience. What would it mean for young people to learn the art of mending early in their lives?

By Gretchen E. Ziegenhals Spiritual director and retreat leader

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Daniel Herron: Lessons from The Robloxian Christians online church

Does a virtual church for children and teens have any lessons for “real-world” churches? Yes, says the founding pastor of The Robloxian Christians.

By Daniel Herron Founder, The Robloxian Christians

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A youth fishing ministry combines Christian practices with social enterprise

GoFish! Ministries takes kids out on Washington’s Snake River to share life together and earn money through a state program that pays anglers to catch an aggressive species of fish.

By Rebecca Phillips Journalist

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Alaina Kleinbeck: Hope takes hard work

Why do we expect young people to be naturally hopeful? Looking honestly at a broken world and resolving to live in hope anyway requires experience, writes the director of the Thriving in Ministry Coordination Program at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By Alaina Kleinbeck Director, Thriving in Ministry Coordination Program

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B.R.A.V.E. Youth Leaders chart a strategy to combat violence and promote peace

Youth on Chicago’s South Side are taking anti-violence work into their own hands. Rallies and protests are just part of a campaign that also includes advocacy and policy change.

By Jake J. Smith Journalist

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Brenda Rincones: Reaching out to a new generation of young Latina leaders

When the Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas reached out to young women, they were overwhelmed by the response. Hundreds of young Latinas gathered at the SHINE conference to talk about everything from suicide to teen pregnancy.

Episode 6: Almeda M. Wright on the act of radical listening to young Christians

In this episode of “Can These Bones,” co-host Laura Everett talks with Almeda M. Wright, Yale Divinity School professor and the author of “The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans,” about her training and background as an engineer and her work with young people in ministry.