When I was a seventh grade student, a friend from middle school brought me to church for the first time. My family had an adversarial relationship with God, and church was really far down on their list of preferred Sunday activities. I walked onto the campus of a small Lutheran church and into a family I was not expecting.
A few weeks ago, at my sister’s high school graduation, the commencement speaker gave several pieces of what he believed to be crucial advice. One of these encouragements was for the...
A quarter of a century ago, a small group of God’s faithful planted a new Lutheran church in the quiet town of Queen Creek, Arizona. With only one stoplight and a modest middle school...
In a recent Barna webinar, David Kinnaman said that the two words that best describe Generation Z (those born from around 1996 to 2010) are anxiety and ambition. The church is uniquely...
One of my favorite parts of teaching church history to high school students is assigning primary sources and hearing or reading their reactions. Works like Athanasius’s On the...
Healthy youth ministry extends past the congregation and into teens’ homes. When we considered what young people need, Scripture, research, and youth leaders all pointed to parents as...
Think back to your first leadership opportunity. Were you nervous, eager, confident, or terrified? Do some of your choices then make you cringe now and thank God for His grace? Who...
There are endless possibilities when it comes to service projects. Some are as quick as sharpening pencils in the sanctuary for ten minutes during confirmation class. Others involve...
Mental health awareness has increased significantly over the last decade, especially for our youth. When it comes to addressing these important topics and conversations, there are a lot...
Early adolescence is an especially formative time in the life of a Christian—not only as youth take ownership of their faith for a future of following Christ, but also as they contribute...
Healthy youth ministry recognizes the capability of teens and how God can work through them as servant leaders. Youth leaders can set high expectations for young people, engaging them...
During the summer of 2023, Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO) had the opportunity to provide resources to a group of students and teachers from Lutheran High School South in St. Louis for...
Youth are not just the church’s future—they’re also the church’s now. As a leader, volunteer, or church worker, your job is to remind youth that they’re loved by Jesus and their...
At youth group, the teens in attendance were engaged in a very lively discussion, during which, my daughter said something slightly off the mark theologically. I immediately corrected and...
At youth group, the teens in attendance were engaged in a very lively discussion, during which, my daughter said something slightly off the mark theologically. I immediately corrected and...
There are many effective ways to share the Gospel message. One of the most practical and powerful ways to start is by directly providing Scripture resources to congregations and...
It’s upon us again. The time when youth are scrambling to pack, leaders are double-checking transportation, and committees are reviewing who goes where and when. This summer, a buzz of...
We are living in a postmodern age with a vastly different view of the world. For the postmodernist, truth and knowledge are not obtainable. That flies in the face of our Christian...
When you hear the word learning, what comes to mind? I’m guessing that one of the first things you think of is school. You might recall memories of classrooms, teachers, desks, and long...
This post is adapted from Words of Strength and Promise: Devotions for Youth. Read below for a devotion written by Juliana Shults.
