Simply Youth ministries biggest sale of the year is going on right now. Up to 40% off some the absolute best resources for youth ministry out there. If you have a small youth ministry budget, now is the time to get in on these deals. Don’t miss out!
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsBronx Webinar for Big Day of Serving!
Making a Difference in the Bronx! A Webinar about the Big Day of Serving.
Join Jake Rasmussen Wednesday, February 20 for a LIVE CHAT about the Big Day of Serving in the Bronx.
Tune in to this Webinar and discover answers to all these questions and more:
- What IS this event?
- Why will your students LOVE it?
- How do you SAVE big bucks when registering?
This is a fantastic opportunity to learn all about our work in the Bronx this spring!
Check in out Here.
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsNew Things
It’s scary to start new things. They’re different. They might not work. They might actually work and grow and become bigger than you could’ve imagined or prepared for. Starting new things is hard…
And yet… don’t we need to? Jesus basically started new things every day for the years he was working publicly and developing his disciples. Everything was new. And it was excited. It was impossible to prepare for. It failed and succeeded in ways that no one involved could predict.
The scary process of starting new things is part of the history of Group Mission Trips. For almost 30 years we only did one kind of mission trip – our Workcamp program. And we new exactly how that worked. How to prepare and plan. How to lead. Bu then several years ago we felt God leading us to start a new ministry. A new direction for us. A new way to serve those with needs. That’s how Week of Hope was born.
The crazy, fun thing is since the moment we chose to start something new (Week of Hope) we haven’t stopped. From that choice Lifetree Adventures, Leading Edge Outreach, and The Big Day of Serving have all come (and gone). One of those was a “failure” in the sense that it didn’t work for us and the churches we serve. But we still tried and there are even more new things on the horizon now.
What about your ministry? When the last time you dared to venture out and start something completely new? Change the night of your main youth group meeting? That’s crazy talk. Stop doing your favorite outreach program for something new? Impossible. Take your students on a mission trip far from home? Just too difficult. Or it it…
What “new thing” could God be calling you to if you listened?
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsA new devotional for your teenagers
Our friends at Simply Youth Ministry have created a great new resource for your students. I wanted to share it with you. Imagine empowering your students to spend just a few minutes each day discovering a life-shaping, thought-provoking, Jesus-centered truth that can transform them into the kind of people God crafted them to be.
Sounds like a worthwhile investment, doesn’t it?
The Simple Truth Bible features 366 daily devotionals—each one a tasty, bite-size morsel that powerfully reveals what it means to deeply love and trust God, to lead a Jesus-centered life, and to lean on Scripture for guidance and wisdom.
Teenagers will discover how to experience hope in the middle of tough times, how God deeply and passionately loves them, how to build an authentic friendship with Jesus, and how they were created to lead a life of impact in this world and for eternity.
Each devotion includes:
- Thoughts on a specific passage of Scripture and how it relates to students’ lives
- Insights to help teenagers turn their thoughts into prayers as they spend time with God
- Ideas to follow if students want to spend more than a few minutes each day with God
- Perspective on how that day’s passage fits into the big picture of the Bible
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsLike a Family Reunion
Last week we gathered with youth leaders from around the country. It was a great time of thinking, analyzing, and celebrating together our love of youth mission trips. Sorta like a family reunion (but not like the cheesy family reunion photo I chose for this post). I love times like that. It was our second year of hosting this meeting and just like last year I learned new things.
Here’s some of my insights:
- This group was pretty representative of youth ministry as a whole. There were more volunteer youth leaders than paid. There were just as many women as men. And many of these leaders were responsible for more than just high school ministry at their church.
- No surprise, but these leaders believed that involving youth in service was integral to their developing a healthy relationship with Jesus.
- The relationship we have with these leaders means they are willing to share honest, real feedback with us.
- These leaders want to grow and develop. They do not think they have it all figured out.
When you read this list do you think of your team, your ministry? We consider these leaders part of our team. We create the mission experiences we create for them. They are on our team. My prayer and hope for you would be your ministry would be made up of these kinds of people.
- People from every walk of life, age, level of involvement, levels of experience, both women and men. All of them interested in working with you to help students grow in their relationship with Jesus.
- People who understand that involving students in service is an integral part of their development.
- People to give you honest, real feedback.
- People who want to grow and develop. Not happy with what they know or worse believe they have nothing to learn
If you already have a team like this, consider yourself blessed. God is going to use you to change lives.
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsSYMC Early Bird Registrations Ends Oct 31!
Simply Youth Ministry Conference is a great event for relaxing, recharging, reconnecting with your passion for ministry. It’s one of my favorite youth ministry events of the year.
- There are over 190 hours of brand new training this year. Check it out!
- Lecrae, All Sons & Daughters, Shane & Shane, and Jordan Howerton Band will all be performing.
To take advantage of the early bird pricing please Register Here. See you there!
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsBack to School Special
No… Not an after school special like ABC (if you’re old enough to remember those) – a Back-to-School Bundle!!
Our friends at Simply Youth Ministry have put together a great special for you since it’s time for all your students to go back to school.
It’s a great deal and it’s called: Jason’s Back-2-School Bundle – 50% on resources from CIY, Marko, Group Mag, Kurt Johnston, Rick Lawrence, and Brian Berry.
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsWin a $5,000 Back-To-School Kick-Off Event!
You read that title right. You could win a $5,000 Back-To-School Kick-Off Event for your youth ministry from Simply Youth Ministry. It’s an all-expense-paid and preplanned youth event. It includes: 1-year access to the NEW “Events” TOOL, food for 100 students, $500 of SYM resources, Band, and Speaker.
All you need to do is contact Jake Rasmussen (jrasmussen@simplyyouthministry.com) for YOUR FREE “Events” TOOL account or visit this link: http://simplyyouthministrytools.com/UltimateEvent/
How cool would that be to start your ministry year off with an amazing Back-To-School Kick-Off Event? And it would be free from our ministry friends at Simply Youth Ministry.
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsNearly 90% Want More Mission Opportunities!
We survey over about 20,000 teenagers every summer through our mission trips. We partner with Group Magazine to ask questions we believe youth leaders around the country want the answers to. We try to get an insight into the state of youth ministry through this every year and we’ve been doing it for well over 10 years.
Last summer there was a very interesting question that I recently came across again.
We asked “What would you like “more of” in youth group?” We gave them a list of choices. Things like Bible study, games, retreats, camps, etc. The surprising thing for me was…
Nearly 90% of teenagers said they wanted more opportunities to serve other – specifically they wanted more mission trips.
This generation of teenagers wants to serve. They want to make a difference. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. As we wind down the summer and begin to crank up fall ministry. What are your plans to involve your group in more mission and service?
Jeff ThompsonMore PostsSimply the best resources for youth ministry
Our friends and partners at Simply Youth Ministry have launched a new website! It’s simply packed with great stuff for you to use in your youth ministry. Be sure to check out the new site.
simplyyouthministry.com
As thanks for touring the new website and giving them any feedback you have. They are offering FREE shipping on any order or $99. Just enter the promo code: BOOM
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Jeff Thompson, a veteran of youth ministry, serves as the Director of Youth Missions for Group Mission Trips - Workcamps, Week of Hope and The Big Day of Serving.
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Toby Rowe is the Mission Program Manager for Group Workcamps, Group Week of Hope, and The Big Day of Serving - which is fancy talk for overseeing the spiritual content and worship programming.
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