Category Archives: Youth Ministry Programming

Advice to Small Group Leaders

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Jonathan McKee

Last weekend I had a great time with Doug Fields, Mark Matlock and Megan Hutchinson training 700 youth workers at YSPalooza in Chicago! One of the sessions I taught was “How to Lead a Small Group without Losing Your Mind.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Speaking/Training, Travel, Youth Ministry Programming | 4 Comments

Sticks and Stones Contest

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Jonathan McKee

Shane Koyczan’s powerful YouTube video about bullying and self esteem opens huge doors to talk about these issues with teenagers. Post the questions that come to mind, and get a chance at winning a free book of your choice from Jonathan! Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Youth Culture, Youth Ministry Programming | 17 Comments

Media Fast

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Jonathan McKee

No TV, no music, no texting, no movies, no Facebook, no Instagram, no Tumbler… Sounds like teenage Hell! Some teenagers might describe it as that, but about 100 kids at our church have opted to do this for 25 days. … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Personal, Prayer, Youth Ministry Programming | 2 Comments

Hot Topics

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Jonathan McKee

I’m really excited about the training labs I’m teaching this weekend at YSPalooza Chicago, because the two topics I’m teaching are addressing two of the biggest training needs I notice in youth ministries across the U.S. I know that might … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Speaking/Training, Youth Ministry Programming | 2 Comments

Super Bowl Quiz

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Jonathan McKee

It’s almost Super Bowl time… and those of you have been receiving our youth ministry e-Zine via TheSource4YM.com for the past few years know what that means. It means a fun little free resource we provide every year called the … Continue reading →

Posted in Youth Ministry Programming | 6 Comments

The Power of Stories

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Jonathan McKee

This weekend I speak to hundreds of junior highers at one of my favorite camps, Timberlee in Wisconsin. Someone just asked me, “How do you keep the attention of today’s junior highers?” “Easy. Just tell em’ a story.” It’s amazing … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Speaking/Training, Youth Ministry Programming | 3 Comments

The After-Christmas Mixer

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Jonathan McKee

My good friend Danette Matty from Nebraska just emailed me to let me know that she missed doing our “Christmas Mixer” this year  (from our Games & Icebreakers page) with her small group, so she decided to tweak it and … Continue reading →

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Getting People to Open Up

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Jonathan McKee

Sometimes it’s hard to get people to open up in a group setting. In these situations, nothing proves more effective than a creative question. “If you had to have the exact same meal for the next twelve months… what would … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Parenting, Youth Ministry Programming | 2 Comments

More Than Just Method

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday Todd sent me this and I couldn’t help but share it with you. (I love his honest “skepticism.”) Many of you might recognize his name… Todd Pearage is a full time youth pastor and father of three, who also … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Evangelism, Youth Ministry Programming | Leave a comment

The Final 2 Principles for Newbie Youth Pastors

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Jonathan McKee

How should a brand new youth pastor begin his or her job in ministry? That’s the subject we’ve been talking about in my last few blog posts, starting with your advice to “Neal Newbie.” Then I suggested there were 5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Leadership, Youth Ministry Management, Youth Ministry Programming | 1 Comment