One finding that's stuck with me from Sticky Faith is, "More than any program or event, what made kids more likely to feel like a significant part of their local church was when adults made the effort to get to know them."

One of the best ways my...

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of speaking at The Progressive Youth Ministry conference.

I went, genuinely excited not only to be sharing my research about what high school teens believe about Jesus, but also eager to try a new youth...

What the book's about: Walking on Water is about the intersection of faith and art. It's not a "how-to" manual, but instead, a series of beautiful reflections about encountering God through art and about the divine inspiring art. 

Why...

On my youth ministry's recent mission trip to Milwaukee through Youth Works Missions, we spent an evening with Life Changers International – a ministry to former gang members in inner city Milwaukee.

During our time with Life Changers, a panel of...

Every ministry has a sacred cow.

Sometimes sacred cows need to die.

But how do you kill a program in a healthy way?

Here are the steps I follow in order to slaughter sacred cows:

1. Enter a time of prayer and discernment. Since people are, by...

Having attended a Lutheran grade school, a Catholic high school, and a Methodist church, I grew up with very ecumenical influences. Even so, as an 18-year-old heading off to college, I considered myself to be Methodist. So upon going to college, I...

During my youth ministry's mission trip to Milwaukee through Youth Works Missions, we spent time serving at Adullam. While there, we got to be part of Katie's Closet.

Katie's Closet is a thrift store that's open once a week. Community members...

A well-meaning woman at church recently asked me, “You're not still taking kids to Rwanda, are you?”

Unsure what she was referring to, I said. “Yep! We leave July 19.”

She then proceeded to tell be about the “border war” between Rwanda and the...

My husband and I recently visited the Field Museum in Chicago. Knowing we'd soon be leaving for Rwanda, we made a point of visiting the museum's Africa exhibit. Near the start of the exhibit, there was a room intended to equip people with basic...

During a recent mission trip, I asked various leaders to share their faith stories with everyone.

The first night, our youngest adult leader, who graduated from college just a few short weeks ago, shared hers. Without a doubt, it was powerful –...

I'm thrilled to be guest posting at Rachel Pieh Jones' today as part of her fantastic series, "What I Learned." 

Ask me to describe a refugee camp and I’ll start with the smell.

It’s the smell of far too many people living in far too...

Last week, I led our youth ministry's junior high and high school mission trip to Milwaukee. While there, we served at a warehouse in the inner city called Adullam. The warehouse is located very near what police have deemed to be the worst...

Small groups are an integral part of many youth ministries. Good small group communities foster deep relationships between students and adult leaders. In the process, they push students toward God in very real ways. Unfortunately, small groups...

What the book's about: In Acts of Faith , Eboo Patel chronicles his journey to embrace his Islamic faith. In the process, he shares what he learns about the importance of religious pluralism, including the inception of the Interfaith Youth Core.

Last week, I was privileged to lead our junior high and high school mission trip to Milwaukee through Youth Works Missions. In Milwaukee, we stayed at Unity Lutheran Church, a gracious, hospitable church located in the Bayview area. This church is...

A month from today, I'll be leading a team of high school students on a short-term mission trip to Rwanda through International Teams. In honor of that, today, I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy in this month's edition of Twitterature in...

One of my congregation’s pastors left in March. Since then, I’ve feared people would assume I’d take on many of her responsibilities since she and I worked closely together.

The problem is, there’s no room in my schedule to do so. Like everyone...

Last week an article on Leadership Journal entitled From Youth Minister to Felon made it's rounds in the Christian blogosphere. 

The article was written by a youth pastor now behind bars for statutory rape. Like others, I was horrified by...

What the book's about: Bird by Bird is a book about writing that encourages, challenges, and inspires writers. With Anne's typical wit & style, it offers strategies for writing as well as a reminder that in the end, writing is about more than...

My first night at my current church, I asked students to grab a Bible. I don’t remember what we were exploring. I do, however, distinctly remember the stunned look on their faces.

I didn’t think much of their reaction until my second gathering,...