YMJen
Jen Bradbury on Youth Ministry
  • Home
  • Books
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Articles
Jen Bradbury
Feb 22 · 5 min read

Messy Ashes

It’s Ash Wednesday. I was supposed to be serving at church today, imposing ashes on people for an hour this afternoon.

Strangely, I was looking forward to it. While Ash Wednesday is morbid, there’s also a sacredness to it that I appreciate.

...

Read more

#church #Pandemic #Jesus #youth ministry #liturgy #justice #Community #Lent

Jen Bradbury
Aug 11 · 5 min read

Jesus & justice

Is it easier to bring Jesus to the progressives or social justice to the evangelicals?

This is the question I’ve spent most of my professional life wondering, as I’ve alternated between evangelical and progressive settings, respecting both for...

Read more

#Jesus #ecumenical #justice #church #worship #culture of welcome #hospitality #communion

Jen Bradbury
Aug 05 · 5 min read

Beautiful Hospitality

Surely there’s a church somewhere that practices the kind of hospitality Jesus did, right?

I wanted desperately to believe this after my family found itself unwelcome at church during the last several weeks. Since then, I’ve continued to wrestle...

Read more

#hospitality #worship #church #children's ministry #Pandemic #Jesus #youth pastor #scripture #Community

Jen Bradbury
Jun 11 · 5 min read

Church Shopping

The last time I went church shopping I was a freshman in college. My first Sunday on campus, I walked to the Methodist church that was a block from me. I’d grown up in the Methodist church and truly expected to find a church just like the one I...

Read more

#college #Community #confirmation #church #Jesus #culture of welcome

Jen Bradbury
Mar 29 · 5 min read

The problem with Bible Bucks

I’ve seen several recent posts in various online youth ministry discussion forums about how we can get kids and tweens to read Scripture.

Several people have suggested instituting a “Bible Bucks” program. The idea is that when young people read ...

Read more

#Easter #Teaching #scripture #children #Jesus #youth ministry

Jen Bradbury
Feb 11 · 5 min read

How the Bible Ruined the Berenstain Bears'

I have fond memories from my childhood of curling up in my mom’s lap, in her big (ugly) green recliner and reading the Berenstain Bears’ books. They were classics that every kid my age loved.

I’ve loved introducing these books to my own girls,...

Read more

#Community #scripture #children #diversity #Jesus #books

Jen Bradbury
Jan 07 · 5 min read

On the Capitol Siege, President Trump, and Epiphany

Like so many others, I watched in horror yesterday as domestic terrorists seized the US Capitol.

I’ve been in the Capitol building.

As a child, I visited it with passes from my Illinois senator. As an adult, I availed myself of my rights and went...

Read more

#politics #scripture #Jesus #ALS

Jen Bradbury
Jul 13 · 5 min read

17 Keys to Making Virtual VBS a Success

In late April and early May, my VBS leaders and I began wrestling with what to do with VBS this year. We felt skeptical that things would be open enough for us to offer in-person VBS. We felt even more skeptical that people would come if we did...

Read more

#children's ministry #Leaders #Teaching #Jesus #scripture #Intergenerational #communication #Pandemic

Jen Bradbury
Jun 16 · 5 min read

A sanitized MLK

Over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about Martin Luther King Jr.

As a kid, MLK was the ONE black man I learned about in a positive way. He was the pastor who gave the “I have a dream” speech and who advanced the notion of...

Read more

#justice #race #racism #Jesus

Jen Bradbury
Jun 09 · 5 min read

8 reasons why our youth ministry isn't regathering

As states reopen, the conversations are raging in youth ministry circles about when and how to “reopen” our youth ministries.

My youth ministry will not be regathering this summer.

I'm using that word, regather, intentionally because even though...

Read more

#church #hospitality #Pandemic #Jesus #Missions #culture of welcome #youth ministry

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 15 16 »

Tags

youth ministry books church Jesus parenting Missions scripture student leadership Leaders youth pastor babies Pandemic worship Prayer toddlers

Latest Posts

  • Messy Ashes
  • Jesus & justice
  • Beautiful Hospitality
  • Church Shopping
  • The problem with Bible Bucks
  • How the Bible Ruined the Berenstain Bears'
  • On the Capitol Siege, President Trump, and Epiphany
  • 17 Keys to Making Virtual VBS a Success
  • A sanitized MLK
  • 8 reasons why our youth ministry isn't regathering

Copyright © 2025 YMJen