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Jen Bradbury
May 12 · 5 min read

Meet

Today, I'm linking up with Kate Motaung's Five Minute Friday. The rules: Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. This week's prompt: Meet.

Five Minute Friday 4 300x300

Dear Baby Girl -

Yesterday, I was at work, discipling a teenager who I...

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#Community #Prayer #pregnancy #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Apr 15 · 5 min read

Student Leadership Team Basics: Training Your Leaders by Reading

Last week, we talked about how the fundamental role of student leaders is to create a culture of welcome. A common question I get in response to this idea is “How do you train and equip student leaders to create a culture of welcome?”

There are...

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#church #student leadership #Jesus #culture of welcome #youth ministry #books #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Mar 18 · 5 min read

Student Leadership Team Basics: 3 Ways Not to Describe Student Leadership

Once you know why you're creating a leadership team, what you're looking for in the students who are on your leadership team, and how you'll select your student leaders, the question still remains, how do you present the idea of a leadership team...

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#parents #student leadership #youth ministry #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Mar 13 · 5 min read

Recent Reads: Creating a Lead Small Culture by Reggie Joiner, Kristen Ivy, & Elle Campbell

Filed in Recent Reads

Lead Small

What the book's about: Creating a Lead Small Culture is about creating and maintaining healthy small groups that will help kids and teens find a place within the church to belong. 

Why I read this book: As a youth pastor, I want teens to...

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#small group #discussion #Leaders #church #culture of welcome #youth ministry #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Feb 24 · 5 min read

Sharing faith vs. sharing Jesus

This year in our confirmation Sunday school class, we're discussing the five promises we ask teens to make at their confirmation:

- To live among God's faithful people. 

- To hear the word of God and share in the Lord's Supper.

- To share...

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#youth ministry #confirmation #Community #evangelism #justice #Jesus gap #Jesus #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Feb 18 · 5 min read

Student Leadership Team Basics: Why?

When I took my first job in youth ministry over a decade ago, the idea of building a student leadership team was everywhere - in books, magazines, and at conferences. Since then, however, student leadership seems to have gone out of fashion. Sure,...

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#Prayer #student leadership #youth ministry #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Feb 12 · 5 min read

Why you should host teens in your home

Several years ago, I interviewed Gordon MacDonald for an article for Youth Worker Journal. During our interview, Gordon talked about how one of the greatest things he's learned to do in discipling people is to welcome them into his home; That...

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#youth ministry #Youth Worker Journal #marriage #discipleship #Leaders #hospitality #Missions #pregnancy #church #travel #Prayer

Jen Bradbury
Nov 03 · 5 min read

How to set the church of the future up for success

Over the past four weeks, my youth ministry has been experimenting with student led small groups.

Truth be told, this experiment was birthed out of a shortage of adult leaders. In an effort to keep the size of our small groups small, I invited...

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#church #youth ministry #discussion #Teaching #student leadership #discipleship #small group

Jen Bradbury
Oct 06 · 5 min read

Let teens teach

In a recent blog post, Andy Blanks offers 20 ways to spruce up your Bible study. His suggestions are good and well worth a read.

That said, I struggled with one of them.

“Let students teach--Adapt your lesson so students are teaching each other,...

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#Rwanda #discussion #Teaching #student leadership #youth ministry #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Dec 19 · 5 min read

Death as Discipleship

Our American culture does not handle death well. We don’t know how to grieve or how to be with people in their despair. Uncomfortable with silence, we attempt to fill it. When we do, we often say something dumb that only heightens everyone’s...

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#death #grief #youth ministry #discipleship

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Latest Posts

  • Meet
  • Student Leadership Team Basics: Training Your Leaders by Reading
  • Student Leadership Team Basics: 3 Ways Not to Describe Student Leadership
  • Recent Reads: Creating a Lead Small Culture by Reggie Joiner, Kristen Ivy, & Elle Campbell
  • Sharing faith vs. sharing Jesus
  • Student Leadership Team Basics: Why?
  • Why you should host teens in your home
  • How to set the church of the future up for success
  • Let teens teach
  • Death as Discipleship

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