To Be a Junior High Youth Worker . . . takes a distinct kind of adult, just as junior highers are a distinct kind of people. Betwixt and between though they may be, early adolescents are as capable of a genuine spiritual understanding and growth as high schoolers. It's just that junior highers absorb Bible teaching and demonstrate their spirituality--well, differently. Help I'm a Junior High Youth Worker is your primer for understanding young teenagers, then teaching them with a mind-set and with methods that fit them. First Things First. Three axioms that define your territory as a...

Rowdy, restless, silly, out of control, moody, vulgar, disrespectful, unpredictable -- this may be the junior high stereotype, writes youth ministry expert Wayne Rice. But early adolescents' enthusiasm, loyalty, energy, candidness, and willingness to learn -- these more than compensate for the well-publicized hazards of working with middle schoolers. In this edition of Junior High Ministry -- updated and expanded to reflect the realities of middle school ministry at the turn of the century -- the cofounder of Youth Specialties takes a comprehensive look at the early adolescent experience:...

So you're leading a small group? Your small group can accomplish big things in the lives of your teenagers. And in Help I'm a Small-Group Leader you'll find methods and approaches you can use. Foibles and minefields to avoid. Solutions and tips that will help you nurture your small group into a growing community, whatever you goals. Inside you'll discover -- How to put small groups together - How NOT to lead a small group - How to start a discussion -- and KEEP IT GOING - How to ASK QUESTIONS that get responses - Three kinds of BIBLE STUDY questions to ask - How to work with DIFFERENT...

A captivating, skillfully chosen illustration communicates more, is remembered longer, and has greater impact than thousands of words that offer abstract truth but tell no story. Jesus knew the value of story. He consistently sprinkled his talks with parables, stories, and illustrations to drive home the point He was making. In the best-selling tradition of Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks and More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks, comes a third volume of lively, effective illustrations, stories, parables, and anecdotes, compiled by veteran youth worker Wayne Rice. Some will make...

Christian adolescents in the 21st century face pretty much the same situations as the first-century Christians in Corinth did -- an indulgent, profligate, choose-your-own-god society. The latest in the Creative Bible Lessons series, Creative Bible Lessons in 1 & 2 Corinthians is a 12-lesson curriculum with an issues-oriented spin on living one's faith in the real world. It lets teenagers wrestle with the tension between biblical instruction and cultural realities. These 12 studies about the not-so-easily-tamed people of Corinth and their founding pastor Paul of Tarsus pave the way for...

Join the conversation as experts propose, defend, and explore Four Views of Youth Ministry and the Church. In a dialog that often gets downright feisty, four youth ministry academicians delineate their distinct philosophical and ecclesiological views regarding how youth ministry relates to the church at large--and leave a taste of what's profound and what's not in these four typologies: Inclusive congregational (Malan Nel). What happens when a church thoroughly integrates its adolescents, making them full partners in every aspect of congregational life? Preparatory (Wesley Black). Why and...

The rules have changed. Everything you believe is suspect. The world is up for grabs. Welcome to the emerging postmodern culture. A "free zone" of rapid change that places high value on community, authenticity, and even God--but has little interest in modern, Western-tinged Christianity. Postmodern Youth Ministry addresses these enormous philosophical shifts and shows how they're affecting teenagers.