What did Jesus choose to prioritize as He began His earthly ministry? What did those early days and months look like? A common misconception many have is that the first time Jesus met His future disciples, He issued His call for them to be “fishers of people.” In both Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels, the initial …
I’m writing from Haiti, a country I’ve been traveling to for the last 20 years. I originally met Pastor Wiljean Compere at the Billy Graham Conference for pastors and evangelists, Amsterdam 2000. In 2008, we started a residential disciple-making training program for young leaders called SOYM (the School Of Youth Ministry). This week, I have …
Do you want the ministry God has called you to lead to make and multiply disciples? When we study the life and ministry of Jesus, we see a clear, identifiable, intentional process He modeled for us in building a disciple-making movement. This process is something Sonlife trains in our Strategy Seminar, and it’s something you …
Have you taken your summer APR yet? As another ministry year approaches, it’s wise for every leader to get away for what we in Sonlife circles call your APR… the Annual Planning Retreat. You’ll need two to three days to prayerfully reflect on this past year and seek the Lord for wisdom and direction as …
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 Koske was a middle school leader’s worst nightmare. He came into our group as a fun-loving kid who made everyone laugh, only it was always …
Middle school kids are high energy!! No surprise for anyone that’s spent 5 minutes with middle schoolers. What is surprising is how, knowing that, we try to get them to be calm, quiet, sit still and think, with their not yet fully developed brains. Once upon a time I was a part time Jr High …
Spiritually mature middle school students? Does this sound like an oxymoron? A pipe dream? Isn’t the best we can possibly hope for simply surviving middle school? Maybe it’s good for us to remind ourselves what Jesus looked like as a middle school boy. “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, …
When I began in youth ministry over thirty years ago, the statistics were compelling. I don’t think they’ve changed much. Here’s what was true then. Roughly 90% of those who trust Christ as their Savior in the US will make that decision by the age of 21, before they graduate from college. About 85% of …
Are middle school students capable of following Jesus and beginning to make disciples? What are the unique challenges we will face in our attempts to make disciples of middle schoolers? Twenty-two years ago, when I joined the staff of Sonlife Ministries, I was tasked with customizing Sonlife’s Strategy Seminar for Jr. High ministry leaders. We …
Are 12 year olds capable of following Jesus? As a 22-year-old, fresh out of Bible college and ready to take on the world, I was thrown into jr. high ministry with the promise of “real” ministry opportunities down the road. I had visions of being a “real pastor” and eventually planting a church. It didn’t …