Speaking to youth is challenging. Here’s the help you’ve been looking for. . . . How to Speak to Youth is packed with tons of tips to make you a better speaker with any size group large or small. You’ll enhance your communication skills with - A proven system for preparing dynamic talks - Exercises to improve your voice, gestures, and eye contact - Techniques to use the humor you find in everyday life - Ideas to make Scriptures come alive. And you’ll discover ways to- Prepare with focus - Speak with clarity - Communicate with power. Plus, you’ll enjoy the many humorous illustrations peppered throughout the book. You’ll discover your potential to speak to kids and keep them awake at the same time.

Youth ministry fundamentals at your fingertips! Or call it a light-hearted primer to a serious subject. A Youth Ministry Crash Course is 150 to-the-point entries on issues you face every week -- topics that are described, simplified, illustrated, and occasionally tweaked by a couple of veteran youth workers who've acquired a pragmatic streak alongside their compassion for teenagers. Inside you'll find shrewd insight with a wry twist: - On Curricula: "You know your kids better than some editor working away in a cubical somewhere. Change material to suit your group, and chuck what doesn't fly." - On Recycling: "Students cycle in and out of your youth group every three or four years -- so recycle your program themes and events that often too." On Rules: "Never make one when you're tired or ticked off." - On Sacred Cows: " Learn what they are and keep your kids away from them -- you'll add longevity to your job. E.g., no pew hurdling in the million-dollar sanctuary during youth night. - On Spiritual Growth: "The kid that grows the fastest may not grow the deepest. Don't overlook the one who grows slowly but steadily." Whether you're new to youth ministry, a Sunday school teacher of junior or senior highers, a volunteer, or a veteran with a novice staff -- in Crash Course you'll find instructions, motivation, and reminders of what the glorious, hectic calling of youth ministry is all about.

What if adolescents aren't bored with preaching? What if they have and are interacting with preaching in complex, various ways that have escaped the attention of adult listeners and preachers? What if their own preaching informed the ways adults think about Christian faith and theories/practices of preaching? While much recent discussion in preaching revolves around underrepresented groups, the relationship between adolescent youth and preaching remains largely unexplored. Youthful Preaching brings youth into contemporary conversations about preaching by listening to their voices and by advocating for communities of faith and practice to seek ways to reimagine, renew, and strengthen the relationships between youth, adults, and preaching.

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: - A case for junior high ministry -- and what it takes to work effectively with junior highers. - New material of turn-of-the-century trends in the youth culture -- and on programming for kids living in this culture. - A chapter each on the five pivotal areas of development -- physical, social, intellectual, psycho-emotional, and faith -- among junior highers. - Altogether new chapters on parental involvement and mentoring in the context of junior high ministry . . . all topped off with 50 creative and practical ideas -- fun and games, Bible study openers, mixers, entire events -- that are tailored for junior highers in Sunday school, the youth room, or your living room. Whether you're training for youth work or a trainer of youth workers, Junior High Ministry will keep finding its dog-eared way to the top of your most used resources.

Does your youth group suffer from the "silent complex"? Need help to get them talking about what's really important? Would you like to be a more effective discussion leader? Then look no further! Get 'Em Talking gives you 104 field-tested ideas that will get your kids talking about topics like . . . Rock Music - Dating - Serving God - Death - Friendship - Peer Pressure - Anger - Drugs and Alcohol - Gossip - Family - Parents - The Church - Values - Faith - Cheating - Jesus . . . and many more! Get 'Em Talking is the perfect resource for anyone who leads discussions. You'll glean the insights of two of the nation's most experienced youth professionals on what makes discussion groups tick, how to get a good discussion started, what to do when problems hit, and much more. Learn How to Effectively Use Discussion Techniques Like: - No-risk Discussions - Rug Discussions - "If" Surveys - Yarn-Sharing Experiences - Relay Discussions - Tape Talk - Groupers - Continuum Discussions -- Get 'Em Talking will quickly become an indispensable part of your youth ministry resource library. Whenever you need a great discussion-starting idea, just reach for Get 'Em Talking!

These twelve studies about the people of Corinth and their founding pastor Paul pave the way for youth workers and Sunday school teachers to teach junior high and high school students about conversion, transformation, failure, leadership, authority, and God's constant, saving love even in the midst of people making a mess of things. 12 lessons.

Here are 12 active Bible lessons for junior high Sunday school classes or youth group meetings, each one based on one of the 50 pictures of God presented in Wild Truth Journal: Pictures of God--energetically, relevantly, and scripturally. The lessons are loaded with off-the-wall and easy-to-do discussion starters, video ideas, scripts, and games with a point. And of course, there are plenty of Bible passages and studies to springboard junior highers from the abstract into the concrete as (open Bibles in hand) they explore the nature of God in a lively, relevant way — then begin practicing the traits of God in their own lives. 12 lessons.

Your search for lively illustrations to spice up your youth talks is over. Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks is here! Veteran youth worker and nationally known speaker Wayne Rice has carefully selected and crafted 100 of the best stories, parables, and anecdotes available anywhere. Rice has collected these illustrations form his own files and from files of some of youth ministry's best speakers -- Mike Yaconelli -- Tony Campolo -- Dewey Bertolini -- Chap Clark -- Les Christie -- Ray Johnston -- Len Kageler -- Rick Bundschuh --- and many more! These stories (all indexed by topic) cover a lot of youth ministry ground -- some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and all of them will make you think. And they all work with teenagers. They're just the thing to give your youth talks that extra spark you're looking for. You'll love what Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks will do for your youth talks. And your kids will love you for it!

In this thoughtful, comprehensive guide you will find ideas for encouraging spiritual growth in young people by one of the most authoritative voices in youth ministry today.

Cultivate Intimacy and Honesty in Your Youth Ministry’s Small Groups Here are 31 small-group meetings about--well, small groups. After all, the kind of honest sharing, perceptive silence, compassionate boldness, and mutual growth that are the marks of an effective and attractive small group don’t always come naturally. With the complete sessions in Talking the Walk--all of them customized precisely for small groups--—you can lead your small group of teenagers from just getting comfortable with kids they don’t usually hang with, to talking honestly, listening carefully, and understanding themselves and each other. The first five meetings are a gradual, gentle introduction to the idea of communication, confidences, and listening skills--the mechanics and heart of small-group dynamics--then on to more than two dozen topical meetings about issues that matter most to adolescents: how to face life’s tensions; self esteem; change; sexuality; giving and receiving love; clarifying future goals; friends; family; forgiveness; diversity; conflict; moods; priorities--and more, all of them based in Bible passages . . . appropriate for mixed groups of churched and unchurched kids . . . and each session with more than enough creative and quirky ideas, so you can select those that best fit your style and your small group’s temperament. Perfect for outreach and evangelism groups, discipleship groups, Sunday school, midweek cell groups--any time you want small groups of your students to grow together in community, in intimacy, in faith. (Previously published as Honest to God) 31 sessions.