Here are some things that have worked well for me. Concepts, observations, conclusions and practical ideas. For more of these you might get the small paperback called: "A Youth Ministry Crash Course put out by ZondervanPublishingHouse" authored by Rick Bundschuh and myself. The book was written serious but was edited down to the light and humorous with some kernels of truth (if you can find them).

The following tips and advice are meant to be brief starters. Simple ideas. Kernels. These are more for the creative youth worker rather than the person who needs the whole thing detailed out. In other words it isn't a book.

Scroll down this page and see if you can find anything useful.

Advice: If somethings working well, don't mess with it or try and improve it. Why re-invent the wheel?

Advice: Be objective. If something works keep it if it doesn't, chuck it!

Advice: The youth worker looking for the easy way to success is a failure before he begings. A successful youth program or Sunday School class is the result of hard work.

Advice: Find your leaders. Win your leaders. Lead your leaders and you will have your group following you. (Remember if no one is following you, you arent their leader!)

Advice: be early to every event, activity or meeting you call. To be early is to be in control. To be early is to set an example.

Advice: Don't cancel if you can possibly help it! To cancel a meeting or event you have called signals a bad decision. Tends to break an integrity cycle.

Advice: Don't put a lot of faith in the loudest voice! The loudest voice isn't often the majority voice. It's true that your leader types will be articulate but caution yourself about listening to the loudest voice. Listen to the leader.

Advice: Speak from your head, you will reach their heads, speak from the heart you will reach their hearts. The message you deliver from "inside will abide." The Christian message is a heart message.

Advice: Less we think we think ourselves important. Remember God loves you, wants you but He doesn't need you. A sovereign Gods needs nothing. Caution, your kids need you.

Advice: If possible place boys in top leadership positions or you will lose your guys.

Tip: I had a typical Sunday School class of junior high boys. Hard to teach. Uninterested. Active. Late to class. Things changed radically when I announced one Sunday that the next week I was going to include a big lie in my Bible lesson. It was going to be a big lie but a lie "that all of you will swallow." I told them that "if any of you catch my lie, I'll buy you a frosty. Here is what I'll be talking about next week in case you want to read it, but remember I'm throwing in a big whopper." (as an example) My lesson was to be about Jonah and some of the lessons he learned. I started off the next Sunday by saying "How many of you studied the book of Jonah and read the story of Jonah swallowing the whale? Some don't believe that story. Lets talk about it ..." Two caught that one. They were to secretly tell me after the class. Every week in my lesson I would throw in a lie and the next week I would tell them what the lie was. I even made a lesson out of the lying concept. Don't simply believe what people say when it comes to the Bible, check it out. I developed some pretty good detectives admittedly for all the wrong reasons. Baby it worked! I remember on one occasion some out of state leaders walked by my class of boys and said to me later that they were amazed to see Junior high boys so serious about studying the Bible. I didn't let them in on my little secret.

Advice: Kids like cards even better than paper certificates. Why? They can put them in their wallets or purses. Make colorful busness size cards for special activities, camps or competetion. Add creativity to your software, computer and printer.

Advice: When speaking or teaching a group of kids in a room, never have the group facing the door or open windows. Why? No brainer here. Why handicap yourself with outside distraction or any other type of competition to your lesson or message. (I've seen this sad scenario played over and over again.) Rule: Chairs always facing opposite possible sound or visual distraction. Another oft repeated handicap. The sun. Never speak to a group that is facing the sun.

Advice: Everyone wants to sit shotgun or next to the window in your van. Mathematically impossible. The first one in the vehicle wins? Wrong! First gets best produces a riot! Everyone always knew how it was in my group. One of my rules in almost every area "The oldest gets best!" That's the way it is in nature and that's the way is was with us. Oldest person gets best choice! No hassle! The oldest got first class and the rest got economy. No more wars or riots.

Tip: Get your crew together for a Destination Unknown. Mature kids only, (little kids gotta peek!) Work your night around the unknown. You might proceed this event with a talk about kidnapping and how to tell where the kidnappers are taking you. At your meeting place, securely blindfold each of your kids and lead them into your van or cars. Have someone is in the car or van with you to be sure all blindfolds remain in place. Drive them via a circuitous route, stop, start turn and reroute to your destination. When you have arrived, see how many know where they are. Ask them how they came to their conclusion. Build on this activity and if it is successful use it more than once.

Idea: Quizzes and sticks. When having a platform quiz with two groups or teams of kids, especially younger kids, who tend to raise their hands and then think of the answer. Have a handful of sucker sticks, toothpicks or matches in your pocket. Line up the kids who will be in the quiz. Give each kid three or four sticks. When you ask your question and someone raises their hand to give an answer, listen to his answer. If he is right, give him a stick. If he is wrong collect one of his sticks. If he has the answer half right, give him half a stick. Penalty for a "blabber" is a stick or two! When you are through with the quiz, the person with the most sticks wins. Simple. No arguing. No keeping score. No having to think of more questions. You win! Note: After the quiz collect all sticks ... especially matches!