Our weekly Life In Student Ministry Skypecasts are quickly becoming a highlight of my week. I love connecting with you all LIVE online to discuss issues, ideas, struggles, and praise reports about our “life in student ministry.” I learn a lot from you all. Thank you so much for your input into my life and ministry.

Due to my youth group’s missions trip to Belize, I’ll be unable to host our weekly Skypecast for a couple weeks. In fact, the next Skypecast is on Friday, July 11, at 1:00 PM Central Time. Be sure to mark you calendar for that one, though, because it’s going to be a very valuable time for all of us. Steve Quatro, a professor at Azusa Pacific University, is developing a service for students who are sensing God’s calling to vocational ministry. He is working hard to interface with youth workers in this endeavor and is looking forward to talking with us a bit about two things: 1) About our experiences with students who are considering vocational ministry; and 2) How we, as youth workers, can help move students in that direction when they feel the Lord tugging on their heart. Check out their website at www.ministryasvocation.org for more information.

There will also not be a Skypecast on July 18 (I’m traveling again), but we’ll probably resume our regular weekly schedule on July 25. The weeks following it are jammed with a lot of other great upcoming topics for discussion:

• The balance between “fun” and Bible study in youth group
• Working with students who suffer from depression and eating disorders
• Evaluating the spiritual depth of our youth ministries
• Our dreams for our youth ministries
• Getting parents involved in the spiritual lives of their teens
• Problems of youth group as a “minichurch”

Of course, there will always be time dedicated to whatever needs you want to bring to the table for discussion, too.

Stay Updated
To stay more up-to-date with Skypecast information, become a fan of the Life In Student Ministry Facebook Page or follow me on Twitter.

More Info
For more information about the Skypecasts, including info on how to access it each week, check out the Skypecast page.

Click the Play button below to listen to a highlight clip of a past Skypecast:

 

 Skypecast Highlights from 05-09-2008 [5:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Flexible in Ministry
Good tips for getting outside of your youth group. I’m looking forward to teaching some adult classes at my church for some of these very reasons.

Is Bigger Really Better?
[Link updated for YS’s new site.] An interview with some youth pastors from very large churches who left for smaller churches. They discuss the difference between large and small ministries. Here’s one youth worker’s response.

Top 10 things adults should know about youth
Got anything else to add to the list? How about something like, “Teenagers can eat 10x more pizza than you do.”

Twitter Church
If you’re wondering what Twitter might look like when used on the big screen during a church service, check this out. (If you’re a Twitter user, feel free to follow me.) [ ht ChurchMarketingSucks.com ]

100 blog topics I hope YOU write
Since there’s always new subscribers joining the site, I’d like to point this out again. Blog about some of the youth ministry topics I listed here, include a link back to it, and I’ll update the post to link to your post for all to read.

Be a guest blogger for me next week
I’ll be out of the country on a missions trip and don’t have time to write enough blog entries to queue up while I’m gone. If you’re interested in being writing a guest post or two this week, check out these suggestions and guidelines.

One month of daily TXT devotions
As texting has become increasingly popular these days, youth pastors are trying to utilize this new communication tool in their student ministries. One example of a way to use this tool is to text brief devotions daily to students. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

PhoneVite.com
This is a phone service that allows for pre recorded phone messages to be sent out. There is a free service and, of course, premium membership for more calls and options. [ via PlugRug ]

PollEverywhere.com
Engage your audience by displaying a free survey that’s updated LIVE within PowerPoint as people submit their response via TXT message. Sweetness!

TheBrickTestament.com
The world’s largest, most comprehensive illustrated Bible, all by Legos! Great images and illustrations for teaching aids. [ht youthministrysupport.com via PlugRug.com ]

Become a guest blogger for Life in Student Ministry
I’m always looking for people to bring new experiences and fresh perspectives to Life in Student Ministry. Check out this page if you’d like to be a guest blogger here.

Ten questions every leader should ask
Some of these questions are convicting just to read. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

15 signs that you (or your church) lacks vision
Simple ideas for evaluating our ministries.

FREE Adobe Photoshop Online
Have some youth group pics that need a little editing? Check out this brand new online Photoshop for picture tweaks, 2 GB online free storage, picture imports from Facebook and more.

Paris Hilton says happy to be role model for girls
Uhh, what?! I can’t believe she’s actually serious! [ht Ypulse]

Values Session 7: Serve (Part 2)
Jon shares a free youth lesson about serving others based on Ephesians 4:11-12.

For Gen Y, the world is flat
Students prefer to view leadership and consume news from peer-to-peer, not from the top-down style.

Youth Ministry Confessions
Some very convicting confessions: “I confess my over-programming, which I thought was a sign of strength, but may actually have been a symptom of insecurity.” [ht PlugRug]

How to keep volunteers for a LONG TIME!
Some great practical ways to help your adult youth leaders involved and passionate. [ht PlugRug]

Are you healthy? - A 10 point plan for youth leaders
Grahame shares from decades of youth ministry experience about how to achieve longevity and remain healthy in ministry. [ht PlugRug]

“She’s grounded from coming to youth group”
Brian’s story of how NOT to respond to a parent who grounds their kid from youth group.

Worst ministry decisions I have made - Part 1
Learn from Mark’s mistakes. He has some good insights.

As new readers join the blog, I’d like to remind you all about how you can connect with me outside of this site. I know everyone has their preferred methods of communication, so here’s where I’m at. Feel free to contact me in any way that suits you.

(Click the links to view my profile on each site.)

• AIM: JCisCool (yeah, lame, whatever. I made it in 9th grade.)
• Google Talk: tim@schmoyer.net
• Skype: rockinyp
• Facebook profile
• Facebook “Life in Student Ministry” Page
• LinkedIn: Tim Schmoyer
• Xbox Live: rockinyp
• Twitter: rockinyp
• Guild Wars: Doh Bread Man (game info)
• YouTube: godrox
• Blip.tv: godrox
• Google Picasa Photo Albums
• Or, of course, there’s good ol’ fashion email: tim@schmoyer.net

I’d love to hear from you! What would you like to see discussed here at Life in Student Ministry? What questions do you have about youth ministry, leadership, blogging or something in general? Or just want to say HI? Now you know how.

PlugRug around the web:
– My post about PlugRug from earlier in case you missed it.
– Brandon has a nice summary of it here.
– Jordan covers PlugRug, too.
– YMX asks a couple questions that I answer in the comments.
– Mike compares PlugRug to a 6th grade boy!
– Shawn announces PlugRug on his blog, too.
– A repost of the message I sent out to the Youth Pastors Only group on Facebook.

If you use any of these social bookmarking sites, use these links to easily add PlugRug and help drive new users to the site.
– Add PlugRug.com to StumbleUpon
– Add PlugRug.com to del.icio.us
– Add PlugRug.com to BlinkList
– Add PlugRug.com to Furl
– Add PlugRug.com to ma.gnolia
– Add PlugRug.com to Newsvine

Persistance
Short and sweet. So many implications for ministry. Typical Seth Godin style.

My job
Ever been frustrated with kids’ wavering commitment to a Christ-like lifestyle? Craig’s perspective is absolutely correct.

Abstract Youth Ministry
I’m still mulling over this one. Thought provoking. I appreciate Steve’s perspective.

When to quit
How do you decide when it’s time to pull the plug on a ministry or just make changes?

Stinky Junior High
lol! What a great idea!

Halo, Rock Band, and Student Ministry
If your youth group doesn’t play Halo, maybe Rock Band is a good alternative for the reasons Justin lists.

Help…
If you have suggestions for a resource that could help people with creating Bible lessons for students, contact Jason.

100 blog topics I hope YOU write
I wrote this last year and so far many people have taken advantage of it. Check out the list for a lot of great links. There’s still plenty of openings available for your blog articles, too.

Life in Student Ministry on Facebook
If you’re on Facebook and haven’t joined the Life in Student Ministry Facebook Page yet, check it out. It’s where I communicate “behind the scenes” stuff that I don’t post here on the blog.

Last December I mentioned that an upcoming feature of Life in Student Ministry would be a promotional tool for your ministry-related content. Well, it’s here, but it’s much bigger than I originally anticipated, so much so that I decided to make it a separate website: PlugRug.com.

How It Works
If you’re familiar with Digg, PlugRug works exactly the same way. Basically, you submit links that you think are great ministry tools, resources, podcasts, video clips, etc. Others see the “Upcoming Stories” and if they also like it, they’ll “plug it” by casting a vote for it. Conversely, people can also “sweep it under the rug” by burying it if they think it’s old news, irrelevant, or whatever. After a story becomes popular enough, it is promoted to the front page of the website for a period of time as one of best current ministry links on the web, as determined by people like you from around the world. It’s an innovative way to both share and discover new ministry ideas, resources, tools and material because recommendations are no longer based on just one person’s opinion. For a more detailed explanation on the site’s features and how it works, visit PlugRug’s About page.

Benefits For Content Creators
If you’re a blogger, podcaster, video creator, or someone who generates any kind of web content for ministry, a site like this can be an invaluable tool for you.

• Plug your content and generate traffic to your site, especially if it’s voted to the front page.
• Be discovered by potential new readers and subscribers.
• Connect with other content creators.
• Stay up-to-date on what others find valuable in your specific ministry niche.

You can also add a Plug Box to your site template to make it easy for visitors to see how popular a your specific article is on PlugRug and make it easy for them to vote for it, too. Check out a post on my site to see a live example. To add the Plug Box to your site, get the code from here.

Benefits For Ministry Workers
If you don’t create content, but want to find the best current ministry stuff online as recommended by other ministry workers, this site has the potential to be a goldmine for you. Not only can you find what others deem to be the best, coolest and most relevant material right now in a variety of categories, but you can add your comments and place your votes on upcoming stories to help others discover something cool that you found there.

It Needs You
The only way this tool will work is if a community of people embrace it: submitting material, plugging the good stuff, burying the lame stuff, and promoting the site to others. There’s incredible potential here to share and collaborate on ministry content from all over the web at one central location, but it will only be successful if people like you contribute and make it happen.

If you have a website, feel free to steal the PlugRug graphic above and post it on your site. If you podcast, I appreciate your mentions. Your email newsletters, your conversations with other people, your social bookmarking — however you spread the word, it’s appreciated.

Extending your youth ministry to families
One guy’s experience and recommendations for reaching families through the youth ministry.

The Walmart effect and the smaller church
Have you ever lost one of your students to the local mega church? David equates it partially to a spiritual battle. I think it’s because people view church with a consumerism mindset.

Youth Game: Underground Church and Subliminal Scavenger Hunt
An over-spiritualized version of sardines with a way-cool “brain washing” video twist.

Marketing Techniques for Ministry
Some good things to do, but maybe the motivation should be to reach more people for Christ, not to “increase visitors and numbers at church or youth group.”

The Essentials of Youth Ministry
Great advice! Identity and destiny, yes, just make sure that purpose flows out of them, not the other way around.

Looking for a youth pastor?
Steve Blanchard, friend of mine and author of YouthMinistryIdeas.net, is looking for a full-time youth ministry position. Wanna hire him?

Views on Managing Ministry
Five different perspectives on how to lead your ministry and the various consequences thereof.

Youth Ministry Links
A compilation of websites Joe uses to find youth ministry resources. There’s a couple good ones there that I didn’t even know about.

CNN Study: 1 in 4 teenage girls has an STD
Every other youth worker on the Internet is linking to this article as the latest “we’re failing miserably” craze. Figured I’d link, too, but not for that reason.

I lost track of how many times I wanted to send you guys a quick little message or a time-sensitive resource link without having to make a whole new blog post about it. When I have a quick question and want feedback about something, it’s not practical to spam the Inbox of the several hundred email subscribers. It feels limiting that the only form of interaction we have is through email and the comments here on the site.

So, I created a Facebook page for Life in Student Ministry that will allow us all to interact with each other more efficiently. Become a fan by clicking this link to our page on Facebook. I’ll be keeping it updated with various youth ministry videos from around the web that I don’t usually post here, so if you’re looking for youth ministry related video clips, keep your eye on the Life in Student Ministry Facebook page.

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve recommended new sites, blog posts and links to check out around the web. Here’s some recent stuff I came across that might benefit you and your ministry or are just plain ol’ fun.

The Body of Christ - a themed youth evening of icebreakers, games and talk!
Another great list of ideas from Grahame that explore what it means to be part of the body of Christ.

Mario and Halo video
Hilarious! Someone put a lot of time into combining Mario and Halo together in this video.

Most students in high school do NOT plan to leave the church
Ugh, I’m tired of all the hype and fear surrounding all the statistics about teens and the church. This article shows that teens stay in church because of its involvement in their lives.

Hide and go poop game
Oh man, this video had me laughing so hard I started crying! Maybe I can get my Sr. Pastor in on this and make it a staff game.

The Four Pillars of Youth Ministry 2008
Do you have a plan for 2008? Don’t steal this one — seek God’s unique vision for your ministry as these guys have done.

10 Proven Ideas for Fundraising Beyond the Car Wash
Audio recording of a lady sharing with youth workers how to do fundraising to meet your ministry goals.

Growing Up Online: Just how radically is the Internet transforming the experience of childhood?
A PBU Frontline report. You can watch the whole broadcast online, but be aware that some of the typical media hype about predators and risks pops up even though the facts say this kind of behavior just is not that common. Read Anastasia Goodstein’s review of it here.

Growth in 2007
Every year I’m surprised by the growth taking place here at Life in Student Ministry. It’s very humbling that people would actually want to stick around and read this stuff, but it’s fun that you are. Since this time last year, site traffic is up by 383% (currently 33,000+ hits per month) and subscribers up by 945% (currently fluctuating around 670). There’s no way to predict how long this kind of growth will continue, especially since I don’t do anything special to intentionally generate traffic. Either way, I’m looking forward to continuing what goes on here at Life in Student Ministry as well as adding some new features over the next 12 months.

Looking to 2008
For 2008, my ideas and plans for Life in Student Ministry aren’t so much related to the actual blog as they are to extending its services to form more of an interactive community. Here are a couple ideas I’m currently developing in my free time (as limited as that may be):

• Weekly spiritual nourishment geared specifically for youth workers (starts next week)
• Online small groups for youth workers
• Community book studies
• Promotional tools for ministry-related web content
• Adding regular guest bloggers to cover specialized issues
• Anything else that comes during the year as inspiration strikes

What would you like to see from Life in Student Ministry this coming year?

My favorite posts from 2007
Last year I listed my top posts of 2006 strictly by the number of hits each one received. This year it’s a subjective list of my personal favorites.

January 2007
Dealing with the pressures of church leadership
What I learned from interviewing with churches: There’s no vision
Why do I limit what God wants to do through me?

February 2007
Open the lines for youth group communication
Handling discipline at youth group
How I will crash and burn(out) in ministry
A new identity for our youth group

March 2007
Why volunteers should always go for free
Why church is often a student’s last priority
Focus on the kids who ARE there
Free small group curriculum: My life
How to leave a ministry position and finish well

April 2007
Using cliques to my advantage for small groups
10 things that should be banned from youth ministry
Why do kids come to youth group?
A new name for youth workers

May 2007
Improving my body language with students
Free ebook: 130 Youth Ministry Tips and Ideas
Keeping the vision in sight literally
Imitation is not always flattery
Dealing with drama at youth group

June 2007
Creating intergenerational church services
My evangelism stinks
A welcomed interruption in my office

July 2007
Steve Jobs on youth ministry
Impress teens with your church business card
Podcast: One year wedding anniversary
I hate these conversations

August 2007
My problem with outreach events…
10 Commandments for surviving in youth ministry (5 of 10)

September 2007
10 Commandments for surviving in youth ministry (9 of 10)
I’m running on a treadmill that’s moving faster than I can run
How to grow a youth group
This video reminds me why I’m in youth ministry

October 2007
How to keep up with a growing youth group: You can’t!
Top 10 things you don’t want to hear from your youth pastor
Reward system for youth group attendance
Friends just aren’t what they used to be

November 2007
Video archive of Teen Internet Seminar for Parents
Email is old-school: Three better ideas for communicating with teens
I need to change how I help kids grow in Christ
You might be a youth worker if, redneck style

December 2007
How to make fun video announcements in 3 easy steps
How to help students take ownership over their youth group
The ideal youth ministry starts with the idea leader