WHAT IS IT? There is a good chance you have never heard of the Netflix series called “13 Reasons Why,” but if you work closely with teenagers at all then you probably have already started watching it. 13 Reasons Why is a Netflix series based on the 2007 Young Adult Fiction book sharing the same title. The book and Netflix series follows Clay Jensen as he uncovers why his friend, Hannah, committed… read more
Jonathan Holmes
February 27, 2017
Jonathan Holmes
WHY DO YOUR STUDENTS GO TO CHURCH? “I want to see my friends.” “I love my adult leader.” “You [parent] force me.” As youth pastors we don’t hear a lot of these reasons, but we see ALL of these play out at different times. Students don’t talk about why they go to church, but they show it in their actions and reactions. These reasons for going to church aren’t all bad, but… read more
November 28, 2016
Jonathan Holmes
I have some exciting news. Videos for Student Ministry is back and the content library is building up quickly! After Frank sent out the news that VFSM is down and will be down forever, we began talking behind the scenes. After months of trying to figure out how to transfer ownership, set up the WordPress site, and start rebuilding the content, it’s ready! Videos for Student Ministry still believes in being a… read more
March 8, 2016
Jonathan Holmes
I believe in students connecting in small group environments. Small groups have always been a cornerstone of every ministry I have been a part of and their environments consume about 60% of my entire workload. It is hard work to create -> maintain -> encourage small groups and it is just as hard finding -> equipping -> keeping small group leaders. Everything about small groups is hard work, but I hope this… read more
October 26, 2015
Jonathan Holmes
There are mornings that I wake up and I don’t feel like I am the right person for my position. This happens for any number of reasons: I feel like there are a thousand people out there that could do the job better than me I wonder if any of the students even listened to what I had to say I felt like I just delivered the worst message in the history… read more
August 31, 2015
Jonathan Holmes
I remember when I was younger, my parents bought the Johnny Carson VHS Collection off of QVC one night. I had no idea who this guy was, but I remember watching it with my parents and watching as my parents laughed hysterically at “good ol’ Johnny.” I chuckled with them, but largely I wondered why we didn’t have anyone on TV like this today. Well young Jonathan, the dark ages of late… read more
August 24, 2015
Jonathan Holmes
Youth pastors are expected to have a lot of different skills in a lot of different areas. This can be extremely draining for the youth pastor who is required to work in areas they are not gifted in and can steal your time away from areas where they are most effective. This is when technology comes in. Effectively using technology can allow you to succeed in areas where you don’t typically excel. Here… read more
July 6, 2015
Jonathan Holmes
In my last post, we talked through the toughness of the summer schedule in the youth ministry world and how crucial it is for each of us to find the “Summer Sweet Spot” for our summer ministry plans. That post was aimed at the woes of the programming world in which we operate, but in this post I want to focus on the other, more important area of summer discipleship. In my context of 100+… read more
May 27, 2015
Jonathan Holmes
Summers in the youth ministry world are hard. No matter how great your programming was for the Fall and Spring, students with extra time, the break from school activities, and family summer vacations demand a big change in your ministry programming. In my ministry context, a transition to summer means the loss of our college small group leaders, the halting of our children’s ministry midweek program, and students going in and out… read more