Welcome to our third installment of our series called "Rules of Youth Ministry"! We asked a bunch of youth ministers...
Welcome to our second installment of a new series called "Rules of Youth Ministry"! We asked a bunch of youth ministers...
Welcome to our first installment of a new series called "Rules of Youth Ministry." We asked a bunch of youth ministers...
Things are starting to open back up, churches are meeting in person, summer camps and conferences are happening. Finally! We're entering the "...
Want to do something special for Mother’s Day this year?
The Zoom platform is proving to be an excellent resource for youth ministry at a social distance. But for a lot of young...
It’s not that I don’t miss everybody in my youth group … It’s just that online chat...
CIY has seen the Church rise up in cool, creative ways during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doing ministry over the next two to eight to … however-many weeks looks a lot different than it did in February.
We know it’s a great feeling when students want to spend time with their youth leaders, but what if they feel...
Lord in Heaven,
Heavenly Father,
A small group took a moment this summer to thank the CIY MIX team while we were out on tour – and it...
I lost a friend this year.
My husband, Jon, and I know ministry transition well.
The first thing that caught my attention at my first CIY experience was the production!
Most of us student pastors and directors aren’t known for our attention to detail or our systems … We’re...
A book from Barna President David Kinnaman provides researched-based data and dialog that explores the impact of the digital world on young people.<...
Dealing with stress is unfortunately a way of life for students today.
CIY MOVE has played a huge role in my life and I’ve seen the Holy Spirit do amazing things at this...
While I was still sitting on the fence of pursuing foster care, I attended events on the topic offered through local organizations as...
The Worth You Give
It’s natural to see a clear division between middle schoolers and high schoolers in social circles, but high school senior Abbie...
Driving my girls to school in the morning is one of my favorite times of day.
Christian rapper KJ-52 found a versatile way to share his testimony along with a collection of stories from his unique journey in ministry.<...
These “10 ways to connect with students beyond Sunday morning” were inspired from conversations with youth ministers from across the country.
Without question one of the most important things we can do as Jesus followers is to have a consistent time with God. For...
When I entered the ministry, I knew I wanted to be part of a team that shared the Good News of Jesus with...
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to...
Paul and Melissa Cavenaile – along with their children Ethan, 14; Olivia, 11; and Abigail “Abi,” 8 – travel from Juliet, Illinois every year...
Thousands and thousands of volunteers will use their own vacation time this summer as they chaperone students on mission trips and week-long camp...
My short fuse has gotten the better of me in a lot of moments of my life, but in my current stage of...
Nothing could have prepared me to watch my kids in their nail-biting moments of youth sports, and many times I have found myself...
The National Day of Prayer is a good reminder that we can co-labor with God as He does things in the world through...
One of the coolest opportunities I’ve had to minister to people was through coaching middle school softball. Coaching is an excellent...
Sometimes when I feel insignificant and as if my purpose in God’s Kingdom is easily ignored, I think back to a...
Play is powerful.
Silliness and laughter might not rank very high in your youth ministry tactics, but it...
Should Kingdom workers go to the movies?
Dear Heavenly Father,
A common concern these days in student ministry is adult volunteers and how leaders can sustain happy, healthy relationships with them.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to truly make a great first impression?
Fun is a staple of CIY events and a lot of the time that fun is achieved in never-ending bouts of 9 Square in...
One of the greatest gifts God has faithfully supplied in my life has been close friendships.
This month kicks off one of the greatest sporting events there is – the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament – fondly known as...
Today is the international observance of St. Patrick’s Day – a time to celebrate the Irish culture and the patron saint...
When I took my 7-year-old to see “How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World” for his birthday, I didn&rsquo...
The Special Olympics motto is not just something that’s spoken before the games begin … it’s a mantra that...
Let’s be honest … you probably read the headline for this article and thought to yourself, “Wait … what?!? Why...
I’ve had the privilege of working with Jackie Hill-Perry on a number of projects over the past six years and I...
Raise your hand if social media has, at one time or another, been a challenge within your youth ministry.
Are parents the worst part of student ministry?
It can be a challenge to come up with fun activities to do with your youth group during the winter months.
The first time I went skiing, I accidently turned down a black diamond slope!
My husband and I were newlyweds 11 years ago and our first winter together taught me one of the most important lessons about love...
We all have certain things we need to do – important and healthy practices ¬such as drinking water – but it&rsquo...
The Big Game is coming up and CIY is ready to give away prizes by playing the Æffect game “Called It!...
“Just a minute!” How many times do we say that in a day? We throw out this basic measurement of one...
Super Bowl Sunday isn’t an official national holiday, but it feels like it should be.
If busyness is a part of your church’s culture – rather than beat your head against the proverbial wall like I...
Our teams at CIY spend a LOT of hours on the road traveling to and from our 100-plus events each year, and along...
As I’ve grown in life and faith, I’ve learned that connecting with God can take more forms than the...
One of my favorite things to do at a large event is to turn to the person next to me and say, &ldquo...
CIY’s SuperStart team was thrilled to welcome Robert Watson as a program administrator this December. Here are the nine things you...
I used to stare down the barrel of the coming year as if it was just more problems, headaches, budgets and time management.<...
Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
The sights and sounds of the season create...
Christmas music is arguably the best kind of music.
It’s always a culture of fun at CIY, but I should have known the energy at our Christmas party was going...
‘Tis the season of endless shopping, crowds, failed diets, financial stress and several other factors that can easily induce the seasonal blues....
Many American Christmas traditions are inherited from Ireland, so the reality is the way you celebrate Christmas is the way we celebrate Christmas...
I’m a list-maker, and in this Christmas season of reflection and appreciating the people in my life I made one that...
After a strongly opinionated and sometimes heated discussion, the CIY film team was able to walk away with a list of the Top...
Every year, hundreds of thousands of small gestures from across the globe all point back to a singular event that happened 2,000 years ago ...<...
No Honduras Christmas is complete without fireworks.
The CIY MOVE and MIX teams are excited to announce a limited-time offer of a $50 promo pack that includes 15 shirts of a wide...
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration this year, CIY developed a beautiful coffee-table book with stories, history and pictures from the past 50...
Advent means an arrival or coming.
It’s hunting season.
Spend some time in Paul’s letter to the Colossians and you’ll see Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday that...
I fell in love with the camera in high school in a class called “TV Productions,” and God has taken that...
Parents of students with special needs want their children to be loved and included in the Church and served just like any other...
The following is an excerpt from KJ-52’s podcast “Where’s your focus?” Listen to the entire podcast here.<...
1. Sunday comes every week.
God uses absolutely everything in our lives for His glory – even our brokenness and suffering.
It wasn’t my finest moment of faith, but I made sure to learn from it.
It was our first...
Debbie Detwiler – a volunteer youth leader with Calvary Baptist Church in Elkhart, Indiana – said she’s been praying for ways...
I love Halloween.
Earlier this summer, CIY President Andy Hansen asked CIY’s staff to dive into God’s Holy Word and focus on...
Let your phone be a source of inclusion – not seclusion – for you and your youth group.
“The word of the Lord continued to flourish and multiply.” – Acts 12:24
Hundreds of stories from CIY’s 50 years of ministry were shared during the evening celebration on Aug. 30, but that wasn’t...
Today is the international “See You at the Pole” event when students gather around the flagpole at their school to pray.<...
A year ago, I would pass on opportunities to serve in the Church … Not anymore.
A grandmother laid on her deathbed in her final days of life, speaking to her son. With a concerned expression, she leaned forward...
Recently, a local independent theater hosted a private screening of “Eighth Grade” for the CIY staff.
The movie is...
Lord,
As we acknowledge Suicide Prevention Month, our hearts are broken for those affected by this dark battle.
A change in the season can bring a positive change to your youth group, too.
Cliques are narrow, exclusive circles or groups of people – especially when held together by common interests, views or purposes.
“Back to school,” is a phrase students dread, but I wish students looked at the phrase differently and saw school as...
