Ministry is such a rewarding experience, but why does it create so much strain on marriages? Jake and Melissa Kircher have learned some valuable lessons (often the hard way!) about building a healthy marriage amid the demands of ministry. They aren't perfect, but they've matured individually and as a couple because of each mess, problem, heartache, and obstacle they've encountered. They understand your struggles and frustrations, because they're their struggles and frustrations, too. 99 Thoughts on Marriage & Ministry will help you discover advice, wisdom, and insight in five core areas.

Few teenagers think of slavery as a modern-day issue. It's something they read about in history books-a painful, troubling chapter from the past. Unfortunately, slavery remains a 21st century reality in the form of sex trafficking. Around our world, people are bought and sold as if they were commodities.

Baht is a documentary that exposes this issue through the real-life story of Sophea. She's a young Cambodian woman fighting to rebuild her life after being deceived by someone she trusted and forced into prostitution. This documentary was made with the goal of informing people and spurring them to fight injustices-in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, as well as in their own communities.

Having conversations with teenagers is a challenge. Having meaningful conversations with teenagers can feel impossible at times!

Drawing on her experience as a mom, ministry founder, and Life Purpose Coach, Dr. Katie Brazelton offers insights and wisdom in How Your Teenager is Wired on understanding how teenagers are wonderfully and uniquely created-and how to transform that understanding into dynamic conversations about who they are, how God wired them, and where their lives are headed.

Is criticism inevitable in life?

Maybe you've asked that question because you're tired of the relentless, nagging voice in your head saying you should quit, or you're inadequate, or your shortcomings are what people will remember most about you. Perhaps you're simply discouraged, frustrated, burned out, or isolated because of the criticism you've endured.

This book is for you.

Every time you walk out of your senior pastor's office, you leave with a sense of bewilderment and confusion. "Did I just waste the last hour? Did he really hear what's going on with our students? Is youth ministry really a priority for this guy?"

Unfortunately, you aren't alone. When it works, the relationship between a youth pastor and senior pastor opens the door to dynamic ministry in the local church. But when that relationship is weak, damaged, or broken, it can create an environment that breeds frustration, dissension, and burnout.

And in far too many churches, that relationship is weak, damaged, or broken. Trust, respect, and sacrifice don't happen when we aren't on the same page. Doug writes directly to you as a youth pastor, offering his encouragement and wisdom.

Groundbreaking Insights and Fresh Tools for Youth Ministry!

Over 100 Practical Ideas Inside! You'll gain powerful insights and tons of practical ideas to immediately use in your ministry. Includes worship ideas, discussion starters, object lessons, ideas for family activities, outreach, and much more.

Toss around words like "evangelism" and "witnessing," and watch your teenagers run and hide. Many students are intimidated by the idea of sharing their faith with friends, but Greg Stier is convinced they don't have to be.

In this four-week DVD curriculum, Stier uses his dynamic and edgy delivery style to help teenagers discover both the simplicity and necessity of sharing their faith.

Reach Out will help you as a youth worker effectively address the topic of evangelism and spur your teenagers toward a greater passion for sharing their faith.

As you read the pages of Bold Parenting, veteran youth worker Lars Rood--a husband and father of three--will challenge you to think more deeply and more clearly about the faith you're responsible for passing on to your children.

Ah, the missions trip. Whether across the city or across the globe, it can seem daunting to the inexperienced or the unprepared. But with Mission Trips From Start To Finish, you'll find expert advice to make planning and executing yours as simple as possible. This practical tool is designed to guide first-time trip planners step-by-step, while also providing old pros with a host of tools to be used over and over again. It'll save you time, headaches, and possibly legal and law enforcement trouble! Prison ministry, anyone?

Parents are the biggest influence on the lives of teenagers a fact that research has proved again and again. Yet interactions with parents can be one of the trickiest areas for a youth worker to navigate well. Great youth ministries are passionate about helping parents the key influence on teenage faith succeed in their God-given roles. That's the foundational message of The Skinny on Parents, which will lead you toward a place where you focus a little bit more of your energy on resourcing, equipping, partnering with, and empowering parents.

By Tony Myles with Doug Franklin

Take a look around at the brokenness in this world and its spiritual poverty. Jesus wants to change all of that, and he's looking for teenagers who want that change to start in them. Youth worker, that's where you come in! When your students serve others, they're serving Jesus. Serving helps teenagers draw closer to Jesus and become more like him. And serving creates opportunities to talk about Jesus and share his amazing good news. Ultimately, every act of genuine Christian service points to Jesus' ultimate act of service on the cross.

The Skinny on Service unpacks the powerful reasons why it's important for you and your students to serve others, but you'll also get page after page of practical ideas on how to serve. You'll be equipped to help teenagers discover the joy of serving faithfully before, even if they don't personally get to see the fruit "after."

Stories can entertain and amuse. Stories can enlighten and inform. But in the hands of Jesus, stories can turn lives upside down.

That’s what junior highers will discover as youth workers lead them through Upside Down. This video-based, conversation-driven series can be a powerful tool for turning students'’ worlds upside down--—and for helping them see that upside down is way better than right-side up.

Jesus’ parables were earthly stories with a heavenly meaning, and one reason they remain so powerful today is because of how Jesus surprised his audience--—and surprises us. We think we know the story'’s point and how things will resolve--—but then Jesus flips things upside down. It isn'’t what we expected.

By Craig Gross & Cris Clapp Logan

Teenagers live in a sex-saturated world. And for many of them, sex has become a purely physical act, fully divorced from spirituality, love, and commitment. Sex, pornography, and "hooking up" are all met with the same response: "It's no big deal."

Too many of our students don't know where to turn to learn about sex, leaving many feeling confused, fearful, and alone. Teenagers who struggle with sexual addiction or unhealthy patterns don't know how to find freedom and healing from the choices they've made, and they're afraid the church will label them as perverts if they're open and honest about their deepest struggles.

Big things can come in small packages, right?

We think so, and that's why we've created this series of small books about some of the biggest topics in youth ministry. We've trimmed away the excess and gotten right to the point of delivering more wisdom, insight, ideas, and live-it-out concepts than you'd expect in books this size!

This high-quality burnished metal nail cross pendant is a meaningful and lasting keepsake for each person who travels down the Road to Resurrection. With JESUS IS ALIVE! embossed on one side, it will be treasured for years to come. (Need 1 per guest)

10 per Package

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD--Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

10 per package

NOT A TOY

This stuff works.

That's because the ideas in this book--hundreds of them--come from people like you: people in the thick of youth ministry. These are best-ever ideas from the pages of Group Magazine's Try This One section. They've been tried... tweaked... and tried again. That means you can slide them into your program without risk--and without tons of preparation.