The Five Tanks Of Youth Ministry – Here’s a useful way of looking at your youth ministry condition.

Youth Ministry is Simple Matt Cleaver points out that youth ministry doesn’t need to be complicated.

Ten Ways the Internet Is Changing Evangelism and Missions – The Internet is… quickly becoming the starting point for most ministries.

Don’t Go Diotrephes – Great point on leadership in a series I’m currently reading through. Check out the rest here.

A Serious Look at Games: The Why, How and What of Great Games (and Great Game Leaders) This is like THE thesis of games in youth ministry. Highly recommended for the game master.

Andy Stanley on Asking the Right Questions “In our lives, in our families, in our churches, questions accomplish two critical things. They reveal values and they reinforce values.”

Video YM Tip: What do you win young people with?

Before the Camp:

Youth Camps–Tradition or Life Change? – Some basics of a camp.

Organizing Camps and Retreats – (in Tagalog) Here’s one for the Filipino youth worker.

71 Fundraising Ideas for Youth Groups – To ensure you reach your budget.

Games @ The Source for Youth Ministry – Great resource that comes with its own search engine. Modify the game to fit your context or culture for better impact.

EGAD! Ideas – a compendium of activities, again modify these to suit your group.

During and After:

They Came Forward… Now What? – Here are very important tips on implementing evangelism.

Making the “Camp High” Last All Year Long.

Any resources you know that I haven’t listed? Place ‘em below:

Metro Manila, also known as the National Capital Region or NCR, is the most densely populated region of the Philippines (having a population of 11,553,427 in a 2007 census). It is also a bunch of cities within a city, having no provinces, instead being subdivided into 16 cities and one municipality as seen below:

Metro Manila is also a place of economic extremes. The extremely wealthy and the very poor can be found within kilometers of each other. Beside big malls and well-built subdivisions are slum areas and sprawling ghettoes. People from all walks of life can be encountered in the region. See more info on Manila here.

At this point I’d like to ask ministers to young people especially those working within NCR: What do these things mean for youth ministry? What do you think must be done to make disciples of these horde of young teens and fill Manila with the Lord’s teaching?

About Space and Messages – highlights the importance of not just focusing on the youth program but also hanging out with youth in order that the Christian message be heard.

Simplifying Ministry – Not in doing more but being focused on what’s more important.

Making beds vs. Making disciples – Good illustration on what our priority should be.

Duplicated effort vs Partnership – Striking points on the need to work with others.

Change the world, change your kids – How to make your short-term mission trip a process of transformation rather than an event.

Danger; do not go – And speaking of missions, if God is tugging your heart toward it, I highly recommend not just this article but this entire blog geared toward missions in Asia and written by those with much experience in the field.

A book that has greatly influenced my ministry is “The Next Generation Leader” by Andy Stanley. This book was first published 6 years ago yet the principles are very much applicable for those who work with the youth today. So I’m going through these principles as well as including some thoughts on how this can be applied to our ministry to young people. This is the 5th of five parts.

5. Those who follow you will judge you not so much from where you led them but how you led them.

To lead with character will cost you more in terms of effort, time and money than to lead without. But in the long run, character makes us into leaders worth following.

If we are to lead young people into Christlikeness, character is essential. Our young people pick up our traits and habits. They are quite quick to pick up the bad habits. I keep the thought of Robert Murray M’Cheyne in mind on this “The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness.”

Some ways this could apply personally are:

1. Your public life should also be the one you live in private. Not to have the same morals in all areas of our life will undermine your character.
2. If you are married or have children, your family needs to take greater importance than your ministry. Young people will notice if we do or don’t do this, and in our age where family is often sacrificed on the altar of work, will be a good testimony on prioritizing relationships.
3. Also: let your close friends know the kind of person you are struggling to become. They know who you are and can be of help should you drift on certain areas.

There you have it. These 5 C’s: Competence, Courage, Clarity, Coaching and Character have been of great help to my ministry.  May you also draw upon them to be the best leader you can be, drawing the youth closer to Christ. Dream big dreams for them… then make them happen.

7 Ways Your Siblings May Have Shaped You – Although the study is primarily Western this is also applicable in Asia where there are often closer family ties.

The 85% Statistic is Back – Heard this before? 85% of those who have ever made a commitment to God did so before age 14.

Great series of guest posts over at More Than Dodgeball – here are some of what I liked: Numb3rs, Facebook – Spiritual Dipstick?, The Compass of a Great Question, and Getting a Good Start as a Volunteer. Though you should go and check out all the rest.

Singing and Praying Justice – thought-provoking article on the need to move away from ‘me’-centered forms of music in worship.

Six Days of Work – From the article: “Your refusal to rest every week could be seen as a refusal to give 100% to your work when you’re supposed to.”

Who’s Keeping You Accountable? – On why we need accountability.

Check out this Twitter-Themed Youth Group Newsletter – and how it came about here.

Youth Leaders University – an online learning center for youth leaders and it’s free.

Young Muslims turn to technology to connect, challenge traditions – found via YPulse

In South Korea Youth unemployment is at decade-high level

& Korean Youth Study Longest Hours in OECD

Pakistani Taliban prey on youth to bolster forces – one blog puts the estimated number of youth in Pakistan at 70 million.

Internet and Indian Youth – A Survey – Bangalore is the blogging capital of India (zaabiz.co.in)

Nepali youth enters Guiness record – for some reason, I found this interesting.