Paul Turner

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, Volunteers are great. Ministry Partners are better. What's the difference? Volunteers are good, steady people who show up every week to make sure nothing gets broken but ministry partners show up to minister to broken kids. If you missed my first installment of this 6 part series, you can read it here. If you have a team that is task focused instead of student focused, challenge them to build deeper relationships. Start Small with...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, There is never not a good time to talk about volunteers; how to recruit them, train them and lead them so allow me introduce a six part series that will help you take those wall hugging volunteers and turn them into active ministry partners. Every youth pastor has them — those faithful adults who show up, keep an eye on the kids, make sure no one breaks anything, and maybe hand out snacks. They’re dependable, kind, and a huge help....

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, Students held couch pillows up to their faces in shock, disbelief and to keep from laughing out loud after hearing the quietest student in class drop a curse word in Sunday School, "He was a piece sh%*" How did I react? Not nearly as much as the other students in class did. I stared at this mild mannered, usually quiet kid for about 5 seconds. It felt like an eternity. I didn't yell or scream or tell his parents, why? Because this...

thediscipleproject.net CULTURE/TRENDS Hey Awesome Person, Lock In When speaking to students, what's your go-to word for bringing students' attention back the message? A popular phrase I hear used by young athletes are Lock In (be fully committed). "We have to lock in and everyone has to do their job." I recently saw an article about teens Locking In on TikTok. I don't know about you, but when I see the words Lock In, it sends a shiver down my spine. Before reading the article I thought,...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, It's all experimental When it comes to youth ministry, most of us want certainty. We want a clear, five-step plan that works every time—a game, a teaching style, or an event that we can repeat forever. But here’s the hard truth: youth ministry is always experimental. Yes, we have 2,000 years of church history and about 50 years of established youth ministry practices. But the reality is, students change. Culture changes. The world...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, Every believer loves Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Few know the context. Judah is in captivity due to not keeping the sabbath, idolatry and a host of other sins. You, on the other hand, are not being disciplined, it just so happens that where you work it sure feels like exile. Here are a 4 pieces of advice that...

thediscipleproject.net DOWNLOAD A FREE MUSIC BIBLE STUDY Hey Awesome Person, Looking to spice up that youth room playlist? Here are my Top 5 songs you need to add to your pre-service, game time and/or post service playlist. If you're looking for a song based bible study I wrote one for the song HELP by Manafest and it's absolutely free. Zauntee - Waiting For The Son ASAP PREACH - HALLELUJAH Manafest Walking Into Fire PlanetBoom - BYOML Josiah Queen - Watch Your Mouth Have an awesome youth...

WEBSITE SHOP PODCAST YOUTUBE BLOG Greetings Awesome Person, I was aware of who Charlie Kirks was, but I wasn't a follower of him on any social media platforms. Nonetheless, I was heartbroken to hear of his death. I don't know how to consider Charlie Kirk's death. Is he a Christian martyr? A political martyr? Neither? Both? Many want to compare Kirk's to that of Stephen's in Acts 7. I don't think it's a fair comparison but I do see a rhythm to it and I can only hope the results are similar....

Let's Bring Discipleship Back Jesus said, "Go into all the world and run programs" Wait, that doesn't sound right. That's because Jesus said, "Go into all the world and make disciples". That's why on on today's livestream I want to help you, define a disciple how to format a discipleship program when to challenge and when to hold back If Gen Z is coming back to church, as many have reported, is your youth ministry ready to invite them to be followers of Jesus? Grab your lunch or dinner, pull...