My friend Neely McQueen over at MorethanGoship.com always has some great advice on girl ministries and more.  I really liked this post because it always hurts when a students leaves, especially a student we have invested in.

"It’s bound to happen the longer you are in youth ministry…a student that you have invested in will stop showing up. They might slowly disengage from you and the ministry or maybe it happens suddenly. It can be heartbreaking, right?

What can you do?

I am strong believer in a follow up plan. Facebook, email, text, snail mail…a phone call. It’s important to make contact. The point is to follow up on the student – to provide care for them…but it’s easy to make it about their absence from our programs. I believe students can tell if we care about them or if we just care about the attendance."

Read the rest of the blog here

Suggestions for Parents: Parent Expectations of Church

As a parent I have learned the value of help. I know that my wife and I don't know everything. We know that our kids will probably talk to other adults more than they talk to us. My kids have had the pleasure of being a part of many different church homes. Some of them with great children's ministry and some with ok ministries. Each ministry gave my kids something different and special. I have seen the benefit the church has on our kids.