40 End Goals Devotion – Sharing Your Story

We love to share stories, but the most important story we can share is God’s story. This devotion encourages us to share God’s story with joy and hope.

Healthy Habits for Healthy Youth Ministry: Find Your People

As a new church worker, it’s hard to navigate forming relationships within your congregation because you don’t know how to develop relationships with the people you are serving alongside. Here are three tips from Sarah on how to find your people.

40 End Goals Devotion – When the Story Get’s Tough

Christians will have struggle in their story. This devotion will talk about how God is with us, even when the story is tough.

Beyond the Flannel Graph: Exploring the Big Picture of the Bible

Kids who grow up in Sunday School are often accustomed to re-visiting the “classic” Bible heroes, which often involves a bit of scattered variety of stories that lend themselves to cute crafts and dramatic puppet shows. This trend works on a short-term basis but our task is to help students see God’s big picture in Scripture and how God continues to use it to impact and influence our lives now.

40 End Goals Devotion – My Story

Sometimes, I tell the same stories multiple times. But have we thought about how God’s story is central to ours? This devotion helps us think about how to tell Jesus’ story in our story.

40 End Goals Devotion – The Story of Scripture

Throughout scripture you will find this simple story: God’s creation had turned from Him but His love was greater than their fall. In this devotion we talk about how God’s story is a gift for us.

God’s Story, My Story: A 40 End Goals Study on Identity

Stories surround us Certainly, we know God’s story for us in Scripture where God continues to speak in His perfect word. We also can think of our lives as stories where God is at work, even when that story is difficult. This study seeks to help young people to think of faith and develop identity by using this important concept of story.

Healthy Habits for Healthy Youth Leadership: The Dos and Don’ts of Changing Ministry

Change in ministry is healthy but it isn’t always fun. The process of change isn’t positive at every step. Change can bring out the ugliest sides of a person because it is often uncomfortable, difficult, and stressful. This article highlights some of the dos and don’ts that can help new youth leaders navigate change in a way that brings out the best in ministry.

40 End Goal Devotions – Community Servants

In the final devotion tied to the My Roles Now and for the Future study, we think about how God has empowered us for vocations around your community.

40 End Goals Devotion – Kingdom Workers

We have many different vocations. In the third devotion tied to the My Roles Now and for the Future study, we are reminded that as children of God, each of us is called to be a Kingdom worker- serving the Kingdom of God with our time, talents, and treasures. 

Supporting Youth When the Church Gets It Wrong

How do we continue to tell students that Jesus is good when the Church that purports to espouse His teachings, hurts people? Youth leaders should be prepared for responding when young people are faced with sin within their congregation and the larger church. This article helps leaders consider how they might do approach this difficult topic.

40 End Goals Devotion – Loving Friends

In the second devotion tied to the My Roles Now and for the Future study, we think about how we serve God by intentionally serve our friends.

2022 LCMS Youth and Adult Poll Executive Summary

The Lutheran Youth and Adult Poll (formerly known as the Lutheran Youth Fellowship Poll) has been conducted every three years at LCMS Youth Gatherings since the 1980s. The executive summary seeks to highlight the most important findings from the 2022 poll.

40 End Goal Devotions – Child of God is a Hostile World

In this first devotion tied to the My Roles Now and for the Future study, we are reminded that when this world seems hostile, you have been chosen for the vocation of child of God and sent to bring Good News with encouragement, help, and patience to the world. 

My Roles Now and for the Future: A 40 End Goals Study about Vocation

The theology of vocation is such a gift to all people, but especially to youth.  By understanding their lives as a collection of God-given vocations under the larger umbrella of their call to follow Jesus, youth are invited to consider what living a faith-integrated life might look like both now and in the future.

7 Practices of Youth Ministry

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Word One Lectionary Bible Studies

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Post-Gathering Year of Studies

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Campus Ministry Resources

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End Goals Podcast

End Goals is the podcast of LCMS Youth Ministry in the Office of National Mission. LCMS Youth Ministry Staff discuss practices for healthy youth ministry and interview practitioners who provide insight for experienced and new youth leaders.

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Beyond the Flannel Graph: Exploring the Big Picture of the Bible

Kids who grow up in Sunday School are often accustomed to re-visiting the “classic” Bible heroes, which often involves a bit of scattered variety of stories that lend themselves to cute crafts and dramatic puppet shows. This trend works on a short-term basis but our task is to help students see God's big picture in Scripture and how God continues to use it to impact and influence our lives now.