This obviously isn’t because I have the greatest youth ministry ideas or the best website. It has to do with SEO (search engine optimization). It’s the way that the search engines see my site and there are some things that was specifically done to put this site in that position.

Now I want you to help me with an experiment that I believe will work. I’ve been reading up more about search engine optimization and I believe that there is this one thing that I need to do in order to get my site on the first page of Google, Yahoo, and MSN for the keyword, “Youth Ministry”.

Are you ready?

This one thing that I need is YOU!

Did you guess correctly or not?

I’m about to share how I can be on the first page of Google, Yahoo, and MSN for “Youth Ministry” and if I make it, I want to reward YOU by featuring your favorite youth ministry website or blog (Yes it could be your own site) on this site.

Follow these instructions and let’s see together what happens:

• Put a link on your site linking back to: http://www.youthministryideas.net
• When you place the link on your site, the TEXT for the link should be: Youth Ministry

Here is an example: Insurance Quotes

Notice that the TEXT says “insurance quotes” but the link is: http://www.insurancequotes4u.net

Believe it or not if I get enough links back to this site using the text: Youth Ministry - then shortly you should see this site become on the first page of the search engines for keyword search “youth ministry”

Curious to see if it works? - Me too

Why would you want to do this? Well, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. I would like to keep adding free youth ministry ideas and network with others in youth ministry. I’m convinced that youth ministry is the best thing on the planet and want the world to know about it - I’m sure you do too. I still have dreams and visions of what I would like this site to become and believe that it can be a great free resource of youth ministry ideas from every state and even from the rest of our world.

You get a chance now to make it happen!

If you haven’t already, SUBMIT YOUR IDEA This site could have the most comprehensive and fresh ideas around for youth ministry because it’s updated on a weekly basis and you can help this site become what it is destined to do: Fresh Free Youth Ministry Ideas from around the world.

Help Me?

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• Simply TXT: Send individual or group text messages to your students, parents, or volunteers. This tool seriously blew me away. I’ve been dreaming about being able to create groups and send text messages on the fly, like I do with email now, but I had never seen something that could actually do it. Simply TXT lets you build groups and send messages whenever you like–you can even schedule them in advance–and the pricing is pretty reasonable.
• Poll Everywhere: Create polls and free response questions your students respond to via text message. Results are updated live and can be displayed right on the screen. Another tool I was honestly thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” before I heard about it. Pricing is also very reasonable with a free option for audiences under 30 people.
• Twitter: If you don’t know Twitter already, get on it, and start tweeting regularly. Self described, “Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” Don’t ask me why, but teens love it. A good friend told me they’re using Twitter to send text messages to their whole youth group without paying a dime. Here’s how: Set up a Twitter account for the youth group, tell students about it, and show them how to sign up for “mobile updates.” Every post you make to your Twitter will go as a text message to the entire group! (Confused? I’ll be posting a detailed how-to on my blog soon.)

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1. Have an Unplugged Youth Group Night - What’s that? Recently my family went to Madagascar 2 ( which I didn’t like as much as the first one, but anyways..) and before the movie had started there was a preview about an old fashioned Christmas. What was happening was everyone in the family was doing something like playing video games, listening to music, watching TV and finally the mom goes down into the utility room and flips the power switch off and then lights some candles and the family all sits around together under candle light and opens gifts. So I thought that would be such a great thanksgiving idea. For youth group, basically have nothing on (no music, no lights, no to anything powered) and then have some candles lit so that people can see. Then pass around some sheets with music lyrics on it and have your song leader play some worship songs with an acustic guitar and in-between the songs have 1 or 2 people prepared to say something that they are thankful for. If you want you can also have a meal and pray specifically what you are thankful for.
2. Canned food drive for the needy - Have your youth ministry plan an outing to collect canned goods in your neighborhood/s for the needy and then take them to your local food pantry. You can even have the youth share about their faith like during the D2S conference.
3. Most creative pumpkin pie - Have a night where you divide up into team and have each team bake a pumpkin pie, however, have some extra ingredients available for them to add to their pie. Once the pies are baked, have the youth leaders judge by appearance and taste of which team’s pie is the best.
4. Progressive Dinner at Seniors Homes - Pick some seniors homes to host a progressive dinner. You will need to do some planning with this so that you aren’t driving around too much. Basically start at one seniors house with appetizers and once you are done have everyone drive to the next home and have the main course, and then another for dessert and coffee. It’s also a fun way to see inside the homes. If you have a large group this will be administrative deal trying to break things down because it’s hard to have more than 15 at someone’s home so pick and choose wisely.

Got some other thanksgiving youth ministry ideas? Let everyone know by commenting on this post.

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I’m so excited because this weekend about 40 of us adult volunteers and youth will be traveling to Denver, CO for this years Dare2Share event! Anyone going to be at this event? If you recognize me, come up and say hi.

This will be my 3rd Dare2Share event it’s called invincible - ready for anything.

The reason that I recommend this event is because it’s not only powerful and fun like Acquire the Fire, but it also has practicalness because your youth will not only learn the GOSPEL, but they will also go and present the GOSPEL door to door - this is a powerful thing for your youth ministry.

If you really think about and look closely at the Bible, God wants to REACH as many as possible and He wants those people to be DISCIPLED. Based on this, Greg Stier the founder of Dare2Share has some great material called Deep and Wide that I’m excited to check out. Tim Schmoyer my good youth ministry blogger friend has some great detail about what Deep and Wide has done for his youth ministry and I encourage you to check that out as well as what I think of it.

Since I will be in Denver this weekend, I will blog about the event and share pictures with you which you can share with your youth ministry team.

We encouraged our teens to share before the event because I know that Greg encourages to share after the event and we are looking to see the difference of impact from the event in how the students view sharing their faith.

What do you think of Deep and Wide and D2S ministries?

If you have been to an event, what has it done for your youth ministry?

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Pumpkin Bowling: I love this game. It’s really easy to set up and do. You will need 6 2liter bottles for the pins and 2-3 pumpkins (because they break) per bowling alley you want to create. It’s best to have someone helping with the pumpkins and someone also to set up the pins.

Pumpkin Puzzles: Each team is given a pumpkin. Make 3-6 slices by cutting the pumpkin into pieces, then each team then switches and then they have to re-create the pumpkin using tooth picks. The quickest to recreate the pumpkin wins.

Tell the original meaning of Halloween: You can gather some resources such as from wikipedia and other resources and tell the original story of Halloween. Every year you should find some kids that didn’t know the origins being an all saints day.

Stories of Christian Heroes Around a Bonfire: Utilizing Hebrews chapter 11 and 12. You can pick people in the church that have died and share about the faith they had and what they did for Christ or you could pick some from Jesus Freaks.

I would try and encourage you to not just skip the opportunity of utilizing the Halloween time to your advantage. Kids during this time are thinking of spiritual things naturally with all of the media covering the event. Did you know that Halloween is now #2 behind Christmas for decorations? Makes sense as people purchase costumes and decorations for their homes.

What other last minute ideas could you add to this list?

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