Church sub channel Copyright https://www.crosswalk.com 2026, Crosswalk.com Thu, 08 Jan 2026 03:56:37 -0500 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/bible-characters-that-can-help-teens-know-they-are-not-alone.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/bible-characters-that-can-help-teens-know-they-are-not-alone.html Jennifer Heeren https://www.crosswalk.com/author/jennifer-heeren/ Nearly every teenager at one point feels like they’re stuck in their tension, questions, and doubts. All of God’s people have felt the same way at times throughout their journey on earth. Even those recorded in the Bible whom God used to fulfill his purposes. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/7-ways-churches-can-prevent-burnout-in-childrens-ministry.html https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/7-ways-churches-can-prevent-burnout-in-childrens-ministry.html Joel Ryan https://www.crosswalk.com/author/joel-ryan/ This world is filled with tired, worn-down, and burned-out people in need of rest and restoration, something Jesus willingly offers in the Bible (Matthew 11:28-30). However, these terms are not limited to those outside the church. Even faithful Christians can become overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out in the very ministries they once thrived in. Nowhere is this more common than in children’s ministry. Finding good leaders and volunteers to work with children and youth can be a real challenge for any church; keeping them is another story. The turnover in many children’s ministries can be tremendous. Burnout is often a contributing factor. But are there ways that churches can better protect and support their children’s ministry leaders and volunteers to prevent them from burning out or walking away from ministry due to exhaustion or fatigue? Here are seven strategies and techniques to help prevent burnout in children’s ministry:1. Set Clear Expectations Preventing burnout in any organization begins with establishing and communicating a clear vision, clear goals, and clear expectations for everyone involved in children’s ministry. It is incumbent on every pastor and children’s ministry leader to articulate what their children’s ministry does, how they do it, and why their ministry exists. It becomes much easier to find (and keep) the right leaders and volunteers when vision, values, goals, and expectations are clear. Clarity and consistency allow prospective children’s ministry staff to understand what they are getting into before they jump in. It helps them know what to plan and pray for. It also gives them the ability to ask questions, ask for help, or look to serve elsewhere if children’s ministry is ultimately not the right fit.  In any case, people often lose motivation when they don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing or don’t know what is expected of them. Over time, confusion and unclear expectations can be a recipe for burnout.  Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/zGel Thu, 25 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/mistakes-that-may-be-turning-youth-group-seekers-away.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/mistakes-that-may-be-turning-youth-group-seekers-away.html Emily F. Miller Youth should be encouraged to engage with new believers, seekers, and nonbelievers. It's vital not to put themselves in a bubble with other Christians. Jesus gave us The Great Commission to reach those that have yet to be found. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid that may be turning others away. Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:15:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/seniors/ways-older-believers-can-mentor-the-next-generation-in-a-loud-world.html https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/seniors/ways-older-believers-can-mentor-the-next-generation-in-a-loud-world.html Whitney Hopler https://www.crosswalk.com/author/whitney-hopler/ Life for young people today is loud. They’re constantly bombarded with messages competing for their attention. It’s a challenging environment for young people who are trying to focus on their faith and hear what God is saying to them. If you’re an older believer, you have a treasure trove of experience and wisdom that the next generation desperately needs.You’ve experienced God’s help to overcome challenges, and you can tell stories about God’s love and power that young people need to hear. Mentoring the next generation is an important calling that God wants all older believers to respond to. Here are 5 ways you can mentor the next generation, so they can find God’s peace in this loud world.Photo Credit: GettyImages/Deagreez  Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/ways-churches-give-young-people-the-opposite-of-what-they-need.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/ways-churches-give-young-people-the-opposite-of-what-they-need.html Patricia Engler https://www.crosswalk.com/author/patricia-engler/ Maybe lighter theology and heavier bass could help suppress the exodus of youth from Western churches. Or maybe the youth are missing roots. Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/guest-commentary/what-is-the-purpose-of-youth-ministry.html https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/guest-commentary/what-is-the-purpose-of-youth-ministry.html Point University Online It's easy to undervalue the true purpose of youth ministry in churches. Learn more in this biblical approach to the topic. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/ways-to-put-a-stop-to-the-fall-of-todays-youth-group.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/ways-to-put-a-stop-to-the-fall-of-todays-youth-group.html Heather Riggleman https://www.crosswalk.com/author/heather-riggleman/ What our kids need most right now isn’t another Wednesday night filled with games and a quick lesson about why God says this or that is bad. Our kids need their parents willing to talk about their personal relationship with God and how God still loves this world—no matter how messy it seems. Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/important-prayers-for-the-next-generation-of-believers.html https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/important-prayers-for-the-next-generation-of-believers.html Cindi McMenamin https://www.crosswalk.com/author/cindi-mcmenamin/ I know you’ve said it before – or at least thought it: “I wouldn’t want to be raising children right now with the direction this world is going.” “I worry what my grandchildren will grow up believing.” “If Jesus doesn’t come soon, who knows what the next generation of believers will be like?”And yet, I remember hearing my parents – and grandparents – expressing those same fears as I was growing up in the 1970s.The older we get the more fearful we can be for the generations coming after us. But what if we turned that concern into specific prayers for them, just as you and I most assuredly had prayers said for us by our parents and grandparents and those before them? We serve the same God today that the First Century Christians did. And the Holy Spirit can still draw hearts to Himself, convict hearts of sin, and help others find that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).In John 17:20-21, Jesus prayed for you and me when He said “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (NASB). And just as His prayers long ago have drawn us to Himself, and preserved us through the generations as the victorious body of Christ, our prayers are effective in helping the next generation thrive in Him, too.Here are five important prayers for the next generation of believers.Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Rawpixel Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/things-that-might-surprise-you-about-gen-z-teens.html https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/things-that-might-surprise-you-about-gen-z-teens.html Tanita Tualla Maddox https://www.crosswalk.com/author/tanita-maddox/ One of my favorite questions to ask Gen Zers is: “What do you hear about yourself in the media or from older adults?” There is a lot of information floating around about Gen Z on many different platforms, so there are a plethora of quotes and sources to choose from. Even so, I hear the same repeated words from my Gen Z friends: weak, snowflake, over-emotional, self-centered, and so on. I have yet to hear a Gen Zer quote anything positive they hear about themselves. Maybe some of us have used these words ourselves to describe our next generation.That’s some bad PR for Gen Z, but there is more to this generation than they are being credited with. We aren’t getting the whole story. What if we paused and took our time to really see Gen Z? There are some things that might surprise us about Gen Z teens:Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Maskot Wed, 05 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/ways-youth-ministries-can-better-address-the-purity-issue.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/youth-ministry/ways-youth-ministries-can-better-address-the-purity-issue.html Brittany Rust https://www.crosswalk.com/author/brittany-rust/ Let me share some things maybe purity culture didn’t that could be helpful. Here are five ways you can better address purity culture with your youth, in addition to the Biblical teaching. Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:20:00 -0400 2026-01-08T03:56:37-05:00