Creativity | The NextGen Blog

The Apps We Use for Ministry

Posted by Jim Murphy on January 2, 2015 in Administration, Attendance, Audio/Visual, Communication, Creativity, Mobilizing the Ministry, Music, Software, Technology, Technology in Ministry |4 Comments

We use all sorts of apps to pull off what we do on a weekly basis––apps that help us preach and teach better, communicate better, manage our people better, plan services better, manage our events and projects better, produce sound, video, and lighting better, and manage our time

The Power of Ableton

Posted by Jim Murphy on November 18, 2014 in Audio/Visual, Creativity, Mobilizing the Ministry, Technology, Technology in Ministry, The Setup, The Worship Band, Worship |One Comment

If you have a pretty good worship band or youth band and you want to help them move from good to great, Ableton Live will help you get there. Of course, nothing can replace the importance of your musicians’ personal proficiencies. But, if they’re already pretty good at their instruments, Ableton will help your band […]

7 Do’s and Don’ts of Getting and Keeping Your Group’s Attention

Posted by Jim Murphy on November 3, 2014 in Behavior Management, Creativity, Cultivating the Climate, Leadership, Stories, Students, Teaching |No Comments

It’s your responsibility to gain and retain the attention of the students in your group. I don’t think you can expect students to automatically grant attention to you as speaker/leader just because you’re an adult or just because you’re up front. Here are a few Do’s and Don’ts of getting and keeping their attention.

The Secret Sauce for Speaking to Students

Posted by Jim Murphy on October 29, 2014 in Communication, Creativity, Curriculum, Preaching, Stories, Students, Teaching, The Setup |No Comments

This is being posted on a Wednesday. Hopefully most of you have already planned your message/lesson for tonight. But, if you’re looking for some last minute magic…here ya go. This is, by far, the best format I’ve used for delivering my messages to students. It’s the ages old Hook, Book, Look, Took. Hook Option 1 (my […]

Preaching to Youth (Part 1): Keep Preaching

Posted by Jim Murphy on February 9, 2013 in Creativity, Cultivating the Climate, Preaching, Students, The Youth Pastor, Uncategorized |No Comments

Yes… …we all know that kids learn & grow effectively in a variety of ways. They learn by doing & practicing. They grow through extended and stretching experiences. They learn through discussion. They learn visually through the arts. They grow by exercising logic and reason. There are a million ways that kids (and adults) grow […]

Core Commitments for Growing a Ministry

Posted by Jim Murphy on January 23, 2013 in Attendance, Communication, Creativity, Curriculum, Evangelism, Leadership, Parents, Recruiting, Small Groups, Statistics |No Comments

There are probably a million little factors that contribute to the growth of any youth ministry ranging from the unilateral work of God to the kind of experience that is found when attending a program to the level of relational authenticity. Some youth ministries grow by sheer force of personality and charisma and some by […]