Category Archives: Youth Ministry Resources

The Music Genre Kids Like

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

© Hurricanehank | Dreamstime.com

Guest post from Jonathan McKee’s blog

Editor’s note: Jonathan posted this blog a few weeks ago, and several of us at interlinc immediatly started sending links to each other with “Have you seen this yet?” notes attached. Jonathan does a great job of pointing out one of the big “elephants in the room” when it comes to music and youth ministry, and we wanted to make sure you had a chance to read this for yourself. Thanks to Jonathan for letting us share this with youth leaders.

Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop … Country? Which genre is young people’s music of choice?

I always hate to answer that question, because it never ceases to make people angry. Maybe that’s because some people don’t like the answer: Rap/hip-hop.

I remember teaching at the National Youth Workers Convention in 2005 and 2006. In one of my seminars about outreach events, I challenged youth workers about their recurring choice of rock bands at all their venues. “How come every time I go to a big Christian event, the band playing is rock or even metal?” I asked. “Do you really think we’re accurately targeting our audience when we bring in a grunge band to try to attract neighborhood kids? Is this really what they are listening to?”

I backed up my inquest with the most recent data at the time, the 2005 Generation M Media report from the Kaiser foundation about media in the lives of 8-18-year olds (which comes out every 5 years- see our summary of the 2010 report here). The researchers did something pretty cool that year, posting a chart revealing what music genres 7th-12thgraders in America listen to each day:

(Isn’t it funny how technology changes… note the results from “those who listened to CD’s, tapes, or MP3 players.” Tapes? Hilarious. I remember those days.)

Side note. In the summary they even provided an additional chart and broke it down by race (page 29). Even 60% of white kids listened to Rap/hip-hop each day, the second genre being Alternative rock, which 38% of white kids listened to each day.

So has that changed in 8 years? Has the Hip-Hop influence vanished along with the tape player?

Take a look at iTunes today, as I write this. If you look at the song charts… how much of Hip-Hop/raps’ influence do you see in the top 10 alone? If you were to go by the official definition, only 2 of the top 10 are actually labeled Rap by iTunes (Thrift Shop and Started from the Bottom), but with closer examination, I think you’ll find Hip-Hop permeating throughout the top 10.

Let’s take a closer look at the list … song by song.

  1. Bruno Mars’s song When I Was Your Man is No. 1 right now and has been for a while. Bruno is the Michael Jackson of today. His soulful voice is amazing; unfortunately his lyrics are often a little too racy for teenagers. iTunes labels him Pop. I probably wouldn’t argue with that, but he definitely has an R&B sound. This isn’t just because of his race; after all, this next guy on this chart is white and also has a clear R&B sound …
  2. Timberlake’s Suit & Tie (feat. Jay Z) is labeled Pop by iTunes, and I wouldn’t argue with the description… but it also has Jay Z “rapping” in it. Hmmmmm … wouldn’t want to label this Rap, would we? I’m not saying we call this song Rap, but the influence is undeniable. SIDE NOTE: Justin’s new album comes out next week (with Hip-Hop beat master Timbaland thanked on about every song). I predict this album being huge. Justin was just on SNL last week and it had the best ratings in 14 months. His album is streaming on iTunes for free this week building momentum. Your kids will be talking about this.
  3. Thrift Shop is labeled Rap by iTunes. Nuff said.
  4. Rihanna’s song Stay is appropriately labeled Pop. She definitely has an R&B sound and has collaborated with numerous Rap artists (think of her hit Umbrella with JayZ). So she has a Hip-Hop influence, but is probably accurately labeled Pop.
  5. Pink’s song Just Give Me a Reason is pure Pop and labeled so. Although it’s worth mentioning that Pink got her start on a R&B label, LaFace Records (who also launched the recording careers of Usher, OutKast, TLC … )
  6. Harlem Shake is labeled Dance. But the dance move Harlem Shake has roots in break dancing, an old move called the body quake. Rapper P. Diddy explains it here back in 2002. I would argue strongly that this song and MOST dance songs played in high school dances today have a huge Hip-Hop influence.
  7. Pitbull’s Feel This Moment is also labeled Dance … even though he raps (hilarious to me). Moreover, click on his name on iTunes and he’s under the Hip-Hop/rap category. If this doesn’t have Hip-Hop/rap markings, I don’t know what does.
  8. Started from the Bottom is labeled Rap, appropriately so (as inappropriate as the song is). More on this song, Lil Wayne’s hit and others in our Youth Culture Window article on music this week.
  9. Demi Lovato’s Heart Attack is unarguably 100% Pop.
  10. Will.i.am’s Scream & Shout (I recently blogged about what kids are gleaning from this video) is labeled Dance. However, the remix of this song features Diddy, Lil Wayne and other rappers. Hmmmm … Dance?

So we have two songs labeled Rap (Thrift Shop and Started from the Bottom), three songs that I’d add to that list for the reasons stated above (Suit & Tie, Feel This Moment, and Scream & Shout), two Pop songs by people who have a clear R&B sound (When I Was Your Man and Stay), one Dance song with total Hip-Hop influence (Harlem Shake), one truly Pop song from a girl with a R&B start (Just Give Me a Reason), and one all out Pop song (Heart Attack).

What common denominator do you see on the top of this chart?

Hmmmm. And where are the rock songs?

Jonathan McKee is the president of The Source for Youth Ministry and the author of numerous books. He speaks and trains at camps, conferences, and events across North America, and provides free resources for youth workers internationally on his website, TheSource4YM.com.

Looking for ways to introduce your students to some Christian alternatives to their fave music? Our “Hot” selections each quarter include hip-hop, rap and R&B influenced artists. Join YLO Select “HOT” for only $149.95 per year.

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GRAD: A youth leader’s story

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

Editor’s note: For years youth leaders have been honoring their graduates with ConGRADulations!  Many of you received ConGRADulations! as a student and are now giving it to your seniors.  Here’s the story of one such youth leader and YLO member – Nathan Ensz.

Nineteen-ninety-six.  Now that goes back a ways! It was the year “7th Heaven” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” was released.  “Home Improvement” and “Boy Meets World” were two of my favorite TV shows. Long hair for guys was in, and skinny jeans … what were those?! It was this year that also stands out to me because it was the year I graduated from high school.

I still remember my youth pastor calling the class of 1996 up on stage in front of our church family. We pretended to smile while he probably said some nice things about us.  Then I remember him giving us a graduation gift (this had not been done for previous senor classes). I was a bit surprised to find a cassette tape (yes, I said cassette) of Christian music compiled for the graduating class of 1996.  Little did I realize at that moment that I would keep that cassette for life (yep, still got it!). Christian music was a huge factor in my spiritual life and I’m so thankful for the artists and bands who have spoken truth into my life through music.

June 15, 2000 was my first day on the job as a new youth pastor.  On my desk was a stack of mail for me to sort through (oh how fun!).  As I began to trash most everything, I came across a renewal notice from interlinc. The youth pastor before me had been a subscriber. A check to interlinc was my first request I made from my youth budget to keep the good music coming! Little did I know, the cassette tape I received in 1996 as a graduation gift was put out by interlinc.  Since my first day in ministry I have given my teens the gift of God-honoring music. And that graduation gift I received from interlinc…yeah, I’m still giving that away too!

Thanks for sharing your story Nathan! Click here to learn about this years ConGRADulations! Music & Media Gift for seniors.

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God is on TV

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

Seriously. Have you noticed how popular He is on the small screen right now?

THE BIBLE Miniseries (on The History Channel Sunday night) had over 14 million viewers, and it trended #1 on Twitter on Sunday. I know I’ll be watching episode 2 this Sunday night, and we have a link to resources to help you talk about the ongoing miniseries on our website.

The season premiere of Duck Dynasty had nearly 9 million viewers last week. The show prominently features the Robertsons family’s faith, and their desire to whare their values and beliefs is real — on TV and in real life. Don’t miss the show on Wednesday nights.

And the upcoming second season of The American Bible Challenge on Game Show Network (GSN) will be another amazing opportunity for viewers to hear Truth on TV (premiering March 21 on GSN). The show was #1 on the network last year and all signs point to another amazing season. Host Jeff Foxworthy will be joined this year by musical host Kirk Franklin, so be prepared for some great music as well! (We’re offering youth leaders the chance to get resources and clips before the show airs each week to utilize this amazing chance with students … go here to sign up and be an “Insider” for season two.)

So if you can’t watch in real time, make sure you encourage your students to watch and set your DVR … let’s do everything we can to continue this trend.

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A Commentary on Les Misérables

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

I found a video this morning and wanted to share (shout out to @RCYouthWorker for the link). I think Fr. Robert Barron does a fantastic job of spelling out the correlation between Victor Hugo’s famous story — now a movie — and the storyline of receiving and giving love and grace that Christ calls us to live.

“[Les Miserables] can’t be understood apart from a Christian world view.”

Les Misérables might not be one of those shows you load up the church van and take a group of kids to, but I think it has great potential to illustrate messages about love and grace to your students.

SPOILER ALERT: Fr. Barron does walk through the entire plot line of the story, so if you haven’t seen the movie (or the musical or read the book) and don’t want to know … be warned.

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Posted in Movie Resources, Youth Ministry Resources

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10 ways to remember students’ names

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | 1 Comment

Excerpted from the YLO89 Feature Article “How To Care For Students”
by Doug Fields

This material is originally from the “Leaders are Learners: 15-Minute Youth Ministry Training” Series

Leaders Are Learners is a series that I did for volunteer youthworkers to help them in their journey of becoming more healthy and effective. Before we go any further, I want to thank you for serving God through your love for students and I want to thank you for learning. Leaders are learners and when you stop learning, you’ll stop leading.

Also, thank you for being a significant adult in a teenager’s life. Teenagers need adults who will take an interest in them, love them, and point them in the direction of God’s passionate and unconditional love.

Read the entire “How To Care For Students” article by Doug and download the PDF to share with your volunteer leaders

Let’s start with the very basics of youth ministry: shepherds know their sheep by name. You might be thinking, “I was afraid you were going to say that. I’m lousy at names.” Well, so am I, and, so are the majority of youthworkers I know. It’s an easy excuse to fall back on.

I recently had a student say to me, “Thanks for knowing my name; that means a lot to me.” I know it means a lot to teenagers, because it’s their greatest possession. I felt good when he said thanks, because more often students say, “Hey Doug, what’s my name? I bet you don’t remember.” Many times, I can’t. Shame, guilt, and inadequacy quickly follow.

Join the new YLO Select and get all our volunteer-themed articles in your first box!

A name is a personal and powerful possession. It’s part of an identity. To know a student’s name is to know part of his or her identity. Let me give you some practical suggestions for memorizing names.

  1. Take photos of students and review as flash cards.
  2. Repeat a student’s name three or four times in your first conversation. (“It’s great to meet you Tina. So, Tina, where do you go to school? Hey, Tina, how many times, Tina, do you think, Tina, that I can say your name, Tina, in a sentence, Tina?”)
  3. Ask for identifying information that can solidify a name. (“Hey, let me see your drivers license, student ID, passport, bail bond, tattoo … “)
  4. Associate his or her name with someone else you know of that name. (Dave – tall, thin, goofy hair – Dave Letterman.)
  5. Study his or her face while you’re being introduced.
  6. Transfer the name to a concrete image (Mike – like a microphone)
  7. Ask the student to test you on it. (“What’s my name, Doug?”)
  8. Write it down (into your phone, on your hand, whatever). The act of writing it will help you retain it.
  9. Ask God to help you remember and care, because we remember what’s important to us.
  10. Or, forget all these ideas and use nametags.

Want to share this article with your volunteers?  Click here to download the PDF

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Dreaming of a “Good Time”

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

Guest post by Allen Weed, President of interlinc

Ever had a dream you’ve prayed about for a year or two … or more?
Let me share one that I have had for over 30 years. Wouldn’t it be cool if a believer had a #1 song on mainstream radio and we could work together to use that platform to tell kids (who all know the song and the artist) about a relationship with Christ?

Through an amazing set of “only God” circumstances, we are seeing that dream become a reality. It all started for us almost 4 years ago when a youth worker friend asked me, “Have you ever heard of a band called Owl City? My daughter loves their music and says that the band leader is a strong Christian. His music is blowing up on MySpace”.

I was unaware of Adam Young and Owl City, but walked down the hall to ask some of our youth culture experts. My search went no further than my first office drop in. “Absolutely. Adam is a believer and has written some songs with Relient K’s frontman Matt Thiessen.” A couple of calls later, I was connected with Owl City’s manager in New York City. That began an amazing journey for me and for our interlinc staff. Owl City’s first album became an overnight success and what Rolling Stone Magazine called “the sleeper hit of 2010”.

Fast forward to 2012
After the amazing success of “Fireflies” and a tepid response to Adam’s second album, we as a staff had begun to ask the Lord to give Adam another pop hit. After the record was complete, management and record label started asking THE big question, “What song has the best potential to be a hit on pop radio?” As always it was back and forth and back and forth. All involved felt that the strongest option was the song “Shooting Star” and promptly sent it out to the radio stations seeking airplay. All the while, another unusually impossible idea was bubbling up.

In late 2011 when Adam co-wrote “Good Time” he had the idea that it should be a duet. His manager who is a friend of Carly Rae Jepsen’s manager suggested her involvement. This all happened just as her song “Call Me Maybe” was hitting the pop charts. So many more special details took place leading to the final result of “Good Time” became Owl City’s first single and Carly Rae’s followup single after her huge hit. This type of thing almost  never happens in pop music.

We asked Adam and his manager if they would be down to do a GOOD TIME Event that youth workers could use to open doors to share the Good News with students. They said yes and Adam (while he was in London on tour) did four short videos to give a personal touch to this resource.

Click here to download our exclusive “Good Time” Event guide

Please don’t miss this opportunity
So, there you have it! God has done some amazing things to bring us to this point. I just received a note this morning that the Owl City project is now the #1 album on iTunes and already over 1 million people have downloaded the “Good Times” single.

Owl City’s new “Midsummer Station” is featured in the upcoming YLO89

Our pastor said something once, when teaching about the story of Zacchaeus, that has stuck with me: “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.”

Every student in your group, every student in the middle schools and high schools that are in your city, almost every student in the entire US …. knows the song “Good Time”, knows Owl City (and Carly Rae Jepsen). Use the “Good Time” Event in your ministry as you head into the fall. Ken McCoy (who has been a partner with me in this dream for over 20 years) has developed an amazing set of “the work’s all done” resources for you to seize this incredible opportunity.

Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you use “Good Time” to help kids know that there really is only one way to really have a long-term satisfying Good Time:  through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Building 429: Where I Belong

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

This is a powerful song from Building 429 and the concert video is featured on the new MVL77. As I watched it again this morning, I was reminded of this post and what I wrote about the song “Some Nights” by Fun. So much of the music students hear asks a version of the question “What am I here for? Is this all there is?” Building 429 offers an answer to those question in their song “Where I Belong”

Sometimes it feels like I’m watching from the outside
Sometimes it feels like I’m breathing but am I alive
I will keep searching for answers that aren’t here to find

All I know is I’m not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

The objective of the Bible study, written by Joel Jackson from St. Thomas Church in Bernville, PA, is “to assist struggling disciples, who feel like outcasts because of their commitment to God, know that they have made the right choice — the choice to belong.”

Download our Bible study for “Where I Belong” by Building 429.

YLO Members get 4 Music Video Loops each year, along Bible studies, albums, chord charts, articles and more … everything you need to introduce your students to great Christian music. Learn more here.

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Posted in Bible studies, Music Video Loops, Tuesday Tools, Youth Ministry Resources

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This Ain’t No Laughing Matter

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

Guest post by interlinc Editor Ken McCoy

When I was a brand-spanking-new youth pastor, with a rookie’s dream of becoming world famous as a speaker, I had a mentor who taught me about communicating effectively. He taught me about organizing my thoughts, about stage presence, about timing, and a lot more. None of it helped me become world famous (you can’t teach talent, and I don’t have enough to be THAT good) and yet I am grateful for the lessons he gave.

He told me that there are three guaranteed techniques used for effective communication. I learned to evaluate how other speakers used those techniques to reach their audiences. I noticed that some speakers overused one to the detriment of the others and that some abused, even faked, some of those techniques in what seemed to be a manipulation of the audience. But the techniques really do work great, especially when they are delivered with authenticity.

Here are those three techniques:

Controversy – If you say something outrageously controversial, you’re guaranteed that the audience will sit up and take notice. I’ve heard more than one speaker use the old standby, “Every day, people die to a Christ-less eternity in Hell, and you don’t give a *!@^!/. What’s sad is that you’re more concerned that I just said ‘*!@^!/’ than you are that people are dying to a Christ-less eternity in Hell.” Sure, it’s controversial. Yes, it does get the audience’s attention!

Intimacy – You’ve probably noticed how suddenly quiet and intense the audience becomes when a speaker becomes moved with emotion struggles to maintain composure. Some speakers have perfected that “sudden lump in the throat” technique when they want to make a point that is especially significant. If you want kids to really be attentive, just preface your point by whispering
something like, “I’ve never really told anyone this, and I probably
shouldn’t be telling it to you, but…”

Humor – God has hardwired us to laugh. We love funny people, funny situations, funny photos – anything that makes us laugh! A wise communicator will be able to use “universal funny-bone of youth ministry” to break through to an audience and communicate effectively. Jesus was a pro at using humor to get His message across. Take a look at “The Laughing Savior” article in this magazine for some examples.

Of those three techniques, my favorite is humor. It works in more places and with more people than the other two combined. Humor is a powerful tool that every youth leader should use!

The brand new YLO88 features a special DVD with several clips from some of the funniest Christians we know — Skit Guys, Tim Hawkins, Michael Jr. and others. We’ve even included Discussion Guides for those clips to help you integrate that laughter into your programming. You also get to hear from the comedians featured on the DVD as they answer questions we posed to them about their work and ministry. Check out a sample and download one of the Discussion Guides here.

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Have you heard about this Avengers thing?

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

It’s Monday morning, and I feel the need to confess something:

I’m not a big moviegoer.

It’s hard for me to sit still for 2 hours to watch anything. My mind is always racing with all the other things I should be doing. Plus movie theaters are always so cold. I have to pack a parka and snow boots anytime I do go.

But I do hear and read a lot about movies (I know, I know … it’s not the same as actually watching). And I’ve heard a lot about The Avengers this weekend. Obviously I haven’t seen it (see the previous 3 paragraphs) but I thought it’d be worth the space here to share some of what’s being said from a student ministry perspective on the interwebs. The movie is a huge blockbuster, which means it is on your students’ radar. There are some fun reviews from youth-ministry-types to read (several folks braved the midnight showings), and you won’t have to dig too deep to find ways to connect the dots between The Avengers, your students and scripture.

How about you? Have you seen the movie yet? Did you love it? Have you found a way to use it in your ministry?

Editor’s note: Most of these links we’ve also shared on Twitter. If you’re not following us already, you should be! We find (and share) a lot of great ideas and news we find relating to student ministry and music and media.

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Jamie Grace countdown “drop-in” video

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Sheridyn Williamsonby: Sheridyn Williamson | Leave a comment

Each of our exclusive Music Video Loop DVDs features the latest music videos from your favorite artists … but you knew that already. What you might not know is that every DVD also includes “Drop-In Videos” — video clips of artists that will give your video announcements a big boost. Like this one from Jamie Grace …

Now, I KNOW you can figure out a way to use that! And every MVL has at least 5-6 drop-ins … everything from “Happy Birthday!” to “Welcome to youth group” to “Let’s sign up for camp!”

Choose the “120 Music Videos” bonus when you join YLO and you’ll get 2 years worth of MVLs — with over 30 drop-in videos!

And we have a big announcement to make:

(insert drumroll here)

Beginning with the new MVL77, all of the video files — music videos, artist drop-ins, teaching clips and more — are digitized and can be dropped directly into your presentation software! You’ve been asking (and asking, and asking  … ) and we finally made it happen!

YLO Members: The new MVL77 with all those amazing digital files will be inside your YLO88 box shipping in May. Not a member? You should be! Find out how to join here and you’ll get MVL77 in your first box!

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