Learn More
Why Youth Leaders Only?
Your Students Consume Massive Amounts of Media EVERYDAY!
Most of that daily media consumption (5 to 9 hours) involves music in one form or another. TikTok, YouTube, Video Games, Spotify, Reels, Instagram…. all delivered on their “constant companion” smartphone that a 2023 Common Sense Media study reports “they rely on for support, relaxation and distraction at home and at school and during the day and night”.
The Issue
This represents more time than your students spend in class or sleeping. It’s definitely more time than they spend at church. Stop and consider the massive impact: does the music your students choose to listen to line up with the message of Jesus that you are teaching? Probably not. Plus you don’t have time or money to stay on top of the fast-moving music-media soup your students are swimming in.
The Opportunity
When you use a variety of Christian music in your ministry (during walk-in, walk-out or to reinforce a lesson), something will eventually catch their ear. Your kids choose music with their ears, not their heart. When they ask “Who is that?”, send them a link to the album playlist. EVERYDAY can work for you, not against you.
Celebrating our 40th year, Youth Leaders Only (YLO) is youth ministry’s original low-cost music service with over 35,000 Team interlinc youthworker members and alumni. We help you maximize this unparalleled gateway into your students’ screens, earbuds and hearts in 3 main ways.
We make you aware of the new music-media in your students’ world plus the artists behind it. This includes Christian music, worship music, mainstream music as well as movies, gaming and more.
We equip you with easy-to-use youth group resources based on the new music-media. These include “Their Music-Your Teaching” Biblical application-oriented meeting guides, thematic listings and artist resource pages.
We provide “Plug Your Kids In” resources to get the music tied to the youth group teaching sessions into your kids’ earbuds…. This reminds the students everytime they listen of the Biblical truth that was taught in youth group.
Annual Membership
Make You Aware.
Equip You To Use.
Plug Your Kids In.
8 Ways To Use Youth Leaders Only
Christian Music Guides
Music Is A Huge Part Of Your Students’ Lives.
That’s why every edition of Youth Leaders Only includes music video-based Youth Group Meeting Guides written by real, live youth leaders. There’s a Leader Guide, a printable Student Guide, a Music Video and a Playlist for at least one song on each of the 16 albums featured in each quarterly YLO. We often describe them as “just add water” meeting guides: perfect for last minute prep after a busy week or a resource to hand over to a volunteer or Sunday School Teacher when you come down with the flu on Saturday night.
Way #1 To Use YLO
Mainstream Music Guides
Unavoidable. Pervasive. Inescapable.
Mainstream pop music is everywhere. Even if you can get your young Christian friends to switch their listening habits from secular to sacred, they are still going to hear the top popular songs everywhere they go. This element of YLO provides you with background on Mainstream Artists (Who They Are, What Are Their Messages, What A Youthworker Needs To Know) and ideas (we call them “Re:Tuned Discussion Guides”) to use the most popular current mainstream songs to begin a conversation about spiritual things. Use the opening questions, the thematic concepts and discussion ideas to spice up your Group Meeting, Sunday School lesson, camp/retreat meeting or outreach event message.
Way #2 To Use YLO
Artists – Influencers
An eighteenth century Scottish philosopher said, “Let me write the songs of a nation and I care not who writes its laws” That’s why artists, musicians, creatives are at the center of Youth Leaders Only and interlinc. Each Christian Artist (700+) and each Mainstream Artist (300+) has his/her own youth ministry resource page that helps you know who they are, what their messages are, and equips you with resources to use their music in your work with students.
Way #3 To Use YLO
Themes & Playlists
The 300+Thematic Listings & Playlists Index is pure GOLD! It allows you to reference the youth ministry Biblical themes associated with all the 15,000 songs in all editions of YLO and MVL. And each theme has a playlist! If you are teaching about having an eternal perspective, just click on that theme for songs, videos, complete youth meetings, warm-up games and a playlist to share with your students. If you have a student struggling with loneliness, click on that theme and share the “Loneliness” playlist right to his or her phone.
Way #4 To Use YLO
Trends & Issues
Let’s face it the pop culture that students are swimming in moves at a pace that is virtually impossible for a youthworker to keep up with. That’s what we tackle with Youth Leaders Only Trends & Issues segment. We keep you up on the latest research, breaking youth culture and music news and updates on Christian and Mainstream Artists.
Way #5 To Use YLO
Blog
In addition to providing all the new music and media, each YLO focuses on an essential element of youth ministry: camp, missions-service, evangelism, parents-family, mental health, guys & girls, middle school, technology, humor-fun. Articles-Blogs are written by saavy youthworkers and are immediately applicable to your ministry.
Way #6 To Use YLO
Worship Resources
Worship Isn’t Just For Big Church
We know that worship is a key part of what you’re trying to teach and model for your students. Sure, there’s the “big church” experience, but it’s great to find ways to allow your students to worship together with their peers. And if you have a few musically inclined kids in your group, so much the better. Giving them a platform to develop their skills and lead their peers in worship is one of the best things you can do to encourage their talent. This section of Youth Leaders Only equips you and your worship band (if you have one or are working toward launching one) with worship articles, chord charts and more.
Way #7 To Use YLO
Movie Resources
Lessons From The Big Screen
Your students are into movies—big time. Most of our young friends watch several movies a week. They watch them alone and with friends, on their phones, computers, televisions, and local theater screens. They quote lines and sing songs from favorite films and adopt the fashions they see in the movies they like. Yep, movies are big time important to teenagers. That means that YOU want to be able to take advantage of films that will help you reach young people for Jesus Christ, and help them to grow in their relationship with Him!
When we discover movies that you would find useful, we create resources that help you use those films in your ministry to students. We review scripts and view screeners to find movies that can help you use the movie experience to impart Biblical truth to your students. We have developed youth ministry resources for blockbuster movies, medium sized movies and smaller movies.
Way #8 To Use YLO
Annual Membership
Millions Of Songs. Millions Of Ears. Massive Influence.
Celebrating our 40th year, Youth Leaders Only (YLO) is youth ministry’s original low-cost music service with over 35,000 Team interlinc youthworker members and alumni. We will keep you up on all the latest music and media help you maximize this unparalleled gateway into your students’ screens, earbuds and hearts.