All About the Heart and Soul of YouthWorkers
OK I know that sounds a little dramatic. Let me start Micro and move towards Meta. I also really want your input, so this is a conversation starter. Here it goes: Well for about two weeks now I have become the acting Children’s Ministry Director at the Church where I am doing Interim Youth Ministry.…
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There have been some great pieces on the Youth Worker Movement lately about discipleship in youth ministry, and how we can be better about that work. Our focus of discipleship, or “disciple making” in youth ministry is rooted in the United Methodist Church’s mission statement of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of…
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Dear Current Youth Worker: We mean no insult by generalizing your name in this fashion. You are an individual of the highest order. But if you’re new to youth ministry, you might be curious to know why we address your incoming mail in this fashion. So here are a few reasons: 1. There was somebody…
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“So, youth, what do you want to learn about?” “Revelation, angels, and Satan? Where do we go when we die? Okay, sure, we could do that. Oh wait, look at that shiny thing over there!’ I must confess something I am not very proud of — For years, I have been a professional controversy avoider.…
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Something old-something new! The life changing DISCIPLE BIBLE STUDY is now available for use with youth totally online. No manuals, no picking a time or place to meet, no transportation obstacles. In fact, youth from neighboring communities or even other countries can join in. If we are going to transform the world, we need our…
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It would be nice if life were easy. But it’s not. You deal with difficult people, tough issues, circumstances beyond your control and the fact that life keeps coming at you fast. You have several choices how to respond. You can give up and decide you’re a victim. Fight with everything you have and take…
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“Expectations of community and true community are never the same thing. You have to get rid of the first to find the second.” I ran across this quote the other day and for some reason it really convicted me. It made me consider what it means to practice true community. As a youth worker, I…
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It’s the worst. The student walking up to you has been coming to youth group on and off for about a year…and you just completely blanked out on her name. “Hi, you! How’s it going?” you say awkwardly. “You forgot my name, didn’t you?” Gah! Busted. (her name was Monica, by the way, and I…
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Over the last few weeks, we have been examining the 7 promises of the We Love Our Youth Worker Covenant, an agreement between covenant churches and their employee-youth workers. This week we are going to delve into Promise 7 – a promise about celebrating the youth ministry of your church. From the church’s point of…
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When I first heard that term, I had no clue what this guy (Jeff Dunn Rankin, VP of Youth Ministry Architects) was talking about. The phrase sounded both creepy and sad. He even had a picture to go w/ it of the outline of Mickey with an ear missing. Here’s how he ‘splained it to…
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I’ve been meaning to pass this along for a few weeks. You could have reminded me. DIG is a free session that came out of a final assignment from my UMYM Certification class. Well, it is the final assignment. I was halfway holding out for my grade; I didn’t want to give you anything that…
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I’ve been told by well-intentioned youth and parents, “I will be at UMY if there is nothing on my schedule.” Really? Is that supposed to make me feel better? You’ll be at UMY if you have absolutely nothing better to do? Thanks…I think. We all experience it. Every week thousands of members of youth groups…
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Excellence. This might be the most important and most difficult to define promise of the We Love Our Youth Worker (WLOYW) covenant. Here’s what the employer promises to the youth worker: We will strive to be an excellent employer. We believe that it’s important to have clear structures and procedures for recruiting and employing a…
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Session 8: Turn On Your Light- Serving, Witness, Mission Supplies: Camper Book, Bible, Pens, Play Dough, soft foam ball Key Scripture: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,…
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The to-do list for the Youth Valentine’s Dinner and Auction event I inherited was extremely detailed and even divided into subcategories – things to do for the meal itself, for promoting the event, for decorating, for soliciting donations, for organizing the youth, for ticket sales, for setting up and for cleaning up…you get the idea.…
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It is with great excitement that I announce the addition of Erin Sloan … [Read More...]
ME: We would like for us to recognize our seniors in service as … [Read More...]
So, we had this tornado. A little over six months ago our small … [Read More...]
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