All About the Heart and Soul of YouthWorkers
Do you ever find your youth ministry being compared to other ministries in your area? Sometimes I feel like I’m trapped in Rocky IV. Other ministries are like Drago, the powerful Soviet boxer, with all the resources, training, and technology money can buy. And then there’s me…lifting logs and chasing chickens in a set of…
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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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As of last April, I began having discussions with my Senior Pastor about attending seminary in the fall of 2012. That gave me over an entire year to do my best to prepare the leadership teams in my youth ministry for the upcoming transition. Over the past year, I’ve come to realize one unanticipated truth…I…
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I stole an expensive breakfast two weeks ago while on vacation. I’ve become pretty accustomed to finding my opportunities to worship in unusual times & venues. It’s extremely rare in ministry that I find myself in an attitude of real worship within the confines of a sanctuary, so I’ve learned to seek communion with God…
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The United Methodist Youth Ministry website was created for youth workers to have conversation. As General Conference 2012 runs its course, we would love to hear what you are thinking. What have you heard that you think will affect your local youth ministry? What concerns you? What are you excited about? We really would love…
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Spiritual formation begins in the home. Well, that’s at least according to the way Susannah Wesley raised her children. I believe that many of our U.M. Churches have relinquished this responsibility in equipping, encouraging and preparing parents to intentionally pass on spirituality and the language of the Christian faith to their children. That’s not to…
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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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When is it OK to stop growing? We’ve had a “vitality team” form and hold several meetings to develop our church’s Vital Congregations growth goals for the coming few years. As they wrestled with numbers for worship attendance, professions of faith, and people in missions an amusing report emerged from that room; apparently, one enthusiastic…
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Your phone rings right after the youth event is over. It’s a mom. She reads to you from the same script again, “My son/daughter is making everything so hard. We’ve been arguing non-stop, and today I found out that he/she has been smoking/drinking/sneaking out/insert rebellious action here.” You console; you offer reassurances, but the bottom…
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It’s inevitable. A horde of activity-hungry adolescents are closing in. Soon they’ll be released from their ever-demanding schedules and let loose on an unsuspecting populus, free to roam and devolve into brainless indeterminate automatons! It seems there’s no way to make it out alive. Unless… Unless you’re prepared for survival. And survive you must. For…
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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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I don’t remember where I first saw the KONY2012 video posted, but within a few minutes it had popped up a dozen places in my social media feeds so it doesn’t really matter which was first. I’ve been ignoring Invisible Children for years. Not intentionally; my only point of contact with them was the stack…
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As of last April, I began having discussions with my Senior Pastor … [Read More...]
I have been in conversation with several parents of adolescents … [Read More...]
When is it OK to stop growing? We've had a "vitality team" form and … [Read More...]
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