All About the Heart and Soul of YouthWorkers
I hate May. It’s my most despondent month in ministry. It’s the month where all of my critical self-assessment of our ministry comes to a head. It’s the end of the school year, which stumble-starts (in our community) a downturn in participation through the summer. Worse, another group of seniors is headed for the door,…
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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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Is it burnout or just a funk? In direct sales, you know right away if you’re succeeding or not – you either have the sale or don’t. In sports, you know if you scored or not, you can measure your stats to gauge success or failure. You can measure or see the results of your…
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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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I believe that God created the universe (and maybe many universes). I also believe that the Bible makes it clear that as we discover the intricacies of that creation, we are discovering the underlying reality of who God is and what he is doing in the world. That is why I LOVE science. Science is…
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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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When I was in the local church, I didn’t pay much attention to General Conference – the every-four-year-mostly-legislative-meeting of United Methodist delegates to decide what would be in the next Book of Discipline. I taught about General Conference in confirmation, I read the headlines that would invariably show up in the press about the more…
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Continued from Part 1 Preparedness is the key to survival. Implementing a few of these things can make the difference between merely surviving during summer and thriving during the summer. Here are some helpful guidelines to make the most out of your summer ministry. Empower your leadership! Hopefully you have your own format of youth…
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Looking for a proven successful youth ministry event idea to kick off your summer? Try this: Ultimate Nerf Wars. What you need: Tables, anything camouflage, tarps, bandannas in two colors (1 per person), score sheets, pens, Sharpies, glow-in-the-dark bracelets/necklaces, medals or prizes (optional) Bullet buckets to gather up bullets for reloading. Lots of volunteers. What people…
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A tornado destroyed our Arlington, Texas, church building today. It’s crazy to try to get my mind around that. I’m sharing a few pictures with you, but what I’ve really got to share is this awesome story about our Church. After I picked my three kids up from school, we stopped by the…
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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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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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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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“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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The new buzzword in The United Methodist Church is "effectiveness." … [Read More...]
Both Eric McFarland & I had the opportunity to do some photography … [Read More...]
There have been some great pieces on the Youth Worker Movement lately … [Read More...]
YouthWorker Movement
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