Category: youth ministry
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Worth the fight
News that George Zimmerman’s killing of Trayvon Martin would not be reviewed by a grand jury rattled me yesterday. I get it. In a case with almost no physical evidence and no witnesses, it’s impossible for a district attorney to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt. If Zimmerman sticks to his story we will never…
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What if we made youth ministry’s goal simpler?
“What’s the goal of your youth ministry? Not like your purpose statement, but why do you do this thing?” I love to ask this question. It usually takes people a few minutes to articulate something they feel comfortable with. And it always sparks a great conversation. The answer to that question typically lands like this,…
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Dreaming about hiring young adults
Roughly 45% of young adults between the ages of 18-24 are currently jobless. That doesn’t mean they all want jobs. Officially, the jobless rate is a little over 16% which means that roughly 30% of young adults aren’t looking for a job for a variety of reasons. (In school, don’t need to work, ineligible to…
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Is anybody out there?
Yesterday Walt Mueller posted this video on his blog, it’s a lot to chew on. I hadn’t seen it but I’m glad I have. As youth workers, it’s both heart-breaking and knowledge we share that too many teenagers feel this way. My reflections It looked like a mature town… so lots and lots of churches.…
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The Deep End of the Pool
Universally, the first day of summer camp includes a swim test. For the safety of everyone the adults needs to know who can swim and who can’t. Those who can swim can go into the deep end while those who can’t need to learn. We need to teach our students to swim As Jon and…
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5 reasons I’m stoked about The Summit
Later this morning we’re officially announcing a brand new youth ministry event called, The Summit. Obviously, it’s a pretty big deal for our little start-up. So I’m excited about it for all sorts of business-y reasons. But I’m stoked about The Summit for far more important reasons than business stuff. We need to dream again. We’re…
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It’s Here! Good News in the Neighborhood Curriculum
Big news! Jon Huckins and I have been working on this curriculum for youth groups and young adults for several months. I’m excited to tell you that it’ll be out on April 2nd, 2012. Woohoo! If you buy it before it comes out… you’ll get it on April 2nd AND you’ll save $15. Here’s the…
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How has suffering shaped your ministry?
How has suffering shaped your ministry? That’s the topic for this week’s Slant 33 article. Here’s my answer to this question. My question for you is, “How has suffering shaped YOUR ministry?” Like a lot of fellow youth workers, I traded a business cubicle for a youth ministry office. Wide-eyed and overly optimistic Kristen and…
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Why youth ministry can’t just become family ministry
There’s a growing movement within the American church that puts youth ministry under the umbrella of family ministry. There are youth ministry organizations, publishers, conferences, and lots and lots of people highly interested in this model. To over-simplify: The idea is that youth ministry should be an extension of the over all family ministry of…
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Blessed are the nobodies
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. Luke 10:21 Jesus gave the ordinary extraordinary…