Most religious teens in the United States appear to engage in few religious practices. But even basic practices like regular Bible reading and personal prayer seem clearly associated with stronger and deeper faith commitment among youth.[1] —Christian Smith with Melinda ...
by Andrew Zirschky Editor's Note: Read Teens and Social Technology: Searching for Intimacy - Part 1 and Part 2 here. In a faceless face-to-face world, young people are turning to technology to search for relationships that are meaningful and intimate. ...
by Stephen Ingram Most youth ministers struggle for a number of reasons. We struggle because we are over committed, we work unorthodox hours, and we have difficulty finding consistent rhythm. We struggle because of lack of training, lack of time, ...
Editor’s Note: This is the eleventh in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer I came to Christ at the beginning of my sophomore year in high school. ...
by Deech Kirk In the middle of Justin Beiber's song "As Long as You Love Me," sits the lyric: But the grass ain't always greener on the other side, it's greener where you water it. I find this to be ...
"My dad always said, '99% of I can't is I don't want to!'" said Bishop Jonathan Holston during his jurisdictional conference interviews. As a side note, he quoted his dad three times in a 20 minute interview; clearly his dad ...
I've heard similar stories from many young youth ministers: "The youth just won't come. Their parents won't bring them back for youth group. They are so busy with soccer, band, and the play." Young youth ministers can feel real or ...
by Deech Kirk What's the difference between going to Home Depot and Ace Hardware (or your local co-op)? What about Chili's versus a local diner? And some would say between going to your local mega church and a small country ...
by Andrew Zirschky Editor's Note: Read Teens and Social Technology: Searching for Intimacy - Part 1 and Part 3 here. Teenagers don’t want technology, they want what technology promises: Meaningful access to real people and relationships. This was our conclusion ...
by Andrew Zirschky Editor’s Note: Read Teens and Social Technology: Searching for Intimacy – Part 2 and Part 3 here. It should be no surprise that many youth workers believe that social media hold the key to better connections and ...
In the Power of Testimony, I shared that I believe testimony and witness are the most powerful ways to share the Gospel because they make God come alive in the world. We also explored the National Study of Youth and ...
Making change in youth ministry is easy, but making effective change that's theologically grounded and practically effective is difficult. In the course Advanced Studies in Youth, Church and Culture, the Center for Youth Ministry Training's (CYMT) graduate residents use cultural ...
Editor’s Note: This is the tenth in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer Whenever I am interviewing potential volunteers for youth ministry, I tell them a story ...
by Deech Kirk Duffy Robbins has been a great gift to my life, not because we have a relationship (we've only met twice), but because he has given his life to the profession of youth ministry. He is a standard-bearer ...
by Travis Garner I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I absolutely LOVE new gadgets, new apps, and anything shiny with a great marketing campaign. I’ll admit that I bought my first Macbook because I thought it would look cooler ...
Note: This is a sample of the Parents Guide in Hollow Faith: How Andy Griffith, Facebook, and the American Dream neutered the Gospel (Un)Becoming the Center of the Universe ...
by Hank Hilliard I was having a great conversation with two parents whose kids had come to a youth event the previous night. I was enjoying seeing how energized these parents were about their kids’ involvement in the ministry. Suddenly, ...
by Stephen Ingram Youth retreats have been and are one of the foundational building blocks of any successful student ministry. They not only provide a time away for students to bond and achieve cohesion on a communal level, they are ...
by Jacob Fasig One of the most important core values in youth ministry is about expectations. In fact the youth ministry in which you serve will only be as deep, as committed, and as faithful as your expectations. If your ...
by Jacob Fasig If you recruit volunteers to just show up, then you can't be mad when everyone leaves the church when the event is over, leaving you to clean and tidy up after the tornado of activity that just ...
