Editor's Note: This is the sixth in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer Full disclosure: It took me 17 years to get my Master's degree in Theology. ...
by Jill Altom We recently embarked upon an ambitious task to journey with our youth up to the Cumberland Mountains to learn and practice Sabbath. The retreat had a simple plan: eat, sleep, rest, pray, and play. Despite its simplicity ...
Editor's Note: This is the fifth in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer We have all landed our jobs in different ways as youth pastors. Personally, I ...
Editor's Note: This article was inspired by Michael Bayne's 4 ways for student and kids pastors to work together. by Chris and Joanna Cummings It's not often that we find those in youth ministry working alongside those serving in children's ...
Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer Say the word "prayer" to a youth worker, and I'm sure a slide show ...
by Amy Jacober A Public Service Announcement to youth pastors Connections are my great reminder that God designed us to be a communal people. Technology has allowed us to be connected more than ever. Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, texting, Instagram and ...
Editor's Note: This is the third in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer I started working with teenagers when I was a senior in college, volunteering with ...
by Amy Jacober What happens when a teenager has a vision from God and a praying mom who takes her seriously. Every once in a while there is a teen situated in that sweet spot of being open to the ...
Editor's Note: This is the second in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer There is a great deal of conversation about spiritual disciplines in the Christian world ...
Editor's Note: This is the first in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. by Kelly Soifer Fall 2011 marked the beginning of my thirtieth year in youth ministry. There is ...
If asked an important question about the youth ministry at your church, would your pastor know the answer or have to say "I don't know." Not sure. What about these questions: 1. What is the mission of the youth ministry? ...
As I was meeting with one of our graduate residents at the Center for Youth Ministry Training (CYMT) this past week, he talked about how hard a time he was having fitting time with God into his schedule. He rattled ...
Is mission only an adjective at your church? Seems like the only use or understanding of the word mission is to preceed other words: Mission Statement Mission Team Mission Budget Mission Trip Mission is used throughout our culture to mean ...
Church staff's are notorious for not having any fun. Everyone on staffs task list is longer than they can possible do on their own. We get together and talk about all the details of what needs to happen and to ...
by Nate Davis Every year, youth workers expend vast amounts of energy and resources planning programs and events that are aimed at reaching students who seem to be slipping away despite their best efforts to keep them plugged into the ...
Technology is a way of life for teens and most adults these days with social networking, databases, environment enhancing technology, media, and general communication. So many people seem to have transitioned into using technology in ministry seamlessly, while others are ...
by Deech Kirk I was reminded recently about how much technology is changing youth ministry. A friend had just returned from a youth trip and was dealing with the aftermath of a high school kid having shown inappropriate YouTube videos ...
Does the church take itself to seriously? Yes. Do we take our jobs to seriously? Yes. Don't get me wrong we are in the Kingdom business and our work is eternally important. Of course, we are God's instruments and sometimes ...
In my recent post 5 Things to make Church Work More Fun, I listed the following things as some ideas for how to overcome the mundane challenges that sometimes come with working on a church staff. Celebrate Play Together Laugh ...
One of my firm beliefs is that youth ministers have an important task on church staffs … making working at the church fun! Working at a church can be difficult especially when the staff does not have fun and celebrate. ...
