by Lilly Lewin Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, in a youth room in Nashville, Tenn., I was the resident “prayer hog.” I was the one at the end of youth group who, when my youth ...
Your ministry needs a maintenance calendar just like your car does. When you buy a new car, it comes with a reminder list with things like: Oil change every 3,000 miles Tune up at 60,000 and 120,000 miles Change wiper ...
Editor’s Note: Maria Ghianni is in her second year in the CYMT graduate residency program, and she serves as the youth director at Carthage FUMC in Carthage, Tenn. I was born and raised in Nashville and I grew up in ...
The Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded the Center for Youth Ministry Training $240,000 to fund its Theology Together program over the next three years. Over the past 20 years, the Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded nearly $90 million in grants to ...
The church is notorious for having ineffective meetings. Several times during my career, I felt physical pain prior to heading to the weekly staff meeting knowing that I was going to waste my time and be bored and frustrated. As ...
In Dyersburg, Tenn., high school football games are the place to be on Friday nights. But what happens after the game is over and kids still want to be together and have something to do? Answer: Fifth Quarter. The idea ...
by Stephanie Dodge and Lauren Gilliland Rule #1 Avoid lock-ins. Don't put one on the yearly schedule. Wait for someone to bring it up, then try to work it in. Depending on your ministry setting, plan around community events when ...
by Chris and Joanna Cummings Hi there, we are the Cummingses and we are both in church ministry. Yes, you read that right. We were asked to share how we get the bills paid and live off of little income, ...
by Julie Richardson Brown It was one of those moments where everything suddenly becomes as if a slow-motion sequence in a particularly intense moment of a Jerry Bruckheimer film (cue dramatic power ballad music). The toe of his sneaker bent ...
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from It Happens: True Tales from the Trenches of Youth Ministry, edited by Will Penner. by Steve Argue Bill and Jane were every youth worker’s dream. They registered their daughter, Sarah, for the freshman ...
CYMT's Class of 2016 It is hard to believe that in seven short years, the Center for Youth Ministry has trained more than 70 youth ministers. We have 32 youth ministers currently in the program and 40 alumni who are ...
Recently, I had the distinct privilege of teaching our church's Parents of Teens Sunday school class. I taught a three week series which gave me a good amount of interaction time with the parents. During the first week, I spent the class ...
Whomp, whomp, whomp… That's the sound of the rotors turning on “helicopter parents.” You have them in your ministry and frankly they can drive you crazy. The “whomp whomp” of their questions can begin to sound like the drone of ...
Daniel Bradley, second year graduate resident, has been given the opportunity to serve as the full-time youth minister at St. George’s Episcopal Church after a year and a half of serving there as a CYMT graduate resident. He shares his ...
Presbyterian Youth Triennium (PYT) is a partnership youth conference between the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Churches and is held every three years in West Lafayette, Ind., on the campus of Purdue University. Youth ages 14 to 19, adult ...
CYMT graduate residents receive regular one-on-one coaching from a youth ministry veteran. The coaches also work directly with our partner churches to help the church leaders develop a healthy understanding of youth ministry and how to integrate into the life ...
by Leigh DeVries About six months ago, I felt like this: Imagine I have three papers, 300+ pages of reading, and a final exam due in the next two weeks. I have to coordinate, recruit, and teach a spiritually impactful ...
Randy Knighten is in his third year of the CYMT graduate residency program. He came to CYMT at the age of 35, married with two young sons. Being a more than a decade older than the typical graduate resident, Randy ...
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Crystal Kirgiss' personal blog: Miley does not define 20-year olds (or: six people you should know). It is reprinted here with permission. by Crystal Kirgiss Well. Fifteen hours after millions of people watched 20-year-old ...
Miley Cyrus's life, morals, upbringing, and example have been brought to question all over the internet. I know several youth ministers who are planning to tackle "Miley's moment" this week at youth group or Bible study. As I have watched ...
