The age of one-size-fits-all youth ministry is over. It has to be. We live in a dynamic time filled with diversity. This is an exciting time to be in ministry to youth. Our world is smaller than ever before. Cultures are not only clashing but blending to create new expressions of culture. In this new era [...]
Archive for the ‘systemic abandonment’ Category
Each Student is a Culture (art of connecting pt. 4)
Posted: September 20, 2011 in Adolescent Development, emerging adults, extended adolescence, Spirituality, systemic abandonment, Technology, Teens, Youth MinistryTags: Cultural artifact, Cultural Intelligence, David Livermore, God, IPod, Religion and Spirituality, Youth Ministry
Expectations of our Youth (art of connecting pt. 3)
Posted: September 15, 2011 in systemic abandonment, TeensTags: Christ, Down syndrome, God, Jesus, Special Olympics, Student, Youth Ministry
In an experiment, piranha were placed in a large tank separated from their food by a see through glass divider. After several days of ramming their heads against the glass divider the piranha learned that it was a futile effort to try and get the food. The glass divider was then removed yet they starved to death while [...]
Cultivating a Spirit of Learning (art of connecting pt. 2)
Posted: September 14, 2011 in Adolescent Development, systemic abandonment, Teens, Youth MinistryTags: High school, Kampala, Student exchange program, Uganda, United States
Immaculate was a foreign exchange student from Kampala, Uganda. She was new to our country and culture. When asked about how she felt when people noticed she was different she responded: “It’s okay to ask. People sometimes notice something special about me – my accent, the way I look – and that’s okay. It’s just [...]
Building Bridges (art of connecting pt. 1)
Posted: September 8, 2011 in Addiction, Adolescent Development, Depression, drug prevention, emerging adults, extended adolescence, LGBTQ Youth, Mental Illness, Parenting, Spirituality, Suicide, systemic abandonment, Teens, Youth Ministry, Youth With DisabilitiesOne of the Apostle Paul’s most famous speeches took place at Mars Hill, the Areopagus, in Athens. He noted that they appeared to be a very religious lot of people due to the sheer number of statues they had to their gods. In a brilliant move he identified the one statue that was for the [...]
Disabled Youth and Youth Ministry Gatherings (pt. 1 – overview)
Posted: August 24, 2011 in Spirituality, systemic abandonment, Teens, Youth With DisabilitiesTags: Disabilities, Disability, Disabled, God, Student, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth worker
This is the first in a series of posts on youth ministry and youth with disabilities. While accommodations may be needed to integrate people with disabilities into your youth ministry group settings, it is important to first emphasize what all group members have in common. Youth workers can emphasize to the group that, despite a wide variety [...]
