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 [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Religion and Spirituality’
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
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Goofus and Gallant in Youth Ministry
Posted: August 17, 2011 in Adolescent Development, Spirituality, Teens, Youth MinistryTags: Christianity, God, Highlights for Children, Pastoral Resources, People, Religion and Spirituality, Student, Youth Ministry
Remember the old Highlights Magazine we use to read as kids? I remember spending hours looking for the hidden objects scattered throughout the magazine. I also remember the Goofus and Gallant comics. They were two polar opposite characters meant to teach the children reading about right and wrong. I used to love reading them but must admit [...]
Off The Hook: Blame The Victim
Posted: August 4, 2011 in Teens, Youth MinistryTags: Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, God, Oppression, Religion and Spirituality, Sexual harassment, Sexual orientation, United States
Many well-intentioned people have entered into urban ministry because they believe God can and wants to use them in the lives of people in the city. But all too often we answer that call with preconceived ideas about the problems people in the inner city have and their role in creating those problems. So, we ride [...]
Privilege And Oppression In The American Church
Posted: August 3, 2011 in News, Spirituality, Youth MinistryTags: God, Law of Privilege, Oppression, Racism, Religion and Spirituality, United States, White people
There’s no denying that there are a handful of Evangelical churches that largely shape and control the American Christian culture. You can probably think of a handful of them right off the top of your head. Those churches have contributed much to the Kingdom and this post is not an attempt to argue whether their success is [...]
Warning Signs You May Be Taking Your Spouse For Granted
Posted: July 20, 2011 in Mental Health, Misc., Youth MinistryTags: Christianity, God, Marriage, Organizations, Pastor, Pastoral Resources, Religion and Spirituality, Youth Ministry
This happens more often than not in ministry and we can justify it by claiming we are doing “God’s work” or “Kingdom work”. But too often those we love most sit home while we “run the race set before us”. Christian’s a divorcing at a rate comparable to non-Christians and I think neglect is one [...]
Balance (youth pastor life skills series pt. 5)
Posted: February 17, 2011 in Mental HealthTags: Christianity, God, Religion and Spirituality, Teens, United States, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth worker
Often, our lives in youth ministry seem like a never-ending whirlwind of activity. With deadlines on the one hand, and student athletic events/school activities on the other, most youth workers are caught in a perpetual motion machine of doing, going, and giving too much. Studies continue to show an unequal division of conjugal labour, a situation [...]
When A Student “Falls In Love” With The Youth Worker
Posted: October 29, 2010 in Misc., Uncategorized, Youth MinistryTags: Christianity, Human sexuality, Religion and Spirituality, Student, Youth Ministry, Youth worker
Because of the difficulties students have in early and mid-adolescence to manage strong feelings of intimacy, the new experience of having someone who listens and whom they can trust sometimes lead them to believe that they are in love with their youth worker. Sadly, many at-risk students are so accustomed to negative feelings (shame, fear, [...]
Guidelines For Frontline Responders
Posted: September 23, 2010 in Youth MinistryTags: Domestic violence, Education, Health care, People, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, Violence and Abuse, Women
If you have worked with youth for any period of time you have encountered a student who discloses, for the first time, that they are the victim of abuse, that they engage in some form of at-risk behaviors, are contemplating suicide, or a myriad of other statements/behaviors that require acute attention. But often in our ministry training we [...]
Coping With Burnout
Posted: July 1, 2010 in Mental Health, Misc., Spirituality, Teens, Uncategorized, Youth MinistryTags: Abba, Burn-Out, burnout, God, Health, Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, Suicide, Youth Ministry, Youth worker
For youth workers (paid or volunteer), there can be nothing more frightening than the belief that something terrible might happen to a student that you have invested so much time and energy in. As a substance abuse counselor, I struggle with the reality that one day someone could overdose and die regardless of how much I try [...]
