I got to know Tic Long years ago at a youth ministry summit for folks working in mega churches. He was at the time the president of Youth Specialities and later became their president of events. Tic facilitated the conversations we had at those summits and we got to know each other. He always took…
At Fusion I shared very briefly on where our event planning structure is moving. I said that it was a work in progress and that I would go into more detail later but wanted folks to understand and be part of the shaping of our future. My invitation is to all who want to figure…
We have been guiding our diocesan youth ministry over the past 4 years by the simple statement “working together, raising up a Biblically literate generation that is leading the church and changing the world”. We have seen some great progress in putting the Bible at the center of our ministries, developing leaders more intentionally, and…
I spent a couple of afternoons this week interviewing college students for camp staff. A few were high school seniors but what I am choosing to write about here is the college age folks. It was a good time working with Jonathan on this and really a joy that our jobs overlap a bit so…
The Rebelution’s Do Hard Things Tour is coming to five major cities across the United States in Summer of 2009. Each conference is a challenging one-day event for teens by teens who believe that our generation is ready for a change. Ready for something that doesn’t promise a whole new life if you’ll just buy…
I recently was talking with a friend who engaged in a research project involving extensive interviews with young adults who grew up in church but no longer attend (he referred to them as prodigals). The consistent theme that came up was parents (fathers in particular) who did not live out authentic faith and consequently, their…
I read the other day that these are perhaps the most challenging economic times in 70 years . How do we in youth ministry respond? Do we adjust programs? Offer less expensive trips and retreats? End free pizza? Shift money in our budgets from things we can do without so that there is more scholarship…
‘The future of the church does not depend on youth, but only on Jesus Christ. The task of young people is not reorganization of the church, but listening to God’s Word; the church’s task is not the conquest of young people, but the teaching of the Gospel’ These are the words of the leader of…
Okay, this is not another post about a paper but a response. After Graham Stanton finished presenting his paper, the responder (each paper had someone respond to it) got up and said something to the effect of… “Relational youth ministry works in some places and perhaps it does not in others. Let’s not paint with…
What I think has been the most controversial paper presented at this conference was titled “Cur Deus Homo: Is the incarnation a model for mission?” Graham Stanton from Sydney Australia presented a brilliant challenge to Andrew Root’s book “Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry”. It was interesting that Root and others quoted in the paper were in…