The Global Leadership Summit
Because of the ongoing relationship that Reach Youth New England has developed with Willow Creek Association, we have once again secured a discount code for the LOWEST possible price, $79, to attend the Summit, not only for New England Youth Workers but for EVERY youth worker in America!! Pretty great, huh? Click here to find out more information or to see the list of locations click here.
PLEASE NOTE: To honor our commitment to Willow Creek, we must ask that this code be used ONLY by youth workers, youth ministry volunteers, college, and high school students. This code is not to be used by general church staff or others.
Just use the code 13TGLSYTH when you register to get the discount!
I love learning new things, new technology, and especially better ways to do youth ministry. I saw this video, and as usual, I have some questions for you. Watch and then respond.
I’ve been in youth ministry for over five years, and one of the events I always look forward to is Disciple Now weekend. If you don’t know what Disciple Now is, it’s a weekend retreat filled with worship, bible studies, fellowships, and mission projects. Students stay at host homes, and in some sense, it’s like a wee 
This month, YouthWorker Journal's mission is to help you learn more about how to do mission work with your students.
Yesterday I met with my local NNYM network group. I have been “helping” coordinate this group of youth workers for several years. Helping is in quotations because I have not always been convinced that my influence in the group has always been helpful; it has struggled to gain any kind of traction or momentum for a long time.
"Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run" (Habakkuk 2:2-3, The Message).
You may have be just starting out in youth ministry -- or maybe you've been around for years. Regardless, there are times when the challenge of working together seems more of a burden than a blessing. Excitement fades, life gets busy and the focus blurs your vision for effectively reaching and equipping teenagers in your community.
Youthworkers are always asking the same question..jpg)
What is wrong with the Youth ministry Machine of today? Perhaps we don’t have enough programs for students? Maybe we don’t have enough resources available? Or there is of course the chance that the problem with youth ministry is that the youth fail to see our genius?
Often times, fundraising for your upcoming mission trip can get a bit stale. Every year it's the same old ideas - bake sales, car washes and having the students do work for people within your church. As these tend to work time and time again, sometimes giving can start to diminish.
In the winter of 2009, youth leaders from four small Lutheran denominations had the privilege of sitting under the training of Tiger McCluen director Youth Leadership out of Minneapolis. The training was entitled Principles of Effective Youth ministry- The Timothy Project.
Each year our ministry talks about the role of how families impact teenagers. Really youth ministry circles have been talking about youth and their families for over two decades. My bias is that Dr. Karla Powell and Dr. Chap Clark are clearly kicking butt in leading the charge in equipping youth workers to work with families.
What would happen if you get leaders from major youth ministry organizations to come together for a day of prayer?
The local youth pastor or local youth worker is constantly faced with the reality of multiplying harvest workers to reach teenagers. In our local ministry we have a monthly In-service meeting that either meets before our High School ministry begins, and after our middle school ministry has concluded. We do it on the first Wednesday night of the month, so our volunteers can get that locked into their minds and hearts.
I want to care about more than putting “butts in seats.”
With graduation right around the corner, it's an important rite of passage to honor our seniors and send them into their next phase in life with some resources. Here are four ideas for you to consider:
This weekend, my wonderful wife Donna and I leave for Russia to lead our seventeenth mission trip there. Those who know me understand that these two weeks in Russia are a part of my “second life.” I love the opportunity to get back to Russia and focus on reaching out to non-believing youth in a foreign culture as well as ministering to a great group of youth from the USA. We will be joined by another group from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida who will help us host a five day English camp for selected students from Moscow.
A local network can rally around many passions and causes, but one of the most obvious is the local school. It is the one thing that all networks have in common. The question is what is the (or a) strategy to connect to the local schools in your geographical area?
"Build it, and they will come.".jpg)
According to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, Vermont is ranked as the 50th least religious state, or stated another way, we are the least churched state in the entire country. This is likely because Vermonters see themselves as ruggedly independent, capable of making it on their own, and skeptical of any need for salvation other than one of their own making.
My three year old son is consistently drawing and coloring pictures for us to display on the fridge. Couple that with his growing ability to count and I believe he is about ready to take on the “connect the dot” exercises. C'mon, you remember those gems, don't you?
We are all familiar with the wonderful story of Jesus birth in Luke 2. We are gripped by the trip to Bethlehem and the fact that Jesus is born in a stable. We marvel at the announcement by angels to the lowly shepherds. We appreciate the initiative of the shepherds to come and see the baby and share his arrival with others.
Adolescence cannot last from 11 years old to 29 years old. Our society will crumble economically & socially under the pressure.
Often I am asked, "What do I do to stay current and relevant while I am in-between ministry jobs?" In the current economic environment, that's a question that is being asked more and more and is a worthwhile conversation. Below are a few things that I would encourage if you find yourself in that situation.
I’ve read some amazing stories on blogs and Facebook of the things God has done at camps, retreats and on mission trips this summer! I believe youth ministry is alive and kicking and God is at work, but was it just there (on the trip) that the Lord moved? Of course not, but for some reason growth and change there seems more obvious, practical and tangible. I’d love to see these things here (at home) become just as evident.
No, I don't have gas. I wish it were that simple.
Ever come to the point where you don’t know how to do anymore than you’re already doing? The frustration of ministry gets the best of you. So you stop. Sit down. Pray. Even plead with God.
“CONVERGE” (from Matthew 18:20) is the theme for See You at the Pole 2011, the Annual Global Day of Student Prayer. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, at schools across the United States and in many other countries.
I have had this problem for a long time now. I think BIG! I dream of a Student Ministry that is BIG. That is huge. That says to every student in every High School that this ministry is for you. That our students, that our leaders, that our team, that our philosophy, that our direction, that our message, is for every Middle Schooler, every High Schooler, every College/Young Adult student in our surrounding area.
1 Thessalonians 1.2-3 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
It's camp for junior high youth workers!
Our youth ministry network facilitates churches working together to reach teenagers for Christ. We assume, hopefully correctly, that students are being discipled in their churches and so the emphasis of our network is on evangelism. We believe that there are two big things that church youth ministries need to do together:
The question came from one of the leaders gathered for the annual Youth Ministry Executive Committee (YMEC) meeting in May.
For the past few months, I have been making presentations to adult volunteers who will be going on summer mission trips with LeaderTreks. I do this every year, but this year I wanted to focus on helping adult volunteers really understand the purpose for student missions. So I created this presentation called 10 Keys to Leading a Great Mission Trip. Ten things may seem like a lot, but all of these things are important.
Editor's Note: Doug Franklin is the president of LeaderTreks, a ministry dedicated to creating tools and resources to enable youth workers to develop students into leaders. Doug's blog, 
How would it affect your strategies for ministry if you had a “snapshot” of their REAL beliefs, values, and behaviors? What would you do differently if you knew exactly how the felt about your church?
In two weeks I turn 42 years old. It is not a huge deal, but it has caused me to reflect a little. I am not in some mid-life crisis where I am going to sell all I have and get a new sports car or move to Tahiti. I would like a nice fishing boat, but that is more of a wish. No, I have been reflecting on what I have been doing with my life. I started in youth ministry when I was 19 years old at a little store front church in South Florida. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I have felt called and driven to continue in ministry ever since.
To Save A Life opened last weekend nationwide. The writer/producer/Network coordinator who authored the film reported to us that "a student shared about how he attempted suicide on Friday. He was unsuccessful and then went to the film that night and became a Christian and is excited about helping others."
I remember back in college having to read youth ministry management books that gave us rookies ample advise and tools to organize our youth ministry in order to maximize effectiveness. They all read like operational manuals or business plans and clearly focused on the administrative aspect of our roles.
When the ball dropped on the US economy, our county was one of the hardest hit, because everyone worked down in Manhattan. I estimate that close to 50% of my friend's church lost their jobs, not to mention everyone losing big in their savings and retirements. People who usually give thousands extra from their stock options couldn't give. People had little to no money to tithe. You get the picture.
The National Network of Youth Ministries was formed by a group of youth workers who desperately wanted to see the Great Commission fulfilled among young people. Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19, commanding us to go and make disciples of all nations, were the driving force behind the birth of NNYM.
I have found the last five years to be filled with opportunity once I got out of the church (I mean in specific ministry, not the church itself...haha) and into the schools.
Doing youth ministry in Utah has a number a tremendous challenges (as does any location), but one thing is a guarantee here and that is that networking together with others is TREMENDOUSLY beneficial.
You might consider sending this information on to any mothers that you know...praying moms might be one of your best allies to reach the schools in your community.
