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Author Archives: Richard Rivera

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Turning the Tables: Ministry to the Core Team

By | February 12, 2010

How are your Core Members doing? Take a moment and think about everything you’ve done in ministry this year and then look at what you have planned. Does your Core know that they are loved and appreciated? Do you know how they are doing spiritually? Before you read anymore, take a moment to pray for a member of your Core Team. This blog can wait. Now that you’ve prayed, take the next step and tell them. Go ahead; send them a text, or an email, or even better call them. Again, this blog can and

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FAIL! Sometimes I Am Really Bad at My Job.

By | January 27, 2010

Last month, I had a great moment with one of my favorite teens! (Yes, I do play favorites. You can ask any of my teens and they will proudly tell you why they are my favorite.) After a night of trying to pray with teens (a night that I had spent countless hours developing, praying through, and finally executing according to plan), this teen walked up to me and gave me a simple, concise explanation of her experience: “Fail.” Just one week later, I tried to have some relational ministry time with

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Finding Teen Leaders in Your Youth Program

By | April 9, 2009

Do you know where your leaders are? For years I overlooked one of the most powerful tools in youth ministry and now I can’t help but think how many teens we could have reached if I had paid more attention developing teen leadership. I know this probably sounds like just one more thing on the “to-do list” for a youth minister who doesn’t even have time to breathe. So before you hit that big red “X” in the top right corner (or the red dot in the top left corner if you are on a Mac), let me

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How to Have Spirit-Led Small Group Discussions

By | March 19, 2009

I must admit that I like eating ice cream. I like ice cream so much that I once changed sleeping assignments on a trip because teens brought me a big tub of ice cream and begged A LOT. If you’re considering taking a bribe to change room assignments, be sure to get more than just one tub of ice cream – you’ll need it. Lately, more than before, I’ve found myself at Coldstone “padding myself for an extended winter” and having a great time getting to know the teens who work there. (Note: I live is Arizona

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Lunch Time Lessons: How to Talk to Teens

By | August 13, 2008

Over the years I developed a routine of visiting the local schools during lunch times. The purpose behind this was simple: I wanted to see and love teens outside of the typical Life Teen setting. At first I only sought out the teens I knew from my program, trying to avoid the awkward looks and uncomfortable questions I knew I would get (you know what I mean). I just wanted to hang out with my group- not to love and minister to other teenagers. That was just too scary! Fortunately that didn’t last.

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How Big is your Core Team? (Hint: Bigger Than You Think)

By | March 10, 2008

Go ahead – count them all up? Did you miss anyone? How about the parish secretary? How about the maintenance staff? Anyway that you look at it, ministry is a team effort. If you think you are in it alone, you are wrong. If you think you can do it alone, you will fail. That being said, do you work with or against a very important part of your team–the parish staff? Your office is filled (unless it is after 8pm) with professionals who are dedicated to leading others to Christ. They facilitate communication,