If you’re anything like me, you feel a little stressed in youth ministry right now. The number of teens faithfully attending is declining, summer events still need planning, Confirmation is happening (or just happened), graduating teens are politely demanding letters of recommendation, and there’s still this little thing called life. Add all of that up and life in ministry can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Finding myself feeling a little tense, I’m reminded of the things a few great
Reflecting on the parable of the workers in the vineyard, I am drawn to which worker I more often resemble as a youth minister. Do I serve without reservation and gladly accept what God gives me? Or do I grumble most of the time and keep asking for more? When we are the grumbling workers in the vineyard, youth ministers probably aren’t inspiring teens to fill their shoes — to continue the work in the vineyard. Go to a youth ministry conference, deanery meeting, or any gathering of youth
About a week ago, I was privileged to join the Life Teen staff for Chick-Fil-A Leadercast. We heard amazing talks about leadership and of course, ate some tasty chicken. Many things resonated with me throughout the day, but one speaker said something that completely blew me away. It was a quote that I have not been able to stop reflecting on over the past week. It came from Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric and Fortune Magazine’s Manager of the Century. He said: “If your
1. ) Life Teen Summer Missionaries began 2 intense weeks of training at Life Teen Camp Covecrest in Tiger, GA in preparation for round one of Summer Life Teen Camps! 2.) 6 Atlanta parishes have signed on to implement our new Life Teen Intentional Discipleship in the fall utilizing Life Teen full time missionaries. This outreach focuses on juniors and seniors in High School. 3.) 58 parishes have already signed up for Life Teen’s new College Life parish outreach! This new outreach helps
There have been two times this past month that the word “always” has brought me to tears (which isn’t all that difficult, ask my teens). But seriously, one word doesn’t usually evoke that kind of emotion. Maybe it wasn’t the word itself, but what it stood for. Talking to one of my juniors after a Life Night recently I thanked her for being there. She responded with a laugh and said, “Betsy, I’m always here.” And it hit me – she is always here. I got to thinking, if it weren’t
Summer in youth ministry – it’s flipping sweet. While much of the parish seems to be slowing down and relaxing, summer is when youth ministry hits high gear. Why? Teens are off of school and looking for things to do! During the school year, we’re competing with everything from homework overload to play and choir to sports and other extracurriculars. Add in some good family time, and Church offerings are often squeezed out. But using the opportunity of summer right can really help your
“Hi Kenn, I need to talk to you about last night’s teen life event. Can you call me?” Ever get that phone message in your voicemail? I love working with parents, but that voicemail always sends a chill down my spine and immediately gets me asking “what could they possibly want? And what if it’s bad feed back?”
iPhone games are the best.
Angry Birds, Plants Versus Zombies, Infinity Blade, Fruit Ninja, Temple Run – the list of our favorite games to play on our phones could go on and on. It’s really convenient to pull out my phone and be entertained while waiting in line somewhere, or for a few minutes at home before we’ve got to saddle up to head out somewhere.
My pastor recently got me hooked on a book called “Rebuilt” by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. The book chronicles their attempts to “re-build” their parish located in Timonium, Maryland. And, they’ve had a lot of quantifiable success. In their years since launching their efforts, they’ve rebuild their parish from a weekend attendance of 1,400 people to over 4,000 people. White and Corcoran are very upfront in saying their problems and solutions are not applicable in every parish. But, it certainly got my wheels turning about how I can be doing better ministry. These are the things that stood out to me as I read “Rebuilt.”
What about those hard to reach teens who you have asked multiple times to attend events. Have you ever reached that point where it just didn’t seem worth it and you felt like you needed to do something more direct to try and draw them in? Last night while talking to one of our amazing youth ministers in Wisconsin, I heard a technique that is working big time and has yet to fail when the teen agrees and follows through. Let’s call it – 4 Times And I’ll Never Bother You Again Here’s how it