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Category Archives: Leadership

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Are your teens licensed to pray? Empowering and helping teens to pray.

By | September 16, 2010

Driving Instructors are brave. They are out on the streets, seated right beside a young soul with little more than a second brake to protect them. As a driving instructor, you might need to work your brake at times. You will need to prepare them before you “start.” You might need to pull over and walk them through how to do certain things. The point is that you are actively helping them and empowering them to do it on their own. You’re not just teaching them a skill; you’re growing their own confidence in that skill.

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Can You Really Watch Your Language?

By | August 30, 2010

Is it just me, or is profanity becoming more and more acceptable in modern culture? I’ve had a few recent conversations with middle and high school youth about why profanity is not even seen as something bad! They told me that cursing isn’t a big deal because it pales in comparison to more destructive habits, such as drug addiction or alcoholism. The continued use of profanity can, in reality, lead to other types of destructive behavior.

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Grading on a Curve: Critical Questions to Ask When Evaluating Your Ministry

By | July 4, 2010

Right at this moment, stop and rate your youth ministry program on a scale of 1-10. What rating did you give? Better yet, why did you give the ministry that ranking? When we evaluate our ministries, there are several factors that we use to judge its “successfulness.” Often the number of teens, or the amount of compliments (or complaints), or the supportiveness of the pastor and parish are keys factors – but should they be? “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). Maybe it is time to take a different approach in evaluating youth ministry at your parish. Maybe it is time to ask how God sees our efforts in leading teens closer to Christ and how effective we are in His eyes. In the end, it is not about numbers or compliments or complaints – it is about faithfulness to the call God has placed on our hearts.

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Don’t be talkin’ ‘bout my Mama: protecting your teens from mistruths

By | May 13, 2010

I sat stunned in the back of the room. I was in shock. “Did he just say that?” I asked myself in utter disbelief.

I had been asked to speak at a multi-parish teen retreat (in a state that will go unnamed). During this particular session a local priest was present and had agreed to answer teen questions about the faith…

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Are You a Bringer?

By | May 12, 2010

In the Catholic youth ministry world, there’s often a big difference between the bringers and everyone else. The bringers carry somebody or something. They seek or form community and make things happen. It’s not unusual to go to the smallest parish and find someone serving teens there who isn’t small at all. Sometimes, this is an unpaid servant, someone that’s inherited or acquired their mission out of necessity. Anyway, you can’t just say you’re an bringer and be one. It takes a lot of prayer and surrender to be a real bringer!

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One Smart Shepherd: B16′s first 5 years

By | April 20, 2010

Put simply, in these past five years, Pope Benedict XVI has been nothing less than brilliant. He has shattered pre-papal misconceptions about his doctrinal “bulldog” attitude. His scope and vision have been no less breathtaking than Pope John Paul II’s, only subtler. Pope Benedict is a true Shepherd, capably leading a flock through morally corrupt and challenging times. Witnessing the Holy Spirit unleash his theological brilliance in such a pastoral way has been a true gift.

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Giving Teens Both Roots and Wings

By | March 8, 2010

Whether you are a middle or high school minister, our goal should not be to entertain kids for 90-minutes so they can go home and say, “Church is fun, the youth minister is really cool!” While we do want to be fun and engaging, we should do so in order to build “roots and wings.” We have a responsibility to affirm the Truth given to us by the Church, and instill these Truths in the lives of the youth. It is our hope that by doing so, we “integrate knowledge of the Catholic faith with the development of practical skills for living the Catholic faith in today’s world” (Renewing the Vision, USCCB). We must help today’s youth understand the teachings of the Catholic Church and enable them to share the Good News in modern society. In other words, we need to give them roots to be grounded in and wings to fly with.

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Battle Preparation

By | February 22, 2010

Have you felt there were not enough hours in a day to accomplish all that needed to be done? The looming obstacle of the never-ending “to-do” list not only consumes the hours quicker than imagined, but the ability to find moments to attend to the things we want to do slip like sand through our fingers. I can imagine that most individuals, in ministry of some kind, can honestly say that if given more time to develop their apostolate they would read more, prepare a bit longer for events, study trends in culture, or simply find ways of being present to those they wish to reach.

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The Nominees for Outstanding Performance in a Catholic Youth Ministry Setting are…

By | February 17, 2010

The Oscars are right around the corner. Hollywood’s best and brightest will hoist their little gold trophies and celebrate the highest award their craft has to offer. The earth will applaud, but will heaven?

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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