In the same way, we can model our youth ministry after the way that Jesus modeled his ministry. In youth ministry we offer programs, resources, Life nights, methods, conferences, rallies, mission trips, etc. All of these things only take us so far with teens. The heart of effective evangelization, catechesis, and the purification of youth culture is in discipleship – mentoring teens in personal relationships. People learn the faith from the example and witness of other people.
I was talking to a youth leader the other day and she lamented the fact that her parish staff didn’t respect her, in her own words, “They don’t think that youth ministry is a legitimate parish ministry.” The comment resonated with conversations with other youth leaders I have spoken with and it started me thinking. [...]
The past few months people keep sending me planking photos. Planking is an activity or game consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game. Players [...]
I’ve heard of recent surveys of “non practicing” Catholics tell an alarming statistic regarding the future involvement in the Catholic faith for current teens who are not involved in their parish during high school. Surveys are saying that only 3 to 10 percent of high school aged Catholic teens who are not active in some [...]
Most of you probably remember the WWJD bracelets that so many people were wearing 15 years ago. WWJD stands for “What Would Jesus Do?” It serves a reminder to apply how Christ lived to whatever situation we are facing. What if instead of asking what Jesus would do – we asked WIJD? “What is Jesus [...]
Goal The goal of this Edge Night is to introduce the middle school youth to the significance of Pentecost. We will help communicate how the Holy Spirit leads us and gives us life, and inspires us to do the work of the Church here in the world. Edge Night at a Glance This Edge Night [...]
I keep hearing experts refer to the next generation of teens being the “Wifi Generation”. Meaning that they are connected wirelessly to each other. They don’t remember a time without cell phones, WiFi internet connection and social media websites. Constant updates where friends are accepted and dropped by hitting enter are becoming commonplace for teens. Things have changed. What once were the norms in terms of issues when working with high school teens, is now the norms of working with middle school kids. The high school teens of this generation are demanding the following 4 things from Catholic youth ministry:
Have you ever experienced the awkwardness of presenting a “God inspired” new ministry idea to a group of people who are older, more educated, more experienced and in general more set in their ways than you are? It’s like leading a session at the University of Dare Me. You know the crowd, the dare me folks who say “Dare me to like it” or “dare me to think differently” and more than likely “dare me to believe that God could be speaking through you”.
People are often asking me to recommend books to read. As a Catholic leader we need to be reading on a regular basis. I have made a commitment over the past several years to read books. I read all types of books and often people recommend books for me to read. I have grown to really love reading and learning from what I read. Here are 3 books that I believe have the ability to make you stronger in your Catholic faith by helping keep your heart open.