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Tag Archives: Planning

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Reaching Multi Screen Teens

By | April 26, 2013
Baby on Screen

On a recent visit to a local coffee shop to meet with a youth ministry friend, I was amazed to count that there were 52 people in the shop at 2 pm. Of the 52 people only my friend and I were having a face to face conversation. All 50 other people were sipping coffee and looking at their digital screen of choice. A good number were not just looking at one screen but 2 screens at the same time. People wanted to be together, but not necessarily interact with each other. Screens have started to completely

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How to Breathe Life Into a Stagnant Youth Ministry

By | April 16, 2012
bored-teen

Been a while since you changed the environment of a Life Night? Have the walls of your office become just a jog down memory lane or is it a reflection of the current group of teens? Have music playing, hang new banners, update photos and add some new paint to add new life to the spaces you hang out with teens at your parish. We serve in one of the most transformational ministries in our parishes – does the vibe of our space reflect that?

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Are You Ready? Taking the Plunge Into the New School Year

By | August 17, 2011

Where did the summer go? For some, summer is already history and the teens are back in school. For others, the final weeks of summer are here and the new school year is just around the corner. But for all of us, it is time to ask yourself key questions to make sure that both you and your ministry are prepared for the fall. Are you ready? What do you need to get your ministry equipped?

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How to Rock the Parish Bulletin

By | March 21, 2011

I visit a lot of parishes in the course of a year and I usually will pick up a parish bulletin to see what is happening. Since my passion squarely is with parish youth ministry, I always look at how the youth leader communicates with the community via the bulletin. First of all, let me say that I have seen some great examples and some epic fails on the part of my fellow Catholic youth ministers. If you ever struggle with the concept and wonder if it makes any difference at all, here are three ways

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God’s Plan Not Ours

By | March 15, 2011

“What is God doing and how can I be a part of it?” One of my friends posted this question sometime ago.   I find myself thinking about it often in terms of my own life, but I also need to think about it as it relates to youth ministry.  It’s easy to make our plans and pick our themes, but really, I should want to help with whatever God’s plan is for the youth in my parish. It’s a given that prayer is essential to the life of anyone in ministry (it’s also essential to those who aren’t in ministry). 

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How to Overcome the All or Nothing Mindset

By | January 3, 2011

I tend to be an all or nothing person when it comes to my expectation of doing things. I know that this is a weakness for me. God has lately kept reminding me of how merciful He is to me and how much of a work in progress I am. So last year I decided to apply a new rule for getting things done within the ministry of Life Teen.

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The University of Dare Me

By | October 22, 2010

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”.

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Greenhouses of Faith

By | October 5, 2010

Ever wondered at a multi parish youth event why the teens from the parish across your diocese seemed so much more alive and into their faith than the teens you brought? It just might be that you are not taking advantage of the amazing greenhouses of faith that are offered for teens these days.

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Is Youth Ministry at Your Parish Worth Writing Home About?

By | September 11, 2010

Perusing the menu at lunch recently, one of our staff commented on one of the menu item’s as “nothing to write home about”. I immediately asked when was the last time he wrote home about something? All day long we use expressions to describe things, how often do we really take literally what we say? What if the restaurant took the mantra to only serve meals that people would want to write home about? What if your parish offered youth ministry that people wanted to write home about?

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The 3 Keys – What a Pastor Should Look for When Hiring a Youth Minister

By | September 7, 2010

At Life Teen we are so blessed to have so many holy men serving parishes as priests. I often get the questions from pastors about hiring the right youth minister. For example – could I recommend anyone for them to hire as a youth minister for the parish? I also frequently get asked what to look for in a new youth minister. So here are the 3 things that I tell them to look and listen (key into) for when considering a candidate for youth minister: I call them “The 3 Keys”