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Tag Archives: Planning

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4 Reasons Core Members Quit

By | August 12, 2010

The model of having a team of leaders who are responding to a Baptismal call to serve teens can be a really effective model. In concept it potentially takes so much pressure off a single youth leader to do all the outreach, planning and relational ministry. In practice, it can help parishes reach more teens for Christ. So why is it that it is so hard to find and keep good Core members? Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and see what we may be doing that may be a roadblock to keeping Core members at our parish.

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3 Ways to Not Only Survive but Thrive On a Low Ministry Budget

By | July 6, 2010

So you have a great group of teens and you are psyched about how God is moving. But there’s just one catch: you have a low budget and don’t know how to keep up with other ministries that have all the bells and whistles. Well…don’t worry, do something about it. I keep hearing from Catholic youth leaders that they have a small budget or that their budgets have been cut. Most parishes operate on a budget that starts in July. If you find yourself in a situation where your budget has just been cut or you have always operated on a small budget – here are 3 ways to not only survive but thrive with less budget dollars:

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Are You a Jan Stock?

By | June 23, 2010

You know, you have met them, people who go above and beyond and make things happen. My family and I visited Bryce Canyon National Park yesterday and we met a park ranger who really was impressive and stuck out – Jan Stock! She was amazing, her enthusiasm, dedication and communication skills were astounding. Here is 5 things that Jan Stock does very well! See how well you are doing in these 5 areas in regard to youth ministry: 1.) Connecting with People – Before she started her presentation on

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The “Come To Us” Model and Why it is Not Cutting it in Catholic Youth Ministry!

By | June 3, 2010

Is youth ministry at your parish completely dependent on teens just showing up – the “Come to Us” Model? Are you operating out of the pseudo “Field of Dreams Model” of build it and they will come? Sad news is that these models aren’t as effective any more. If you and your team aren’t meeting teens where they are – at school, sports, drama, places where teens work, shopping malls and anywhere else teens are hanging out in your area – chances are you are reaching less and less teens.

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If You Expect A Lot – You Will Get A Lot!

By | April 30, 2010

In my years of Catholic Youth Ministry I have embraced the concept of having high expectations of the young people we are trying to lead closer to Christ! As leaders we can’t sell young people short and expect less. Yesterday at a Catechetical Symposium I helped lead in the Archdiocese of Boston there was a fishbowl sharing experience that included some college students. At the end we asked them to give the youth leaders, DRE’s and Catholic school teachers present a word of advice. One young man simply said “If you expect a lot – you will get a lot!”

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Things That Are Out of Date In Catholic Youth Ministry

By | April 14, 2010

Ever wonder if what you are doing is reaching teens? Here is a list of things that I consider to be out of date for Catholic Youth Ministry:

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Learning From 25 Amazing Years of Catholic Youth Ministry – Thank You St. Timothy’s

By | April 9, 2010

This Sunday (Divine Mercy Sunday) is the 25th Anniversary of the first Life Teen Mass at St. Timothy’s Catholic Community in Mesa, Arizona – where Life Teen began. Even for most of the parishoners at St. Tim’s the significance of this amazing day may not be fully realized. Imagine if your parish had strong youth ministry for 25 years?

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Tapping into the Principle – When a Discipline Becomes a Desire

By | April 5, 2010

Ever make a commitment to do something consistently every day? It takes a lot of discipline to do something like this. Maybe you just finished Lent and committed to giving up something for 40 days. Often times when we do this we find that what once was a discipline has now become a desire. It’s true what starts off as discipline can often turn into something we want to keep doing. Here are three steps to do this:

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5 Guaranteed Ways to Never Be Peaceful in Catholic Youth Ministry

By | March 17, 2010

If you’re like the majority of Catholic youth minister’s out there, you’re a self-doubting bundle of hang ups, determined to believe that your ministry will never be good enough. It’s the life of the angst-ridden, misunderstood youth minister, right? Wait a minute, what’s that? You think you’re pretty good at Catholic youth ministry and actually like some of your accomplishments? Don’t worry, it’s just a blip. With these 5 tips you’ll soon be joining the rest of the Catholic youth ministry community in feeling anxious about your abilities and so-called “gifts.”

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How Much Time Does It Take to be an Effective Youth Minister?

By | February 19, 2010

The most valuable thing you can give to teens is your time. I see a lot of youth leaders excited to serve teens, but get overwhelmed by the amount of time it actually takes to be effective as a youth minister. “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” – Norman Vincent Peale