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Tag Archives: Relational Ministry

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Following the Rules: Relational Ministry

By | November 22, 2011

Take an honest look at yourself and ask how many times you pull out your cell phone during a youth ministry event. I would not have thought that I took it out a lot, only during those times that I thought was necessary. However, after one particular teen challenged me and said, “Oh, look, you’re bored and on your phone again,” I realized I was taking out my phone when there were down times in youth ministry.

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Parishnormal Activity

By | October 31, 2011

Is there Parishnormal Activity happening surrounding youth ministry at your parish? – do the Knights of Columbus accuse the teens of taking all their left over ketchup packets from last year’s Parish picnic? – is the key to the closet in the Parish Hall now attached to a Hockey stick because you as youth leader [...]

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They’re More Nervous Than You: The Importance of the First Encounter

By | September 19, 2011

Have you ever stopped and thought about how difficult it is for a new teen to show up at your parish, perhaps knowing only one or two teens, or no one at all? I have often thought about how awkward it is for me to approach the new teen, and rarely did I realize how important that first encounter was for them.

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Are You Planking?

By | August 28, 2011

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 [...]

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Sheep Dogs: My Model For Ministry

By | August 3, 2011

My model for youth ministry has four legs and a wet nose. Back when I was a baby Core Member, I attended my first Life Teen Conference in Mesa, AZ in June of 1999. Of all the messages of that week one has stuck with me and has been my constant model for youth ministry for 13 years and will continue to be so.

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48 Hours: A Crucial Time for Youth Ministry

By | August 2, 2011

Have you ever seen a 48-hour mystery special on TV? Usually they are trying to discover the missing truth and/or find a missing person. Authorities tell us that if someone goes missing, they need to be found within a 48 hour time period or the chances of finding them goes down significantly. This leaves police, detectives and eyewitnesses in a pressure-filled time frame. And just like in these mystery cases where time is a critical factor, follow up in youth ministry is also crucial.

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Shifting Gears for Summer Time

By | August 1, 2011

As much as we would like the summer time to be more laid back and relaxed, often in youth ministry it ends up being a different (sometimes crazier) kind of busy. We shift gears in “where” and “how” we do what we do, but we are doing nonetheless. We can typically use this busy time to create opportunities for more relational ministry. Some Youth Ministers boldly begin the noble quest of what is commonly referred to in youth ministry folklore as the elusive “getting caught up” plan. If you are successful in achieving this quest, PLEASE let me know how you did it. Regardless of what your summer is filled with, here are five things you may want to make a part of your summer gear-shifting.

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Life Teen @ World Youth Day 2011 – Madrid, Spain

By | July 29, 2011

Are you heading to World Youth Day in Madrid this year? Do you wish you were heading to World Youth Day? Either way, you are going to get a chance to experience Life Teen at World Youth Day this year. Life Teen has a big event planned as a part of World Youth Day. Over [...]

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10 Reasons Why Youth Ministry is Going to Thrive at Your Parish

By | July 28, 2011

1.) You and your team are praying everyday for the teens you serve 2.) Hospitality toward teens and their families is overflowing 3.) Continually improving the teen Liturgy is a main focus 4.) There is a core team of adults who laugh, pray together, evangelize and spend relational ministry time with teens 5.) Each meeting [...]

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The Multiple Levels of Face Recognition

By | July 27, 2011

Ok, I’ll admit it, I am a fan of technology and how it can impact youth ministry. Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook have all recently introduced more and more advanced face recognition technologies that have the potential to revolutionize the web once again. The way it works is that through now common digital photos, the [...]