Blog

Tag Archives: Relational Ministry

Blog

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 compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play. The term planking refers to mimicking a wooden plank. Many participants in planking have photographed the

Blog

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.

Blog

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.

Blog

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.

Blog

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 the past few months we’ve been working with the WYD organizing committee in Madrid to coordinate what will arguably be the biggest XLT of the year at World Youth Day! Our event is the evening of August 18th, immediately following

Blog

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 you have with teens is treated like it’s another major event 6.) Teens are listened to 7.) Ministry is heading deeper rather than wider (your focused on taking what you are

Blog

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 computer analyzes facial characteristics and matches them with other photos. The result is pictures of the persons face can be identified in photos other than the one the software

Blog

20 Tips For Better Relational Ministry: Part 2

By | July 19, 2011

Part 2 from Amanda Koppes! She shares 10 more easy tips to take your relational ministry up a notch!

Blog

20 Tips For Better Relational Ministry: Part 1

By | July 18, 2011

If you talk to anyone who has been involved in youth ministry for any length of time, they will generally agree on one thing – it is all about relationships! No matter how dynamic your programming, how “spot-on” your catechesis, or how incredible your Core Team – if you do not have a relationship with the teens in your program, none of it will matter.

Blog

What Pawn Stars Can Teach Youth “Ministars”

By | July 8, 2011

The hottest show on cable TV in the US is a show called “Pawn Stars”. It revolves around a guy – Rick Harrison along with his father, Richard “The Old Man” Harrison, his son, Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison” and family friend Austin “Chumlee” Russell. Harrison gives viewers a behind-the-scenes peek into his Las Vegas business the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. In the process, he educates audiences on the history behind many of the unique items sold in the store. The show offers several useful analogies for