| Trending 3/20 - Why Youth Ministry, a 17 year-old Millionaire and the video of the Week! |
From Youth Specialties on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 @ 11:27 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Meet a 17 year-old millionaire with a new job at Yahoo. Greg Stier share's about why he is in youth ministry. Plus, don't miss the sweet skills in our video of the week!
He Has Millions and a New Job at Yahoo. Soon, He’ll Be 18. - New York Times
10 strategic reasons I chose to invest my life in youth ministry - Greg Stier
How Do You Talk About Sin with Adolescents? Thoughts from Andrew Root’s New Book- Engaging Church Blog
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| Youth Worker BOOST: Accepting Correction |
From youthministry360 on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 @ 6:16 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
ym360 knows youth workers. We know what an incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly challenging job youth ministry can be. There are days when your spirits are sky-high, and there are days when you could use a bit of a "pick me up" from God's Word . . . That's why we're happy to offer Youth Worker Boost, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog. Boost is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, "boost" your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students. We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry. Suscribe To The E-Boost and get them all delivered right in your inbox! "He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray."--Proverbs 10:17Think back to your teenage years: Who was that coach or teacher that would not let up on you? Now, some of them may have been doing it because they liked picking on teenagers. But most of the teachers or coaches that seemed to always demand so much from us (and let us know about it when we fell short), did so because they knew we were capable of more. They knew we weren't living up to our potential. Stay on memory lane for a few more seconds.How did you respond to the discipline of those teachers or coaches? Did you fight it? Did you rebel against it? Or did you (however grudgingly) allow it to shape you? Did you benefit from it? Did it make you a better person? As a teenager, you probably didn't really enjoy being disciplined, and you probably didn't have the perspective that it was making you a better person. But when it comes to our relationship with God, it's good for us to take a different perspective.God disciplines us because He loves us. He corrects us because he wants us to be more like Him. And our attitude toward this discipline and correction should be to see it for what it is: the loving hand of a Father who cares deeply about our lives.Next time you encounter God's discipline, step back and accept His correction. Thank Him for loving you enough to care about your character. And allow yourself to be molded by His hand.Our prayer for you: We pray that you will see correction and discipline for what they really are: the loving hand of a God who cares deeply about you and only wants you to conform to His wonderful likeness. We pray that you would embrace correction, allowing God to make you more like Him. Look for a new Youth Worker Boost each week on the ym360 Blog.Last Week's BOOST: I Am Weak But He Is StrongNext Week's BOOST: Worry Get more BOOST articles HERE! |
| Youth Worker Sound Off: Increasing Students' Ownership Of Your Ministry |
From youthministry360 on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 @ 7:22 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Youth Worker Sound Off is a way we get intentional about hosting discussion here on the ym360 Blog. It's your chance to share your thoughts with other youth workers. The goal is that we all benefit from each other's experience and passion. So, read the short section below and share your thoughts in the "Join The Conversation" section below.Last week, one of the youth ministers in the ym360 Community, Beau, asked a question on Twitter: What a great question, right? We took a stab at answering Beau in the following reply:This started a little Twitter conversation with Beau. He said he's basically dealing with what so many of us who work with youth deal with on some level or another. He's just trying to find out what has worked for other folks to increase the involvmenet of those fringe students, the teenagers who are a part of your youth ministry but aren't really committed to it.We realized it was a great topic to pitch to you on a Youth Worker Sound Off. Now it's your turn! Take a moment and think about Beau's question: What are some ways that you've led students to take more ownership of your youth ministry?Share your thoughts in the "Join The Conversation" section below. We look forward to hearing from you! |
| Linked Post: 4 Keys Starting Right In A New Youth Ministry |
From youthministry360 on Monday, March 25, 2013 @ 7:51 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
At ym360, everything we do falls into one of four categories: Bible Study Resources, Training, Community, or Networking. For us, networking means highlighting great content, great people, and great ministries. When we find something valuable, we share it. This happens most frequently on our Flashback Friday posts. But it happens in other ways, as well.One of the ways we focus on Networking is by linking to solid content we encounter on blogs or websites. We love the team of bloggers at YouthworkTalk. Kyle Daubenmeyer writes a great post at YouthworkTalk entitled "Starting Fresh: 4 Keys Starting Right In A New Youth Ministry." It's a solid read for anyone, whether you're just getting started or you're a youth ministry veteran. Below we've posted an excerpt of Kyle's post. Read the excerpt, then head over to YouthworkTalk to read the rest.Starting Fresh: 4 Keys To Starting Right In A New Youth Ministry, by Kyle DaubenmeyerI recently started a new full-time youth ministry gig about 6 months ago. For a while I was the shiny new toy at our church, and that was fine! But in reality, it can be difficult to start fresh at a new place, with all of the cultural learnings, expectations from leaders/students/parents, as well as different people pushing their own agenda. But here are some of things I learned in this transition, and maybe it can help you if you're ever starting fresh somewhere.1. Humility is important: I think that anytime someone new is brought in, it can either inflate the ego of the "new guy" thinking they're the Savior of the ministry, or it can cause people to be on their guard watching your every move, or both. I think its very important to maintain humility, and not to promise the world to anyone, especially yourself! If things start going right, don't take all the credit. In fact, it may be time to get in the Word more, so that we don't start to think its all by our own strengths! Click here to read the rest of Kyle's article, 4 Keys To Starting Right In A New Youth Ministry. |
| The J-Life |
From Pastor2Youth.com on Monday, March 25, 2013
in the "Resources" Category.
Before this study begins, we need to look at one of the most oxymoronical relationships, if that can be used as a word for just a sec, to date. This relationship is:HYPOCRITE = CHRISTIAN
How in the world can this be possible? Here are a few statistics to show you how:
Only 30% of Christian teens go to Sunday School regularly
Only 40% of Christian teens attend some type of youth group
Only 45% of Christian teens think it's necessary to talk about their faith with their friends
Only 50% of Christian teens attend church
Only 35% of Christian teens read their Bible
One of the most common things we hear atheists and skeptics say about Christians or church is, "They're so hypocritical. Churches are full of hypocrites which is why I don't go and why I don't believe." This statement, although extremely sad and not true for every Christian and every church body, is also very accurate in some cases.
Living the Christian life, "The J-Life" as this study calls it, is all about Jesus. It's about giving your life to Jesus for more than just your "fire insurance" or "get out of hell free card," but it's about actually surrendering your life to Jesus as LORD of your life. Jesus calls the shots. Jesus is in control.
Living "The J-Life" can be summed up in three areas: 1) A Purpose, 2) A Life, and 3) A Witness. Each of these areas builds off of the other, and if they are in sync you will be living the J-Life daily for the glory of Jesus!
"The J-Life" is the NEWEST Study Available to our Gold Members! If you are not yet a Gold Member, don't miss out on the incredible resources available to all Gold Members, as well as monthly give-aways. Find out all about Gold Membership HERE!!! |
| Flashback Friday (Mar. 22): This Week's Links From The Youth Ministry Blogosphere |
From youthministry360 on Friday, March 22, 2013 @ 6:41 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
One of the things we are committed to at ym360 is Networking. Our vision for networking is connecting you to people and organizations doing awesome youth ministry.Flashback Friday is a feature where we give you the run down of some of the awesome posts from the past week across youth ministry blogs. Consider it our way of keeping you connected with what is going on. This week's posts from the ym360 BlogThe youthministry360 Easter Vault "elements": Helping Your Students Know What They Believe by Andy BlanksLearning From Jesus: Dealing With Those Who Demand Our Time by Andy BlanksYM Essentials: Helping Students Process Their Mission Trip by Aaron KirkpatrickYouth Worker BOOST: I Am Weak But He Is Strong by Richard Parker Posts From Other Awesome PeopleWe search the Internet to bring you relevant information to help you be a better youth worker. Here are some links from posts we thought were pretty great.Finding Unexpected Gifts in Community by Brad GriffinYouth Workers: Be a Student of the Culture by Josh GriffinOur eBook Hits Over 1,000 Downloads! by Jeremy SmithTheology: The Musical by Jerry VarnerFive Awesome Ways to Find Youth Group Volunteers (A Parody) by Jonathan PearsonWhy You Need To Serve With Your Group by Justin KnowlesHow to Deal with that Person No One Wants in Their Small Group by Mike MackSpinning Plates by ymincognitoThat's all the links for this week. As always, have an awesome weekend . . . And THANK YOU for the chance to serve you as part of the ym360 community. |
| YM Essentials: Helping Students Process Their Mission Trip |
From youthministry360 on Thursday, March 21, 2013 @ 7:36 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Right now you're probably in the middle of fundraising for your mission trip(s) this summer. You're booking transportation, planning meals, nailing down service opportunities, and sketching out what you'll be doing for fun in the evenings. (What, you're not doing any of that yet? Better get on it!) Some of you are weeks or days away from a Spring Break mission trip. And still others of you are on a Spring Break mission trip this very moment. Regardless of where you find yourself, now is the time to start thinking through how you will help your students process what they experience on the mission trip.Short-term missions are powerful in their ability to radically (re)shape worldview and change hearts. The students who serve on your mission trip will touch people in the name of Christ. When that happens, your students will be touched as well. Unfortunately, the experiences that change your students can start to fade almost as soon as you get home. As they fade, so will the changes those experiences foster. Helping your students process their mission trip experiences will enable your trip to continue transforming your teens long after the trip is over. Here are a few ideas that can help your students wrestle with their mission trip experiences in meaningful ways.JournalI know, I know: not everyone is into journaling. But if you prepare the journals well, they ARE effective. You can buy your journals (there are plenty to be found online) or you can make your own. If you create your own journals, make sure they look good. Include a devotional section with some questions for your students to answer. If you know what you'll be doing each day of your trip, tie in the devotional to the experiences of the day. Our journals also always include a page for each day with the phrases "things I touched, things I heard, things I saw, things I tasted," and "things I experienced." This gives the students a space to write or draw experiences that are outside of your devotional thoughts but that they want to remember. Plan your evenings in such a way that everyone is required to take 15-20 minutes to go off by themselves and journal about the day at the same time. This exercise will help them solidify memories of the day while they're still fresh, and you will also be help them tie their experiences to the mission of God.BlogWe did this for the first time last year, and it was a HUGE success. Before you leave, create a mission trip blog. (You can do this for free at Wordpress or Tumblr. It's super intuitive even if you've never set-up a blog before.) Then, depending on how many people you have on your trip, figure out how many people will need to blog each day so that everyone does it at least once. We made it known at the beginning of the trip that everyone would be contributing once, and then we let people volunteer to go each night. Your students will type or write a short blog post about the day. We encouraged them to ask themselves three questions: "What was my favorite part of the day? What challenged me or pushed me outside my comfort zone? Where did I see God moving today?" These questions helped keep everyone on track and focus their posts. Once they give you their blog posts, you can edit them and publish them on your site. When we tried this over the summer, I was shocked by the response. The teens loved doing it, and we had a surprising number of people reading the posts. Our congregation read them, but so did the congregation where we stayed. Our students couldn't wait to see who responded to their posts and what people had to say, and our readers couldn't wait to hear how our teens served. Video/SlideshowYou probably already do this, so let me encourage you to simply be creative in your approach. Rather than taking all the pictures and putting the slideshow together yourself, have a couple teens do it. It will increase their buy-in, they'll take better pictures than you, and they'll make a great video.Report BackNot every church can do this in the same way, so you'll have to figure out how it works in your context. Select a few students who are comfortable in front of people and have them report to the church (or smaller groups within the church) about how the trip went. At our church we try to get a couple teens on stage during our Sunday morning worship service, but you can also do this in adult classes, or even just up front at your next youth gathering. This encourages your teens to think critically about how your group served, and it's a great way to inform and thank the groups of people who gave money to help your teens to on the mission trip in the first place.None of these ideas are overly difficult, but they do take forethought to pull off. The good news is that you still have plenty of time. By thinking through how you will help your students process their mission trip experiences, you will make your trip an opportunity for even greater spiritual growth and maturity. |
| 3 FREE LESSONS FOR EASTER |
From Youth Specialties on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 @ 12:08 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Explore the death, burial, and ressurection of Jesus with students in a new way with 3 FREE lessons from The Complete New Testament Resource for Youth Workers, Volume 1.
Lesson 1: Jesus' Sacrifice - After three years of public ministry where he often spoke about his suffering and death, Jesus was arrested, beaten, and crucified until he died. This was the worst day for his family and disciples, but it was a day God had planned since the creation of the world.
Lesson 2: Disbelief - Thomas was absent when the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection. Later, Thomas encountered Jesus and made his confession. Jesus blessed Thomas for seeing and believing.
Lesson 3: Peter's Restoration - Students will understand God loves them unconditionally.They’ll realize the personal implications of his love.
Download Now |
| 3 FREE LESSONS FOR EATER |
From Youth Specialties on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 @ 12:02 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Explore the death, burial, and ressurection of Jesus with students in a new way with 3 FREE lessons from The Complete New Testament Resource for Youth Workers, Volume 1.
Lesson 3: The Resurrection - Students will understand God loves them unconditionally.They’ll realize the personal implications of his love. |
| *TRENDING 3/20 -Slippery Seals, Free Easter Bundles & More! |
From Youth Specialties on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 @ 11:46 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
THE VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Forget cute bunnies, these seal pups are a fun, and another cute visual for endurance, and the endless determination needed to achieve goals.
Also Trending this week:
Using Environmental Scans For Ministry - Ken Castor
The youthministry360 Easter Vault - ym360
Teens and Tecnology Trends- Pew Research
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| *TRENDING 3/20 -Slippery Seals, Free Easter Bundles & More! |
From Youth Specialties on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 @ 11:45 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
THE VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Forget cute bunnies, these seal pups are a fun, and cute visual for endurance, and achieving goals.
Also Trending this week:
Using Environmental Scans For Ministry - Ken Castor
The youthministry360 Easter Vault - ym360
Teens and Tecnology Trends- Pew Research
|
| Youth Worker BOOST: I Am Weak But He Is Strong |
From youthministry360 on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 @ 6:01 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
ym360 knows youth workers. We know what an incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly challenging job youth ministry can be. There are days when your spirits are sky-high, and there are days when you could use a bit of a "pick me up" from God's Word . . . That's why we're happy to offer Youth Worker Boost, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog. Boost is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, "boost" your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students. We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry. Suscribe To The E-Boost and get them all delivered right in your inbox! "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."--2 Corinthians 12:7-9Have you ever asked God to take away some burden or difficulty in your life? The apostle Paul was not shy about asking God to take away his "thorn in the flesh." How about you? We all like to think we could serve God better without the distractions of problems. So, why is it that God seems to think otherwise? Many times, as was the case with Paul, God says "no" to our requests to take away the source of our struggles. It seems God is content to leave us in our trials. Yet, we know God is not mean-spirited. We know He doesn't like to see us suffer. So we have to ask, "Why is it that God doesn't smooth our life's wrinkles"?We see a glimpse of the reason in God's response to Paul. God told Paul that His grace was sufficient for meeting Paul's need. It is God's grace that saves us. It is that same grace that will give us the strength to face whatever may happen in life. Paul learned that the power of God is revealed in a tremendous way in our weaknesses. What an incredible lesson this is to learn!Whether dealing with a difficulty or trying something outside your comfort-zone, there is no doubt that God is the one giving us the strength to stand.Don't run from your weaknesses. Rather, embrace them! Embrace the power of the living God.Our prayer for you: We pray that your life would be blessed, and that you would live free of suffering and pain. But we pray that when suffering and trials do enter your life, you would FIRST seek God's all-sufficient grace, trusting Him to provide exactly what you need to overcome the trials life brings. Look for a new Youth Worker Boost each week on the ym360 Blog.Last Week's BOOST: Building On A Solid FoundationNext Week's BOOST: Accepting Correction Get more BOOST articles HERE! |
| Youth Worker BOOST: I Am Weak But He Is Strong |
From youthministry360 on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 @ 6:01 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
ym360 knows youth workers. We know what an incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly challenging job youth ministry can be. There are days when your spirits are sky-high, and there are days when you could use a bit of a "pick me up" from God's Word . . . That's why we're happy to offer Youth Worker Boost, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog. Boost is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, "boost" your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students. We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry. Suscribe To The E-Boost and get them all delivered right in your inbox! "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."--2 Corinthians 12:7-9Have you ever asked God to take away some burden or difficulty in your life? The apostle Paul was not shy about asking God to take away his "thorn in the flesh." How about you? We all like to think we could serve God better without the distractions of problems. So, why is it that God seems to think otherwise? Many times, as was the case with Paul, God says "no" to our requests to take away the source of our struggles. It seems God is content to leave us in our trials. Yet, we know God is not mean-spirited. We know He doesn't like to see us suffer. So we have to ask, "Why is it that God doesn't smooth our life's wrinkles"?We see a glimpse of the reason in God's response to Paul. God told Paul that His grace was sufficient for meeting Paul's need. It is God's grace that saves us. It is that same grace that will give us the strength to face whatever may happen in life. Paul learned that the power of God is revealed in a tremendous way in our weaknesses. What an incredible lesson this is to learn!Whether dealing with a difficulty or trying something outside your comfort-zone, there is no doubt that God is the one giving us the strength to stand.Don't run from your weaknesses. Rather, embrace them! Embrace the power of the living God.Our prayer for you: We pray that your life would be blessed, and that you would live free of suffering and pain. But we pray that when suffering and trials do enter your life, you would FIRST seek God's all-sufficient grace, trusting Him to provide exactly what you need to overcome the trials life brings. Look for a new Youth Worker Boost each week on the ym360 Blog.Last Week's BOOST: Building On A Solid FoundationNext Week's BOOST: Accepting Correction Get more BOOST articles HERE! |
| "elements": Helping Your Students Know What They Believe |
From youthministry360 on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 @ 10:37 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
In January we launched Volume 1 of our elements Bible study curriculum. It represented the first 5 of the 25 studies that will eventually make up the line.Well, yesteday was a fun day as we launched elements Volume 2!elements takes 25 foundational concepts of our faith and looks at each concept through a really unique framework. Each study looks at one of these key concepts--concepts like Grace, God's Love, the Holy Spirit, Discipleship, and many more--in three lessons. Each lesson works like a "lens."The first lesson looks at the concept through the lens of God's character.The second lesson looks at the concept through the lens of the Gospel.The third lesson looks at the concept through an ultra focused lens of practically living out the concept as a 21st Century teenage Christ-follower. And as of yesterday, we have 10 of these studies available! Between volume 1 and volume 2, you can teach your teenagers any one of the following concepts:God's LoveSalvationGod's JudgmentGraceDiscipleshipHoly SpiritGod's WordSpiritual GiftsGod's GloryEvangelismI'm pumped. I love what this line of Bible study represents for your teenagers. I love that you'll have the chance to really help them focus on the essentials of their faith. As much as anything, elements also reflects the strong relationship you've allowed us to build with you, the youth workers who make up the ym360 community.The commitment to craft a curriculum that teaches these foundational truths started with you. We heard you telling us over and over that you want more for your students when it comes to leading them deeper in their relationship with Christ. You told us you'd love some help teaching core truths in a way that was deep, but still easy to teach, solid but still engaging and interactive. We feel like elements is all of these things and more. The feedback so far has been so, so positive. We love hearing from you about the great discussion and times of Bible study you're having with your students using elements. So, we're excited. And we think you will be too. As we continue to roll out content, feel free to go check out elements for yourself.CLICK HERE to learn more or to try a FREE elements studyAnd, while you're here, take a second and watch this short video:If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Call (888.969.6360), Live Chat us by clicking on the link at the top of this page, or email us at customercare@youthministry360.com. We'd love to answer any questions you may have. |
| YS Roundtable Episode 3 : Tom Bergler |
From Youth Specialties on Monday, March 18, 2013 @ 3:05 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Welcome to the YS Roundtable Episode #3
This is a new video show hosted by Terry Linhart, director of the Youth Specialties Academic Support Network (YSASN) and Professor of Youth Ministry & Adolescent Studies at Bethel College in Indiana. In this episode, Terry will be joined by Tom Bergler around the YS RoundTable to discuss how the church has accepted juvenile behavior as the standard measurement of spirituality in the church.
YS Roundtable is produced by our friends at RemedyLive. |
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