Mass shootings will outnumber snowstorms this year. That sentence hurts to write; may it haunt us. The decision to cancel church for inclement weather involves the complex interaction of values — safety vs. commitment; feelings — fear of injury vs….
There are better ways to read the Bible
“Your son is disruptive, disrespectful and dishonoring to God. He asks too many questions during Bible study, and it’s causing the other students to doubt their faith. I’m sorry, but he’s not welcome here anymore.” My youth pastor said this…
New book explores the good, the bad and the weepy about church camp
Years attending and later working at Christian summer camps left Cara Meredith feeling somewhat ambivalent about letting her own children experience what is essentially an evangelical rite of passage. So perplexing was the question that it helped inspire her new…
This isn’t ‘their’ problem; it is ‘our’ problem
In June 2015, my wife and I were on a mission trip with students at a church where I previously served as a youth pastor. The trip had all the makings of a typical youth excursion; students leaving things behind,…
What your faith community needs to know for Suicide Awareness Month
This article discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you are in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You know someone, even if you don’t know it. You work with someone. Go to school with someone….
How can the church help youth struggling with mental illness?
With the demands of social media and the stress and challenges of greater social isolation as evidenced during the COVID pandemic, youth today are facing significant pressure with limited support. Ask any youth you know, and they will tell you…
Middle schoolers are cooler than you think — and other reasons to volunteer in your church’s youth group
“I could never work with youth — I just can’t deal with all those hormones!” “I’ve done my time when my kids were that age.” “They won’t think I’m cool enough.” “What if they ask questions about sex?” These are…
‘Who sets the temperature in the sanctuary?’ and other questions pastor candidates ought to ask
After seminary, I was coming to the end of my one-year residency as a hospital chaplain. I was a few months from unemployment and had turned up the heat on finding a position. After a miserable experience in a church…
From isolation to ministerial pasta: How summer camp has changed since COVID showed up
Is the end of COVID as an official public health emergency good news for summer youth camps? Or are dangers still lurking behind every tree and campsite? After the May 11 declaration that COVID-19 is no longer a public health…
BSK seeks input on youth and children’s ministries
Baptist Seminary of Kentucky is conducting an online survey to determine how it can best serve congregations seeking ministers for youth and children’s work. In recent decades, churches increasingly have been filling these positions with individuals from within the congregation…
Interpreting the recent dramatic decrease in American teen pregnancy rates
Ryan Burge — pastor, author and statistician — frequently shares intriguing research data on his Twitter account. On Nov. 19, Burge tweeted a graph showing the dramatic decrease in the amount of recorded U.S. teen pregnancies with the caption, “Can…
The Kentucky youth group brainsaw massacre — a ghost story for All Hallows Eve and Reformation
“Can we go camping tonight, Brad? Pleeeeeease?” During seminary in Kentucky in the early 1990s, I served as youth minister at a small country church in the rolling pastureland 25 miles south of Louisville, Ky., in Elk Creek. Spencer County…