June is traditionally the month when graduates are recognized. College grads have already walked the fateful stage and most high school grads either have or are preparing to do so. Major life transitions like this are often fraught with challenges…
Network provides ‘Oasis’ from youth minister burnout
By Jeff Brumley Ministry burnout is far from being a new concept with even the most hard-working pastors and demanding congregations admitting it can happen to them and their clergy, too. But one group often left out of the equation…
How Seminaries Fail 2: “this time it’s personal”
Recently, pastor, author, and professor Brett Younger penned a thought provoking essay outlining a few of the ways in which seminaries fail. Aside from listing the more obvious shortcomings of any institution attempting to convince well-intentioned and impassioned twenty-somethings to invest…
Let’s stop gambling on (youth) ministry
When it comes to youth ministry the church has a gambling problem, according to Nashville-based youth expert Mark DeVries. In his important work, Sustainable Youth Ministry, he suggests that the practices of many churches in the work of youth ministry…
The hidden cost to teens of adult mistakes
In the last 3 days I have had conversations about 5 different instances where a youth minister or key volunteer made a poor choice and it cost them their jobs, and consequently, their relationships with most of the teens with…
Grieving summer: a Havdalah
For many people, summer is a type of Sabbath: a slower pace; vacation; more interaction with neighbors as the warm weather invites people outside; a deliberate pause between academic years. Even people whose lives do not operate solely on an…
Reflections on “The Way, Way Back” and why I believe in youth ministry
This week I had the chance to catch the new movie The Way, Way Back. In the film, the gangly and awkward teenage protagonist Duncan is having difficulty finding his place. His adolescent growing pains have only been compounded by his mother’s…
Soccer vs. church? Wrong question!
This year our family begins a new chapter…travel soccer. I am officially becoming one of those parents that I used to lament as a youth minister. “These parents are more committed to soccer than the spiritual formation of their daughter.”…
One-eared Mickey Mouse model of youth ministry
Churches must be intentional about forming a community that includes everyone. I have been in youth ministry for over 12 years. In college I was introduced to the One-Eared Mickey Mouse Model of youth ministry. I ran into it again…