A New Kind of Youth Ministry

I spent the last couple days in Pittsburgh at the National Youth Workers Convention.  I had a fantastic time connecting with old and new friends.

My seminars were definitely a highlight.  I did a critical concerns course on Thursday and Friday with my friend Kelly Lashly who is a youth ministry prof over at Sioux Falls Seminary.  The participants were very engaged and the conversation was inspiring.  There are so many youth workers throughout North America doing such cool things to aid in the spiritual formation of adolescents.

My missional youth ministry seminar was good also.  I really enjoy the conversations I am having with youth workers around narrative theology, the gospel, missional living, etc.  I am hopeful that youth ministry is moving towards a very healthy future — especially when we consider how we might better connect to and contribute within the missio dei.

I also did a seminar for volunteers that was a blast!  The seminar is called, “What Every Volunteer Youth Worker Should Know.”  I snatched the idea from my friends over in England at Oasis.  The seminar and a new book/training guide I am coming out with designed for volunteer youth workers is an adaption of what a guy named Danny Brierly wrote several years ago.  I am always blown away by a room filled with a 100 or so people who have, in many cases, taken vacation time, paid their own way and our away from their family for a weekend of training.  The sacrifice of youth workers and the love they have for rising generations is amazing…

I also had the chance to consult through YSConsults with a dozen or so youth workers.  I was particularly excited to meet with two guys from Eastern PA named Dustin and Corby who are doing some really cool stuff in the area of missional youth ministry at Manheim Brethren in Christ Church.
A couple other highlights were spending some time with my good freind Doug Jones and Guy Wasko.  Doug writes over at Perigrinatio and is working on a few writing projects with me and Guy is student ministries pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church.  I spoke last night at Guy’s youth group and it was a ton of fun.  Guy has really done a great job crafting an environment for multi-cultural ministry and helping his students imagine a life of living in the ways of Jesus

I am headed home for a few days to see and be with my family, check in on the ministry teams at Youthfront and finish a couple of books!  If you are planning to be in Nashville at the upcoming NYWC, let me know and we’ll grab some coffee and chat.