A New Kind of Youth Ministry

Nearly two years ago I began to work with the Church of the Nazarene to develop the content strategy centered around a national gathering of HS students from around North America.
The result of the curriculum aspect of our content strategy is this: A World Unbroken: Hope and Healing for a Shattered World.  The entire curriculum [...]

I’m excited to see how the future of YS will continue to develop.  Like many of you, YS has a special place in my heart.

Tic has been accessible to all of us over the years, a great friend to many of us and a mentor to a few of us.  Much of the recent growth [...]

Scot McKnight, Syler Thomas and I worked on a book for students together called, The Jesus Creed for Students.  Obviously, it was birthed out of Scot’s original work, The Jesus Creed. Your high school and college students will totally dig this book.

The essence of Jesus’ moral vision is this: His followers are to love [...]

I am excited to announce that I will be partnering with Mark Oestreicher and the Youth Ministry Coaching Program.  Beginning fall of 2011 I will be hosting a cohort in Kansas City.
The Youth Ministry Coaching Program is a whole-life yearlong coaching program for youth workers. Deeply rooted in the idea that a [...]

I am thrilled to be contributing (along with my good friend Erik Leafblad) to the development of a new digital small group resource by Beacon Hill Press called, Missio.  For years I have been dreaming about a multi-year resource that is based on the approach of missional formation I wrote about in my book Story, [...]

I was reminded again this weekend while speaking at Today’s Teens conference in Toronto that so many youth workers that I meet have so many good ideas.  Here is the deal… if you feel as though you have an idea that would fit into what we are doing at Barefoot or at The House Studio, [...]

I’ve been praying this prayer everyday since the start of the new year.  Would you pray this prayer for today’s youth with me?
…Be present especially with the young who must choose between many voices. Help them to know
how much an old world needs their youth and gladness. Help them to know that there are words [...]

[RE-POST]
I’ve been thinking a bunch lately about how we help our students best understand the Church and its work in the mission of God. I have received several recent emails in which youth workers have expressed a deep concern for their students understanding of the church.
Can the students in your youth ministry describe the [...]

[RE-POST]
Over the last couple of weeks I have been in some terrific conversations about youth ministry and evangelism.  One youth worker from a church in Toronto asked me, “Where did evangelism go?  It seems as though evangelism is way less important as it was 10 years ago when I began working with teens and their [...]

I’m hopeful that the ongoing renovation I’ve observed and experienced in youth ministry over the last few years will continue in and beyond 2011.
I’m confidant that youth ministers will collectively continue to pray, think, converse, practice and trust our way toward a more holistic approach to youth ministry.   A holistic approach marked by 1) a [...]