What makes a youth ministry sustainable? How do you stay on the road to success? In the world of youth ministry, there are a handful of constant factors that thrive over the long haul. Our upcoming Youth Ministry Training seminar, Foundations of Sustainable Youth Ministry, introduces these factors and offers a strategic design for instilling these foundational patterns into the fabric of any youth ministry, regardless of its model.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar. This is a time of reflection and repentance in preparation for Easter and Eastertide.
Ash Wednesday is one of the most meaningful services for me. It is the time when we are deeply reminded of our mortality and utter dependence on the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Last night at Jacob's Well, Tim Keel shared Romans 12:2 from Eugene Peterson's The Message.
"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." Romans 12:2
I had been contemplating and praying what my focus would be during Lent and this verse solidified my thoughts. I want to "Put On" faithful and consistent "Fixed Hour Prayer" during Lent. I want to "Put Off" contempt toward the "other."
The current realities in our cultural environment is pregnant with "contempt." I find myself constantly getting angry watching the news. I find myself getting upset when it feels like Christians have allowed their agenda to be co-opted by partisan politics. I believe there are so many great people and committed Christians who hold positions across the political spectrums but we don't know how to understand the other and therefore we don't feel we are understood. Followers of Jesus should confound both political parties with a different way of interacting in our world. I need to sit at the feet of Jesus and allow Christ to overcome my contempt for those who think differently than I do. This doesn't mean I don't have strong positions but it does mean that I don't allow the propaganda machines of this world to control my emotions and the way I interact with those who see the world differently than I do.
Foundations of Sustainable Youth Ministry
Mark has trained youth workers across the United States and Canada, as well as in Russia, Uganda, South Africa, Ecuador, Trinidad, Nicaragua, and Northern Ireland, working with a wide variety of denominations. He has taught courses or been a guest lecturer at a number of colleges and seminaries. Mark is the author of a number of books, including Sustainable Youth Ministry (IVP, 2008). Mark serves as the chairman of the board for the Center for Youth Ministry Training, a two-year residential, masters-level, youth ministry training program based in Nashville. He also serves on the Alumni Board for Princeton Theological Seminary.
In the world of youth ministry, there are a handful of constant factors that thrive over the long haul. This seminar introduces participants to those factors and offers a strategic design for instilling these foundational patterns into the fabric of any youth ministry, regardless of its model.
"When the angel Gabriel came to Mary, he told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” And she answered, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” It was in this submission, this surrender and obedience, that Christ was conceived. And it is the laying down of power that is revealed in his birth.…He was born in a stable, at the mercy of Herod and the stark elements of cold and dirt. This pattern of complete abandonment of human strength in total surrender to God’s will is of vital importance for us. It was in the surrender of herself to God that Mary became the mother of Christ. It was in her acceptance of Gabriel’s message that the great decisive event of history took place. And in our own lives, in our efforts to do right, what is decisive is that we accept and live by and surrender ourselves to a strength which is not our own, to the piercing white light of God’s love." Philip Britts, Watch for the Light - Daily Dig, December 21, 2018
When we talk about our faith, we become more faithful people. Dr. Amanda Drury will present about the power of our story. She'll share why and how it is important to create an environment where young people learn to tell their story and share their faith, to each other, to the church and to the world.
A very special thanks to Museum of the Bible for sponsoring our Youth Worker Training Events:
For years, we have offered our Teen Staff program to high school students. It has been said to be one of our greatest strengths. This program is one element of our high school ministry. We believe, as many of you have said, that this program is a rich program that contributes to the spiritual growth of our teens in a way no other program can. As a result of these dynamic realities, we are dramatically expanding our teen staff program, not only at camp but also throughout the ministry of Youthfront. Remember, our teens want and need to make a difference—this program allows that to happen. It is important for us to provide as many teens with the opportunity to do this. Now, with the expansion of middle school camp programs moving to both Youthfront locations, the launching of a new Day Camp Program, the expansion of our Something to Eat Initiative and other programs being developed, more opportunities for kids to serve are available. And, we can involve a lot more high school students in our teen staff program each week! It’s a great win-win! Now Meet two new Youthfront staff members who will be working year round with our Teen Staff youth.
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"Even though I wouldn't have predicted that this would be my career path when I first started studying engineering at Iowa, I am confident that my new role of leading and walking alongside these students at Youthfront is the intersection where my passion has met God's will for ministry in my life." - Mac Maser
Learn more about Mac here. |
"I don't take it lightly that I get the honor and responsibility of being a person who gets to pour into these people for so many hours this summer. I am so ready to learn their names, hear their stories, and soak up all the beautiful things they have to offer this world." - Haley Stafford
Learn more about Haley here. |
Emerging Adults, Spirituality, and the Church Featuring Dr. Steven Argue | 9a - 1p | Colonial Presbyterian Church (Wornall)
Emerging Adults are those who self-identify as no longer being adolescents but have yet to see themselves as adults. They are living in one of the most significant developmental periods that often determine the trajectory of the rest of their lives. Currently, they may be one of the most misunderstood populations in the church. In conversations with ministry leaders, there seems to be three recurring questions regarding emerging adults. The first is “Why are they leaving us?” This only adds insult to young adults’ already-vulnerable dispositions. The second, is “How do we get emerging adults back?” The third is often asked in whispered tones, “If they do come back, what do we do with them?” This reveals an honest apprehension about what it really means for churches to connect with emerging adults. Sadly, there are some narratives where churches bemoan emerging adults leaving them and emerging adults condemn churches for abandoning them. There are more thoughtful and hopeful ways to move forward if we are willing to listen to the voices of emerging adults, consider their quest for meaning, and envision what “good news” might look like for them. We will explore the research and reimagine the Church’s posture toward emerging adults.
Dr. Steven Argue joined the Fuller Theological Seminary faculty in June 2015 in a hybrid role as assistant professor of youth, family, and culture and as applied research strategist with the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI). A thought leader and researcher with decades of on-the-ground ministry experience, he comes from Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served since 2009 as pastor and theologian-in-residence. Prior to that he was executive director of the Contextual Learning Center (CLC) at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, where he designed the seminary’s residency program that provided experience and assessment for seminary students. He has worked and led parachurch organizations that focused on youth ministry strategies and leadership development. Also, he was associate pastor of high school ministries at Elmbrook Church. Prior to his ministry experience, he worked for Hewitt Associates, a firm that provides human capital and management consulting services.
Dr. Argue has worked with FYI for the past five years: as a Sticky Faith coach and speaker, a contributor on projects such as the Churches Engaging Youth People Project (CEYP), and as an Advisory Council Member. He has also taught as an adjunct at Fuller Seminary, as well as at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Cornerstone University, Bethel College (Indiana), Biblical Theological Seminary, Northern Seminary, and Jos Evangelical Theological School (Nigeria). His speaking engagements include Youth Specialties’ National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) since 2008, and his publications range from numerous blogs and articles on the Fuller Youth Institute website, in Group magazine, Inside Track magazine, andYouth Worker Journal to coauthoring a five-volume set of training materials for youth workers. Argue is also a chapter contributor to Adopted, edited by Dr. Chap Clark (forthcoming in 2015).
Argue’s doctoral research focused on how undergraduate students who attend public universities perceive and work through spiritual struggle. He hopes this work can contribute to better understanding emerging adults—one of the most misunderstood groups of people in our churches today—and provide more meaningful ways for faith communities to support emerging adults in one of the most important periods in their lives.
His professional affiliations include the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Association of Youth Ministry Educators, International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry, National Network of Youth Ministries, and the Association of Theological Field Educators. Argue was ordained in 1994 by Elmbrook Church, Brookfield, Wisconsin, as an Ordained Minister of the Gospel.
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Chris Folmsbee: Story, Signs, and Sacred Rhythms: A Narrative Approach to Youth Ministry
Philip Sheldrake: Spaces for the Sacred: Place, Memory, and Identity
N. T. Wright: Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
Mike King: Presence-centered Youth Ministry: Guiding Students into Spiritual Formation
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