Mullings...

So, here are some of my thoughts/questions from my cofee induced ponder on the train yesterday. all in note form, not quite properly though out yet. I'll refine it upon my return from Israel!!

CofS needs to give more value to this ministry.

People need to read the interview with Mark Yaconelli in this months Youthwork magazine.

People need to listen to cloud of witnesses from the princeton institute for youth ministry.

Basics: Why do we do youth ministry?
How?
Who should do it?
should it be recognized as a seperate ministry at all?
what is a "youth"?

Youth Worker or Youth Minister? Does the title matter?

Longer term posts need to be encourage, what can really be done in 2/3 years, apart from damage!

Local Area Networks, as well as national, need to be developed

In my experience, many congregation and ministers need educated on the nature,value, purpose and living of youth ministry. and thats after the employ a full time practitioner!

Need to ecourage people away from a prgoram driving youth ministry to a youth ministry driven by encounters with Jesus

Youth ministry is more often than not like emerging church - youth have an intrinsic, impulsive sense of adventur. We need to embrace this in our ministries rather than trying to wrap them in cotton wool.


As I said, nothng really refined. But som good basis fo discussion i think.....


....I'll do some more when I'm back form Israel....that'll really shake it all up!

Youth in Church

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has this issue: What do you do when the young people ypou're dealing with are undoubtedly interested in faith and what it may mean to them, but have no interest in attending church because of the stlye of church service?

In Portlethen, we do have a monthly evening service lead by myself, Linda and some of the youth, but I'm not interested in creating a seperate "youth church". I want to encourage the church and the young people to connect with each other, but that barrier of stlye is in the way. I took some of the young people to Souled Out and they connected with the music so easily and willingly. Sure, they weren't keen on the speaker, but it was more to do with how long people were speaking for rather than what they were saying.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that Churches should change their style completly for yonug people, ut throw them a bone at least! How can we exect young people to connect with us if we don't make an effort to practice church, especially services, in a way that they can begin to relate too.....

Why another blog?

So i thought i'd start another blog to run in conjunction with my wordpress blog. Wordpress will still be my main blog, I plan to use this one primarily for blogging about Youth Ministry and other ministry related things. I've linked it via RSS to my wordpress blog, so it shouldn't involve too much effort to read this one too.

Anyhoo, I'll probrably do my first proper post over the weekend.

peace out

CHris