"How to Welcome Doubts and Questions" is perhaps at once the most interesting and most relevant title for a youth ministry blog post that I have encountered in quite some time. The article, written by Youth Specialties staff, list six ways that youth ministry leaders can create an environment that welcomes doubts and questions. This "how to" list fails to mention what I have found to be the most helpful piece of advice on the topic: there are many aspects of the Christian faith for Read More …
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God’s Role in Your Halloween Candy Consumption (#0533)
"If God knows, will you eat that Halloween candy?" is a question worth answering, and the title of Cathy Lynn Grossman's USA Today article. As a means of answering that question she explores recent research: According to lead author Kristin Laurin of University of Waterloo, Canada, "This is the first empirical evidence that simple reminders of God can diminish some types of self-regulation, such as pursuing one's goals, yet can improve others, such as resisting temptation." So Read More …
Social Media Tools for Churches 101 (#0497)
Alys Drake, communications manager for Howell Marketing Strategies, recently wrote a guest commentary in the Commercial Appeal that provides churches with a "social media primer." She includes six basics: Blogs Twitter Flickr and Tumblr Facebook Geolocation (e.g. Foursquare) Other (YouTube, Ustream, Vimeo, podcasting, QR codes, Google+) So What? In the article, Drake states, "Information is spread at lightning speed via social networks like Facebook and Twitter in a way Read More …
Top 10 Characteristics of a Healthy Youth Ministry (#0462)
Kenda Creasy Dean, an ordained United Methodist pastor and Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, recently blogged about the characteristics of a healthy youth ministry. Her Top 10 list: Jesus Lots and lots of parents who are growing in, and living out, their love of God and neighbor (and who are aware that this matters to their kids) A senior pastor who is crazy about young people A supportive congregation where people actively seek God and Read More …
Stop Taking Things So Personally (#0454)
Neuropsychologist Rick Hanson is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. He is a contributing author to the Buddhist portal at Patheos. In one of his recent posts, he shares a powerful parable: Here’s an updated parable from the ancient Taoist teacher, Chuang-Tzu: Imagine that you are floating in a canoe on a slow-moving river, having a Sunday picnic with a friend. Suddenly there is a loud thump on the side of the canoe, and it rolls Read More …
Marketing a Mainline Congregation (#0443)
Martin Thielen, Senior Pastor of the 7,600-member Brentwood United Methodist Church, wrote the cover story for the July 26 (2011) edition of the Christian Century about his experience marketing his previous parish. Initially a Southern Baptist, he left that denomination when it took a fundamentalist turn to become a United Methodist pastor. In the article he shares what he learned while Senior Pastor of Lebanon First United Methodist Church in Read More …
Consider a Workflow Audit (#0431)
Seth Godin is the author of twelve books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change, and work. He recently blogged: Go find a geek. Someone who understands gmail, Outlook, Excel and other basic tools. Pay her to sit next to you for an hour and watch you work. Then say, "tell me five ways I can save an hour a day." Whatever you need to pay for this service, it will pay for itself in a week. So What? Almost everyone wants to work Read More …
Signs You’re Failing (#0430)
Steve Ingold, High School Director at Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore, CA, wrote a guest post on Josh Griffin's top-ranked youth ministry blog, More than Dodgeball, about signs that indicate a youth minister is missing the mark. Ingold's list of thirteen items includes: … if I put the ministry ahead of my relationship with God. … if I put the ministry ahead of my relationship with my wife and family. … if don’t invest in meaningful friendships outside of youth ministry Read More …
Demand for Intelligent Internet Video (#0412)
TED is "is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading." TED conferences "bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less)." Writing for Mashable, Sarah Kessler shares the story of how recordings of these talks have now been viewed 500 million times: When Director of TED Media June Cohen shopped around the idea for a television show featuring lectures from the organization’s famously elite Read More …
Half Way Through 2011 (#0410)
I spent a great deal of time in my youth on soccer fields. While no two games were the same, we always paused at the midpoint for half-time. During the half-time break the coach helped us evaluate our performance during the first half and offered recommendations for what we needed to do in the second half. Unfortunately there is no national half-time holiday each year to remind us to stop and assess our performance and consider what changes we need to make in the Read More …