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Jen Bradbury
Oct 17 · 5 min read

Jesus > Holy Spirit

Recently, one of my new adult leaders asked me, “Why don’t we talk about the Holy Spirit more with our high school students? It seems like we’re very focused on Jesus.”

Truthfully, this is a pretty fair assessment of my high school ministry: It ...

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#ELCA #NSYR #Jesus gap #research #Jesus #books

Jen Bradbury
Oct 01 · 5 min read

Review: Redefining the Role of the Youth Worker: A Manifesto of Integration by April Diaz

Filed in Book Review

Most people in the youth ministry world are at least vaguely aware of recent research from both the National Study of Youth and Religion and the College Transition Project that suggests the faith we're cultivating in teens is not consequential and...

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#NSYR #Sticky faith

Jen Bradbury
Aug 15 · 5 min read

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism & The Ragamuffin Gospel

Filed in Book Review

I love to read. Among the books I love, there are a select few that have had a profound impact on my life and faith. Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel is one of them.

More than anything else, The Ragamuffin Gospel is a treatise on grace...

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#NSYR #grace #research

Jen Bradbury
Aug 14 · 5 min read

Sticky Faith & Partnering with Parents

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of writing a piece on Sticky Faith – research that I very much admire and respect from Kara Powell and the folks at the College Transition Project - for The Christian Century.

A few weeks ago, Christian...

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#NSYR #research #Sticky faith #parents #scripture #discipleship

Jen Bradbury
Aug 13 · 5 min read

What I learned about youth ministry from the Backwater Gamblers Waterskiing Show

During our recent mission trip to the Quad Cities, our group attended the Backwater Gamblers waterskiing show. It was everything a small town show should be: Free, community-orientated, fun, and quirky.

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My husband was enamored because some of...

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#NSYR #Intergenerational #grace #research #church

Jen Bradbury
Jul 18 · 5 min read

Do quiet times matter?

This summer, my student leaders and I are reading and discussing Help! I'm a Student Leader by Doug Fields.

The week before our summer mission trip, we discussed Ch. 3 of this book, entitled “Student Leaders Deepen Their Faith.” As part of our...

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#NSYR #college #Sticky faith #scripture #student leadership #Missions

Jen Bradbury
Apr 10 · 5 min read

What youth workers can learn from The Book of Mormon

Google the musical, The Book of Mormon, and you'll almost certainly find people using the words “irreverent”, “crass”, and “ridiculously funny” to describe it. It's a show that uses wit and humor to explore faith and in particular, the Mormon...

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#NSYR #The Book of Mormon #research #evangelism #youth ministry #books

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Latest Posts

  • Jesus > Holy Spirit
  • Review: Redefining the Role of the Youth Worker: A Manifesto of Integration by April Diaz
  • Moralistic Therapeutic Deism & The Ragamuffin Gospel
  • Sticky Faith & Partnering with Parents
  • What I learned about youth ministry from the Backwater Gamblers Waterskiing Show
  • Do quiet times matter?
  • What youth workers can learn from The Book of Mormon

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