Our youth ministry has a set of ground rules that we reiterate every time we gather. They’re basic things that establish how we relate to and interact with one another. Our ground rules include:
1. When one person talks, everyone else listens. To...
Read more
I'm a big believer in the power of experiential learning. To this end, instead of giving a talk about prayer, I'd much rather create a series of prayer stations designed to give students the opportunity to pray in a variety of ways.
Over the next...
Read more
Yesterday, one of my female student leaders taught a class at my church. Her teaching felt especially appropriate since it was international women’s day, a day in which we celebrate women and the movement for women’s rights.
My student leader and...
Read more
I'm a big believer in the power of experiential learning. To this end, instead of giving a talk about prayer, I'd much rather create a series of prayer stations designed to give students the opportunity to pray in a variety of ways.
Over the next...
Read more
Three years ago, our associate pastor left to take another call. Our church immediately scheduled a farewell dinner. I assumed the students who she’d worked closely with during her tenure at our congregation would attend. While some did, most didn...
Read more
The night my high school youth ministry discussed refugees, one of our final questions was, “How else can we show mercy to refugees?”
After wrestling with this question for a while, one student quietly and courageously asked, “Everything...
Read more
After 15 years in our congregation, my senior pastor is leaving to take a new call.
Since my senior pastor announced his departure, I’ve become acutely aware of the role that I, as a staff member, have to play in this transition. Just as there are...
Read more
“I can’t do the Famine,” one of my active, never-miss-an-activity students informed me.
“How come?” I asked.
“My mom doesn’t want me to starve myself,” she said.
It’s something I’ve heard a lot over the years. For many students, fasting – the...
Read more
After 15 years in our congregation, my senior pastor is leaving to take a new call.
As far as transitions go, this is a healthy one. No underlying conflict is forcing anyone to go. And yet, transitions are always hard. I’m grieving and so are many...
Read more