Where are you headed? What do you need to get there? As youth leaders, we pour into others, but what are ways you allow God to pour into you? A few weeks ago, we suggested creating a learning track for your student leaders to help identify specific elements in building that person and who could provide those learning opportunities. It's no different for you as a leader. Below is a
In youth ministry, you never know where circumstances may lead. Having an emergency plan and a list of emergency contacts is vital to quickly and effectively handling unforeseen situations. EMERGENCY PLAN Unexpected interruptions happen. The key is knowing how to respond. Where are the emergency exits? (Would students know where to exit the building?) If you're not sure, check with your church property rep (or equivalent). Where's the evacuation meeting place? In what situations would you
It's been said that Generation Z's attention focus is 8 seconds (YouTube: "How to Communicate with Gen Z"). What does communication look like in a youth ministry setting, assuming you can't produce a high quality video every week? Here are some suggestions on how to enhance your youth ministry talks. Consider ways your message can be communicated through different multiple intelligences. While you may not be able to utilize all
We want our students in our youth ministries to thrive both in their faith and in their lives for the glory of God. Do you know what areas to focus on? Do you know how they can best be trained? Below is a suggested template for tracking those developmental elements in a student's life. You may have other elements to add as well (if so, leave those in the comment section). The key to this tool is for youth and youth leaders/mentors/parents to discuss what areas to develop
Can you believe September is already over and this weekend is Thanksgiving?! As we head into the first long weekend of this ministry season, we're reminded to give thanks. So what are you thankful for? John F Kennedy has been attributed with this quote: As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.1 During this time,
(Submitted by Blake Bentley, English Pastor at Pickering Community Baptist Church) I am a new pastor at my church and I’ve been here for two years now. When I came to my small church in Pickering, ON, there were almost no babies in the church, no nursery to speak of, no youth group, no Sunday School for high school youth and no leaders to look after these things. I came
CBOQ has an almost 20-year relationship with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in hosting our Centre Court outreach event with the Toronto Raptors. We are in high standing with MLSE, but it didn't happen over night. Here are some lessons we've learned. Be professional. This may seem redundant, but I've seen some youth leaders who approach corporations as one of their buddies. Whether or not you know your contact, if you're working in a business environment, then
At Assembly, we launched "Imaginative Hope", a concise collaborative message from 50 Canadian Baptist youth pastors to the 1000+ Canadian Baptist churches. The initial report has created a buzz amongst many churches and we are excited about what the next steps might be. To support those next steps, Imaginative Hope is relaunching its website ON WEDNESDAY. Not only will you access the video and the report, you can also glean
Animation offers a medium of storytelling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world. -Walt Disney Movies have the ability to transport us to different time periods, different countries and even to the future. They fill us with a wide array of emotions, teach us valuable lessons and force us to ask questions about things we never once considered. Movie
Your typical student is likely digitally connected, whether it’s through texting, social media, gaming or other channels. Some youth ministries embrace all these channels. Others would rather restrict them and get back to “real relationships” So how do you engage these digitally connected youth? First of all, let’s remember that for Generation Z, digital connections are just as real as in-person ones. For many students, their identity encompasses both the
