In 2012, Matt Wilkinson wrote a book that guides a conversation between the lead pastor, youth leader(s) and parents in how their church can move towards a youth ministry that is youth-led, adult-mentored and family-empowered. From October to May, each month, we'll spend an hour together with Matt as he shares some key considerations followed by a group discussion with those on the Zoom call. The 10-min sharing by Matt
It’s vital, as the pastor, to have an understanding of what’s happening in other ministries. It’s not to say you have to manage or organize these. At the very least, if someone asks you what’s happening in those ministries, you can share with confidence and redirect as needed. With these resources, you can discuss with your children and youth leaders if/how they might use them. Perhaps they have a rationale not to use it; that’s fine. They
Lived examples are one of the best ways for children and youth to see concepts in action. It’s also another way for them to get to know you not just as a pastor but as a person. Through the monthly ONE resources (kids, youth links), they are hopefully deepening their understanding of prayer and how they can grow in it. Sharing your own experience in your prayer life gives them
Both CBOQ Kids (www.cboqkids.ca/one) and CBOQ Youth (www.cboqyouth.ca/one) have monthly resources on specific aspects of our shared theme “ONE”. CBOQ Kids has weekly family-based activities that can be done at home. They are shared on Facebook and on Instagram every week. Encourage your families to try these and share their experiences either through social media, video clips or with images that you can share. CBOQ Youth offers a youth group lesson (both
3 Key Insights from Dan Martin The youth ministry experience needs to encompass those who want to gather in-person and those who want to connect online. Although some previous roles may not be utilized, reassign those volunteers to new roles (e.g. "Zoom lobby manager"). Hybrid youth ministry allows for youth to pivot with changing restrictions (both when it's lessening or increasing). This will likely be part of
Recently, McCrindle (a research organization in Australia) released a report on “Understanding Generation Alpha”; these are kids born approx. 2010 and later. Some are starting to enter youth ministry. Here are some key highlights (especially as they differ from Generation Z): Personalization is key. It’s not just having their “names” on everything; they are growing up in a world where a service or resource is channeled specifically to them individually. This isn‘t a case of entitlement; it’s just “how it
August is about to end, September is just around the corner, and while winter feels far away, some of you are asking what’s happening with Avalanche and Blizzard. Good news! Avalanche and Blizzard are still on! Avalanche is scheduled for January 15-17, 2021 and Blizzard for February 5-7, 2021. How they are carried out may look different from previous years, but the purpose of offering high-quality experiences, musical worship and engaging teaching for youth that focus on the powerful and life-changing love of
Back to school feels more stressful than ever before. Parents, educators and kids are all asking what the best step is to take. More than ever, churches and youth ministries will need to be available to navigate the new few months. So how can you best support your students, your church family and your neighbourhood in the coming months? Here are some considerations and questions. Make room for students to discuss what they’re experiencing. Some
3 Key Insights from Matt Bellefeuille Lean on "I don't know" because there are a lot of answers we don't know as the pandemic continues. Plan now so you can adapt later. Know the difference between a "fountain" and a "river".
High school grads in the 2020 cohort will experience a summer and fall unlike previous generations of grads. Grads who are continuing to post-secondary studies will experience orientation events and the first weeks of classes (if they exist in person at all) in completely new ways. Some grads are deciding to defer their acceptances for a year. (Note: If you are looking to defer but haven’t done so already, you’ll need to check with your respective institution to see if any conditions apply to that deferral.) Other grads made the decision to defer a while ago. If you
