“Mentoring” and “intergenerational” have become big buzzwords within the Christian community in the last few years. Research and personal stories reveal a student’s faith is propelled by having a trusted adult (mentoring) and a close peer (small group) walk alongside him or her. It is vital to encourage and nurture these relationships. Here are seven ways to do that. (Some of these can have overlapping objectives and incorporate aspects of
The following is an excerpt from our book Faith Formation 2.0. Traditionally, churches have focused on ministry programs as the primary way of ministering to people. Typically, these ministry programs are geared towards age-specific audiences. It seems to work generally when children are younger. However, as research has shown, as people get older, these ministry programs seem less and less effective. The diagram above demonstrates that a church can still
The following is an excerpt from our book Faith Formation 2.0. There’s an old and wise saying: “It takes a village to raise a child.” This is just as true in a child’s faith development. Ultimately, we recognize it is God who desires children to develop profound, life-changing faith in Jesus. No one person is responsible for the entire faith development of a child. After all, the Apostle Paul reminds
The following is an excerpt taken from our book Faith Formation 2.0. Mentoring has become the buzzword in the discipleship of children and youth. It’s the biblical model of discipleship that Jesus demonstrated and Paul with Timothy exemplified. That’s more than a buzzword! It has been shown to be one of the most effective and high-impact means for supporting students in their faith development, because mentors are able to
One key way we come to know God is through Scripture. We believe it is the inspired word of God, a primary channel through which he shares his love and his directives with humanity. We've also seen that biblical literacy is very low in the Canadian church (e.g. just 14% of Canadians read the Bible at least once a month in 2013, down from 28% in 1996). Building biblical understanding
Last April, we invited several youth pastors to a summit to learn from one another and to provide us with feedback about our ministry direction. Part of our day included discussing a series of best practices in six different areas (evangelism, biblical understanding, mentoring/small groups, community impact, leadership development and intergenerational interactions). Over the next few weeks, we’ll release some of the best practice suggestions from the group (with further
On August 15, the Hamilton Ticats took on the BC Lions and trampled them. For over 300 attendees, that wasn't the highlight. After the game, many stayed to hear from five Ticats players, like Luke Tasker, as they shared their faith stories of how Jesus impacts them. Churches from around the Golden Horseshoe and even across the US border joined in this memorable event. Afterwards, children of all ages got
The other day, I (Alvin) read an article in New York Magazine called “Meet the Adults Who Love to Color”. The premise of the article was that many adults are re-exploring the art of colouring, and in some ways, re-living moments from their childhood. It got me thinking about youth ministry. Youth ministry can be characterized as chaotic, intensive, deep, social or impulsive. Some envision high-ropes courses, while others think
This past year, we’ve had MANY people helping with our ministries. As we finish the ministry year, we’d like to recognize all our volunteers and staff (93 in total) for their contributions since September. Aaron White Abraham Sen Adrian Karasmanis Alfred Yuen Alyssa Oliver Alyssa Sampson Amy Huang Andrew Rutledge Anna Maria Fruscione Ariel Hartwick Ashley Esposito Becky Nichols Braeden Clarke Brandon Manuel Breanna Oke Brenda Filyer Brennan Rabbets
This past weekend, over 500 people from our family of CBOQ churches gathered in Toronto. This annual Assembly is our “family reunion” and our theme this year was “Growing Up Together”. Indeed, we are all growing up together. Friends renewed acquaintances. Believers celebrated and worshipped God with one voice. Our presenters and speakers each challenged us with ways that we can grow together (from the various ministries to church operations
