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
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
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
Things keep changing in light of COVID-19. Since March break, youth leaders have been triaging the situation while trying to maintain relational connections with students individually and collectively. What we originally thought would be 3 weeks off is turning into months (at least two since this started) and who knows? Things will look differenteven beyond that. So how do you support your youth at this time? SCHOOL AT HOME There will need to be a resetting of boundaries and expectations, especially with schools initiating more formal online platforms. The average amount of
In the past couple weeks, many churches have started using technology (especially streaming and video conferencing) to meet and connect with one another. As this form of connection becomes more familiar to us, here are some tips, ideas and considerations moving forward. DIFFERENT TOOLS FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES No one tool will work for everyone, and different tools serve different purposes. Many churches are streaming their services through Facebook Live or YouTube Live. Zoom is the choice for many who need a group discussion setting. Instagram chats,
In the last few months, I (Alvin) have had the honour of working alongside the Church Life team with the Small Church Envisioning days (the last session is this Saturday at Immanuel Baptist Church in Toronto). While there have been several inter-department collaborations in the past, this round reminded me of its importance. Here are a few insights. I can (and should) learn from others. Admittedly, I sometimes have a
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of attending parts of the Toronto Children’s Ministry Conference. (Tanya Yuen was one of the key organizers.) At face value, it may not make sense for the “youth guy” to be at a children’s ministry conference. However, strengthening a child’s move from children’s ministry to youth ministry is crucial. A few years ago, Tanya and I wrote a booklet called “Faith Formation in Children
With October 31 approaching, many kids (and youth) are preparing for Halloween by getting costumes ready. Households are stocking up on treats. Whether or not you choose to participate in Halloween traditions, Halloween can be an opportunity for Christian ministry. Some churches decide to host events such as fall fairs, which can be opportunities to offer safe gathering places for neighbourhood young people. The key for this option isn’t to
Recently Matt, Meghan, and Alvin have been reassessing how we gauge our effectiveness with our CBOQ churches, specifically with youth ministries and their progressions. Through prayer and discussion, we’ve come up with a 3-tier engagement approach that will help us better evaluate our ministry. (Note: The tiers are not indicative of importance; they simply provide us with three different ways to measure engagement.) TIER 1 Every year, we will compile
Are you ready for another ministry year? Chances are, you’re preparing for that first kick-off event of the year (or maybe you’ve already done it). As you putting on the finishing touches, a few reminders to make this kick-off an effective one: Be mindful of the first impression. That first impression, especially for first-ever visitors, will leave a lingering memory (positive or negative) with your students (and their parents). This
