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
You’ve got a few more weeks of youth group left before the summer season comes. For some of you, the summer brings rest and a break. Others of you switch into another gear. Either way, it’s important to plan long before September comes. Do you know what you’ll be doing next year? You may be asking, “Why am I already planning next year?” A few reasons: It gives you and
The ministry year is less than 2 months from finishing; youth ministries are making the final stretch and are starting to wrap things up. One key opportunity we urge you to take is to thank your volunteers. Here are some suggestions. It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All In a previous blog post, we noted that different people receive appreciation differently. That being the case, now’s a great time to find ways to
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
(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
