We continue looking at some observations Renegotiating Faith highlighted its report. (Click here for Part One.) Young adults who went straight into postsecondary studies fared worse on all our measures of religious persistence than those who had taken a gap year. (p.11) I (Alvin) remember that in high school the big push was to graduate and go straight on to university. A gap year was seen as a form of
By now, your youth have likely settled into some kind of pattern. The immediate crisis of figuring out “what do we do now?” has subsided. Here are some ways and considerations on how you can continue to check in with your youth both as a group and individually. Some questions you can be asking: When you’re on a chat with youth, ask a rating question e.g. “On a scale between 1-5, how anxious are you feeling right now?”, and ask them to show their rating by
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, our churches/youth ministries continue to evaluate and adapt what their physical location reopening and longer-term structure look like. Our intention is to gather both ideas and questions from youth leaders and synthesize it into a PDF document that will be released on June 10. We are asking for 3 questions: What are your short-term plans (i.e. within the next 6 months)? What are
In the fall of 2023, Stanley Park Baptist Church youth ministry is utilizing a resource called “SOUL”, a video and discussion based series, which is part of Christianity Explored (the version the rest of the church is using) as part of its outreach initiatives. While the majority of the youth group are from the church, the content of the videos, and the discussions, are helping them to more fully understand
Next week, many schools in Ontario begin spring (April, not March) break. Some are asking for ideas on how to best engage their youth. For those in Quebec, what suggestions did you find most helpful? Feel free to share them in the comments below on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram. Here are some ideas (ensuring to follow all current Public Health guidelines): Do a physically-distanced porch/driveway visit and drop off a care package Hosting a
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
This article was originally published in the CBOQ Sunday 2022 magazine. What does it take to run a youth ministry? The simple answer is whatever is available at your church. Perhaps you might feel that your church doesn’t have the resources or personnel to run an effective youth ministry. Let’s define an effective youth ministry first. At its very core, the purpose of youth ministry is to pass the truths
Jon (Kingsway): This morning we had the opportunity to visit the CBOQ School that teams built in 2013. The school goes up to grade 5 and has three classrooms. We rotated activities with each class. Recess, where we bounced basketballs, kicked soccer balls, blew bubbles, and face painted with them. We made bracelets with them, with different colour beads, each representing an aspect of what Jesus
“We will not hide them from their descendants; We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” – Psalm 78:4 What does it take to run a youth ministry? The simple answer is whatever is available at your church. Perhaps you might feel that your church doesn’t have the resources or personnel to run an effective youth ministry. Let’s
As a youth leader, you are probably excited (and maybe anxious) for your soon-to-be high school graduates, especially if they’re moving away from home to go to school in September. The Renegotiating Faith report reminds us that a grad is 4x more likely to connect with a new faith community if the sending church helps make that connection. This resource is a quick-glance review of how you can be
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