Student Leadership Conference

Jeff on May 18th, 2009

If you’re looking for a great place to take your student leaders to help develop, train, and inspire them, then look no further.   For more information, chick “Resources”

One Love,

JW

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The Media Diet!

Jeff on May 18th, 2009

One of the toughest issues that most student ministers and parents face revolves around media and entertainment. Students want to be in the middle of all the newest movies, music, television, Internet, and print media. The challenge comes with the abundance of unhealthy media that permeate out culture. On one hand, there are some things in culture about which Christ-followers need to be informed in order to know how to speak the language of the culture. But how do we know what will drag believers down into sin? Where is the balance? What is appropriate and what is not for Christ-followers?

Recognizing the wisdom of feeding our spiritual natures, we have to discipline ourselves to make that happen (James 1:22-25). Old habits die hard, and the flesh seems committed to undermining spiritual nourishment. So, we have to nurture new habits.

A prescription for adults who want to help young people develop a healthy media diet might include these six ideas:

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Connecting Students Resource

Jeff on May 14th, 2009

 

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Reaching the Un-Reachable!

Jeff on May 12th, 2009

I have a confession to make. In the first few years of my ministry, I did not do a good job reaching the hard-to-reach crowd. In my first few years of ministry, I brought in students who looked like me, acted like me, and liked the same sort of things that I did.  After a discussion with a student ministry leader about my failure to reach the hard-to-reach student, I began to adapt my ministry and my attitude. 

Here are a few quick things God taught me through His Word and others He placed in my life:

1.      All people matter to God, and He desires to reach all nations. He reminds us that we are created “in His own image” (Gen. 1:27) and He died for everyone (John 3:16).

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Fighting for the Family!

Jeff on May 11th, 2009

Take a long look at your student enrollment and prospect file. What do you know about the people whose names appear on the roll? Do you know the families from which the students come? Today, students may be parented by biological parents, single parents, parent/stepparent, a parent and adult who cohabitate, grandparents, or guardians. Some parents find themselves in the “sandwich generation” – those parenting in both directions: children and youth are still in the home and aging parents who need care may be in the house or in close proximity. Some youth come from Christian homes and others come from homes in which the students are the only family members who have a relationship with Christ. In order to reach and minister to students, you must reach the total family.

Churches today need to recognize that we no longer minister to a society dominated by traditional families. Many of your students come from non-traditional families. They may be burdened with the personal baggage of rejection and/or misguided love. These emotions can manifest themselves in how individuals interact with others or with you as you minister. Yet, the church must realize that the inner circle of the teen’s life continues to be the family. Youth [...]

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A Biblical Perspective on Sexuality

Jeff on May 8th, 2009

Sexual identity topics dominate the tabloids on many newsstands. What’s more, today’s mixed-up cultural values constantly invade Christian households. While godly parents try to “teach a youth about the way he should go” (Prov. 22:6), ungodly messages shout to teens from every angle. The home has become a major front in the battle for purity and healthy sexual identity formation. 

Distorted Messages
Well-known public figures report “coming out of the closet” in the cover stories of magazines and newspapers. Famous singers and actors promote sexual freedom and smirk at traditional family values. Couples live together outside of marriage. Television comedies affirm gay and lesbian lifestyles, while sexually explicit content dominates movies.

Teens easily “hook-up” with strangers on the Internet through social networks that sometimes accelerate a false sense of interactions and relationships. Teens are exposed to pornographic pictures and sexual messages that chisel away at Christian beliefs.

Prepare Yourself

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Eating Crow & Admitting Wrong

Jeff on May 6th, 2009

Written by Benny Dixon

I am somewhat of a health nut. With that said, I recently had to eat a kind of meat that I do not care for at all. It was brought about by overextending myself and not getting things done in a timely manner. My lack of “on-timeness” brought about great anguish, frustration, and even righteous anger directed toward me (and rightly so, I might add) ….and my least favorite meat to eat – crow. Thankfully, I have not had to eat it as a steady diet. 

Here are a few lessons that I have learned from this experience:

1.      People are counting on me to do what I say I will do. When I [...]

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10 Things every Youth Minister should remember about Parents Part 1

Latasha on May 5th, 2009

If you have been in ministry for awhile I’m sure you have hundreds of parent stories to tell others. Many of your stories may be inspiring, funny, sad or just outrageous. Even if you have been in youth ministry for a short time I’m sure you already have tons of stories. The truth is parents make up your youth ministry experiences. They are a part of the package in many cases. They can build you up or tear you down. I have learned many different approaches with parents. I have developed as a leader from discovering the types of parents within ministry. I think we have all dealt with; the parent who irritates you to the point of re-examining reasons you have chosen this profession; the parent that only sees all the wrong their child does and never takes responsibility for their choices;  the parents who want you to fix their child; the overbearing parent;  the drop off parent;  the too involved parent;  the parent that wants their child to be perfect at all times;  the not involved at all parent;, the supportive parent, the parent who is praying for you;  the parent who is willing to go above and beyond to assist. These parent types sound familiar, right?  I’m sure you can relate to a few of the scenarios, I listed if not all. The fact of the matter is parents are a tremendous support system! Parents assist you in growing into the leader God has called you [...]

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The Shaping of a Man!

Jeff on May 5th, 2009

No boy is guaranteed the privilege of manhood because manhood is more than just physical maturity- it’s a vision of faith, discipline, and masculine nobility that directs life choices and shapes the boy’s core identity. Robert Lewis offers guidance and resources for fathers desiring to intentionally establish foundations for manhood into their sons.

Images of Manhood and CeremoniesI
If you doubt the power of vision, flip on your television. Look at the images of manhood. Too often you see men who never grew into manhood. They are indecisive, selfish, and altogether shallow. They run around many of the responsibilities of genuine manhood. Here’s the true reality: without an authentic vision for manhood, many adult males will spend their energies in self-serving, misguided ways.

Christian dads know what’s at stake in raising boys, and they try hard to do right. But even Christian fathers need the power of a manhood vision to [...]

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Online Youth Ministry

Jeff on May 4th, 2009

How many times have you traveled and left some important items at home? It happens to all of us from time to time. We find ourselves wasting time and resources trying to replace certain items, or we simply try to survive without them.  Sometimes, however, going without them is not an option. 

This happens often in youth ministry, and you may not even realize it. Youth pastors travel far and wide to reach students, yet leave some of the most basic tools behind.  We’ve got to grab hold of the one tool that youth understand and use every day – the internet.

Many of you have no idea where to start. I constantly hear questions such as “Don’t I need to know HTML to build a website?” or “How much money will this take?” After reading this article, hopefully you will have some ideas about where to begin.  

Here are four free tools you can use on the [...]

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