by Deech Kirk I was reminded recently about how much technology is changing youth ministry. A friend had just returned from a youth trip and was dealing with the aftermath of a high school kid having shown inappropriate YouTube videos to some middle schoolers. Gone are the days when we can feel safe simply asking […]
by Hank Hilliard and Mary Dell Deweese My oldest son, Tanner, played baseball last spring in what is called a “modified coach-pitch league,” which is one step up from T-ball. The batter gets seven pitches from the coach (which actually turned into more like 10-12 pitches) to try to get a hit. If he fails […]
by Will Penner Approximate length: 35 minutes Primary Theme: Commitment Themes: Discipleship, Social Status, Humility, Death Scripture: Mark 2:1-12 The gospels are full of stories of people who desperately wanted to see Jesus. Some want to learn from him, because they hear he was a great teacher. Some want to be healed by him. Others […]
by Jill Altom We recently embarked upon an ambitious task to journey with our youth up to the Cumberland Mountains to learn and practice Sabbath. The retreat had a simple plan: eat, sleep, rest, pray, and play. Despite its simplicity I couldn’t help but feel the trepidation at how our youth would respond to silence, […]
Editor’s Note: This is an overview of our “youth ministry course in a nutshell” series, Communicating the Gospel to Youth, taught by Rev. Andrew Zirschky as part of CYMT’s Master of Arts in Youth Ministry degree program through Memphis Theological Seminary. When Jesus spoke the Great Commission (Matthew 28) to his disciples and told them […]
The first approach we’ll consider is the instructional approach, a paradigm familiar to most youth workers because it’s the dominant approach of published curriculum. The goal of the instructional approach is to help students understand scripture so that they can live and obey God’s truth. Whenever you see the verbs “know” and “apply” used together, […]
Editor’s Note: Mark Taylor is the youth minister at Arlington United Methodist Church and graduated from the CYMT program in May 2013 with an MA in Youth Ministry. by Mark Taylor Arlington, Tenn. is a bedroom community just east of Memphis and Arlington UMC is more than 100 years old. No formal youth ministry existed […]
“A life is no more than a biological phenomenon as long as it is not interpreted,” said French philosopher Paul Ricoeur.[1] Indeed, it’s an inescapable human habit to narrate the events and experiences of our lives by giving them meaning. To demonstrate this, I love to have students watch a short animation of two crudely […]
By Center for Youth Ministry Training 5/28/19 We polled our CYMT alumni and coaches for some summer programming ideas—the little things that they do during the summer that don’t require fundraising or packing a suitcase. Try a “Bible Do.” Instead of a routine Bible study of sitting around asking each other questions, try a “Bible […]
Whenever people of varying backgrounds come together, politics naturally emerge – and the church is no exception. Each member of the church sees faith and the mission of the church through their own unique lens, which all too often leads to disagreements and division. Although it can be easy to point the finger, it’s important […]
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