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 […]
If a teenager walked into your church on Sunday on her own, with a friend, or with his family, what impressions would he or she have of your church? The numbers of teenagers leaving the church are staggering. I have come to wonder whether it is because we love teenagers in word, but not in […]
[Second-Chair Leadership Conversation] Today, Andrew Zirschky (ymprof) and I have a conversation about what second-chair leadership looks like in the local church. As youth ministers, we are always second-chair leaders. Listen in as Andrew asks me questions about how to navigate these relationships. Some things for you to think about: How well do you know […]
by Jason Sansbury For most youth ministries, summer means a great deal more activities and programming. Additionally, most youth ministries suffer some level of loss of their regular volunteers to vacations and normal summer plans. One solution to the increased activity and the shortage of hands is to seek out and hire a summer intern. […]
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