Theological Reflection with Teenagers in the Wake of Charlottesville
By: Dietrich Kirk and Dr. Andrew Zirschky In the wake of Charlottesville and all that has occurred since, we join many Americans who find themselves disoriented and speechless, including other youth workers who are left wondering how to lead teenagers to process what has—and is—happening. We adamantly claim that white supremacy and racism have […]
Three Spiritual Truths from Wonder Woman
by Jason Sansbury When the box office season began for the summer of 2017, not many people anticipated the amount of success that Warner Brothers would have with its film Wonder Woman. Based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name, the Patty Jenkins directed film stars Gal Godot in the titular character as through […]
CYMT is Awarded $1.1 Million Grant from the Lilly Endowment for the Innovation Laboratory for Youth Ministry
The Center for Youth Ministry Training is excited to announce receiving a $1.1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment for the Innovation Laboratory for Youth Ministry. This grant will empower CYMT to create a research-based incubator for innovation in youth ministry over the next 3 years. The Need for Innovation The modern youth ministry movement […]
Bonhoeffer and bin Laden: Why we can't Rejoice
by Andrew Zirschky It is ironic that exactly a week after Christians in America were overcome with the emotion of Easter, that they were overcome again Sunday night with emotion concerning the death of another man. This time a Muslim. This one far less likely to rise from the dead. This one reviled instead of […]
A Red-Eye to London and the Gift of a Savior
by Pierce Drake The cooler air… The shorter days… The gatherings of family and friends… The gifts, food, carols, music… The Christmas eve candlelight services… It’s Christmas time! For those of us in ministry, especially student ministry, this season couldn’t be any bigger or busier. Gathering students for Advent readings on Sunday morning. […]
Will the Real St. Nicholas Please Stand Up?
by Kat Bair AVOIDING THE TOPIC I sat in our youth building across from our new Director of Stewardship on staff. She had come over to talk to me about what the youth ministry was doing, and I, smelling an opportunity to recruit a youth advocate with access to the budget, had spent half an […]
Importance of Balcony Time in Youth Ministry
I used to coach soccer and one of the most valuable teaching tools I used was video of our games that was shot from the top of a stadium. This video was valuable because they could see the whole field. I taught our videographers to only pan from one half of the field to the other. […]
It's Not a Conference. It's a Conversation.
It’s Not a Conference. It’s a Conversation Cultivate: A Thoughtful Youth Ministry Conversation Nashville, TN | January 24-25, 2019 CULTIVATE I’m a Lutheran. I’m a Methodist. I’m non-denominational. I’m Republican. Progressive. Liberal. Conservative. Pro. Anti. We are Christians. We are a large, diverse, beautiful mess of God’s people. We do not think in […]
Dr. Andy Root shares why we should be talking to teenagers about racism, gender & sexuality, and mental health.
It’s Not a Conference. It’s a Conversation. Cultivate: A Thoughtful Youth Ministry Conversation | Jan 24-25, 2019 CULTIVATE Dr. Andy Root: Why we should be talking to youth about racism, gender & sexuality, and mental health. Many youth workers today are feeling stranded with hard questions regarding their youth’s realities. Realities of gender […]
Teenage Anxiety Can’t Be Ignored by Youth Ministry
By Andrew Zirschky 1/23/19 Teens today are soft. Teens need to toughen up. They’re kids—what do they have to worry about? We love our youth, but perhaps the statements above have run through your mind at one point or another. Sure, young people get stressed, but everyone gets stressed. The truth, however, is […]