Overcoming the Youth Ministry Gap

Adam McLane over at Youth Specialities posed a question about a “youth ministry gap.” That is a gap between the youth ministry that is run by a paid staffer vs. the volunteer, and the differences between the two. He asks a good question about how do we bridge the gap. I left my two cents in [...]

Pregraduation prep in the fall

I watched one of the the Youth Specialities podcasts and they mentioned that we should start working with our graduating seniors now so that when they graduate next year they can transition into a college world easier. Interesting thoughts on how to do it.

A Secular View of Teen Sex

I usually read this stuff through XXXChurch.com, but I ran into this through another blog site. This secular view of the trends is what we have been saying has been happening. This is a secular site so I’ll give a warning for some of the language in the article.
HOW INTERNET PORN IS CHANGING TEEN SEX: [...]

iGens and Nobody’s Happy

I was listening to the Net @ Night podcast with Leo Laporte and Sarah Lane (standing in for Amber MacArthur) the other night. Somehow the subject they started talking about was a portion of the Conan O’Brien show from earlier in the week. This was an interesting, because Scot McKnight, a theologian and blogger [...]

The Secret Life of the American Teenager – Thoughts

I’m glad the youth of America want the unvarnished truth:
And research suggests teens do want the awful truth: Three-quarters say they would like the media to talk more about the consequences of sex, according to a 2007 study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
‘Secret Life of the American Teenager’ explores teen [...]

Chuck Colson’s take on Blogojevich

Commentary: I know what Illinois governor feels like now – CNN.com
I like this quote from Mr. Colson:

At the height of Watergate, a dear friend of mine, Tom Phillips, then CEO of Raytheon, invited me to his home. As we sat in his kitchen, Tom read to me a chapter on pride from a [...]

Tyra ‘shocked’ by risky teen sex

Tyra ‘shocked’ by risky teen sex – Parenting & Family – TODAYshow.com
I guess Tyra doesn’t get out much. While I don’t doubt some of the information, this survey is skewed by who goes and takes it. It doesn’t have any scientific validity, so I question the statistics.
But when some of girls surveyed came onto [...]

Students say the darnedest things

This site is hilarious. Some youth workers put the statements of some of their youth on the site.
Students say the darnedest things.
HT: Youth Specialties blog

I would like to rant…

however, I can’t. There have been some things that go on with youth pastors and churches that I can’t elaborate on at this point. Part of the problem is that I have a heart for the hurting youth pastors, who have been used and abused by churches. I once attended a NYWC in Pittsburgh in [...]

An Extended Youth

This is an interesting article which I’m not sure what to do with. If this is the case, then the church has some serious work to do in training up its leaders, or place more emphasis on “youth ministry.”
The youth market has always been defined as tweens, teens, and sometimes college students, but Viacom’s [...]

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