For many of us, this past year has been one of youth ministry “survival mode.” There is a season for that.
And, there is also a season for thriving: for embracing life, joy and new tools in youth ministry. As we enter this new season, the Yale Youth Ministry Institute is pleased to be able to offer opportunities to hear from speakers who have done just that. We will hear from people about emotional intelligence, trauma, and sacred story. We will hear about children’s ministries, and from those who have engaged in anti-racism work with youth. Each of our presenters brings a unique perspective and experiences, but all of them hold a piece to the puzzle that will help us answer the question: How can my youth ministry not just survive, but thrive?
Upcoming Events
November 2012
Dr. Chap Clark on the Church and Today’s Adolescent
"Sticky Faith: The Church and Today's Adolescent"
Dr. Chap Clark delivers a lecture entitled, “Sticky Faith: The Church and Today’s Adolescent.” There is no question that life is changing, and changing rapidly. As a consequence, for lots of reasons, we live in an increasingly adult-centric society that without thinking, relentlessly subjects children and adolescents to the pressures of adult-driven agendas. Like no time in history, today’s youth grow up knowing that the only way to survive is as a tribe apart – and it’s our systems and structure, even in the church, that contributes to this increasing isolation. In this lecture, we’ll discuss the ways that we can connect with our youth and provide the foundational support they need to reflect on their dreams, their relationships and their lives.Video
December 2012
Dr. Rodger Nishioka on Bible Study That Transforms
"Bible Study That Transforms"
Dr. Rodger Nishioka delivers a lecture entitled, “Bible Study That Transforms." Information is important. We live, after all, in the so called “information age.” But ultimately, we engage young people with the Bible not simply for information but for transformation. This lecture will focus on practices of opening the Bible with young people in ways that change lives and liberate.Video
January 2013
Rev. Skip Masback on Transformation Through Pilgrimage
"Transformation Through Pilgrimage: Planning and Leading Mission Trips that Build More than Houses"
Rev. Skip Masback delivers a lecture entitled, “Transformation Through Pilgrimage: Planning and Leading Mission Trips that Build More than Houses.” Youth long for experiences that will take them outside of their cramped, every day experience and connect them with something larger than themselves, with the transcendent love of God. In this session we’ll explore the theory and praxis of planning and leading mission trips as pilgrimages. We’ll explore the nuts and bolts “best practices” that prepare the ground for mission trips in which our young people are “pilgrims not tourists, learners not teachers, listeners not talkers and receivers not givers.”Video
February 2013
Dr. Roland Martinson – Kids Need More than Each Other and a Pied Piper
"Kids Need More than Each Other and a Pied Piper"
Dr. Roland Martinson delivers a lecture entitled, “Kids Need More than Each Other and a Pied Piper.” At its best, youth ministry develops generative, intergenerational Christ communities that cultivate transformative faith and life in each other and make a difference in God’s beloved world. How do you create intergenerational practices that work? We’ll explore together how to bridge the generational divide in our ministry to our youth.Video
March 2013
Rev. Michael A. Bird on Nurturing Spiritual Habits with Youth
"Nurturing Spiritual Habits with Youth"
The Rev. Michael A. Bird delivers a lecture entitled, “Nurturing Spiritual Habits with Youth.” Youth don’t so much want to be lectured about God as they want to experience God. This experience comes from walking with God each day, not just on Sunday mornings. What are the spiritual disciplines, practices and traditions that help bring us closer to God and how do they work for today’s youth? We’ll explore ways to support our youth in developing and following their own “rule of life.”Video
April 2013
Dr. Andrew Root on Talking About Sin With Young People
"Talking About Sin With Young People"
Dr. Andrew Root delivers a lecture entitled, “Talking About Sin With Young People.” When ministries look at how they discuss sin with young people it frequently gets framed as “doing bad things.” When sin is framed in this way we try to bend their will and push them towards obedience turning youth ministry into sin management and an attempt to make young people be better. Andy Root encourages us to look at sin as a state of brokenness and isolation rather than just “bad things”. Sin is a state of being and loss of relationship whereas sinning is the bad things that we do.Video
May 2013
Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Troeger on Preaching Across the Generations
"Preaching Across the Generations"
Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Troeger delivers a lecture entitled, “Preaching Across the Generations.” Good preaching is good preaching – to any age group, but bringing a message to young people requires particular attention to several fundamentals of effective communication. One of the nation’s leading preachers and teachers of preachers will help us reflect on the importance of crafting messages are fully embodied, that engage multiple intelligences and that are attentive to the different stages of cognitive development among our listeners.Video
July 2013
Dr. Andrew Root on Ministering to Youth Growing up in a Screen-Based World
"Ministering to Youth Growing Up in a Screen-Based World"
Dr. Andrew Root delivers a lecture entitled, “Ministering to Youth Growing Up in a Screen-Based World.” The church is different for a generation of people raised in the digital age. With so much time and attention focused on the computer, TV, iPad and cell phone, how do young people experience spiritual life in a “hyper-real” world and how can we minister to them?Video
October 2013
Dr. Chap on Sticky Faith and Other Ways to Love Kids
"Beyond Hurt 2.0: Sticky Faith and Other Ways to Love Kids"
Dr. Chap Clark delivers a lecture entitled, "Beyond Hurt 2.0: Sticky Faith and Other Ways to Love Kids." For the past decade adults have wrestled with understanding and responding to the needs of Millennials. Labels abound, mostly blaming kids for being who they are: entitled, consumers, self-focused, even narcissistic. Yet we know that they are who we have made them to be, and they are only responding to the world we have handed them. Our kids are not the problem, how we think about them, encourage them, lead them and love them is what matters. This session will focus on what is good and powerful about the emerging generation, and what adults – and especially those in the church – can do to celebrate, encourage and help to guide our young into becoming strong leaders for the future.Video
November 2013
Rev. Skip Masback on The Arc of a Year: How Mission Drives a Youth Group Program Schedule
"The Arc of a Year: How Mission Drives a Youth Group Program Schedule"
Rev. Skip Masback delivers a lecture entitled, "The Arc of a Year: How Mission Drives a Youth Group Program Schedule." Youth Ministry is more than wacky games and mission trips, and it’s even more than programs earnestly planned on the fly late Tuesday night after you’re done with the confirmation class and before you stagger home. Effective youth ministers work with their colleagues, youth group members and their parents to discern the youth ministry’s mission before turning to their calendars. As the saying goes, “We mostly hit what we’re aiming at in life”. This session will focus on alternative mission statements and how to craft a cycle of programming to drive those respective missions.Video
December 2013
Dr. Andy Root on Interpreting the Experience of Divorce for Youth Ministry and the Church
"The Children of Divorce: Interpreting the Experience of Divorce for Youth Ministry and the Church"
Dr. Andy Root will deliver a lecture entitled, "The Children of Divorce: Interpreting the Experience of Divorce for Youth Ministry and the Church." This presentation will explore the impact of divorce on young people. Usually (both in the church and culture) we have seen divorce as a painful occurrence that can nevertheless be overcome if the young person can be taught to think correctly about the divorce of his or her parents (“it isn’t your fault!”). Yet, such a perspective tends to distract us from larger realities. Divorce at it core thrusts young people into questioning their very existence, “if I exist because of the relationship of these two people, who I am, and how can I be in the world, if they are no longer together?” This presentation will examine this all too common cultural reality from a philosophical and theological perspective, seeing what difference this makes for our ministries.Video
January 2014
Dr. David White on Missional Practices for Youth Ministry
"Participating with God: Missional Practices for Youth Ministry"
Dr. David White delivers a lecture entitled, "Participating with God: Missional Practices for Youth Ministry." Mission encounters are a staple in youth ministry and constitute an essential practice of Christian faith. This lecture will briefly survey the theological significance of mission, reveal the historical and developmental significance of missional activities for adolescents, and will suggest best practices for missional youth ministry.Video
March 2014
Dr. Rodger Nishioka on Youth Ministry and Technology
"Youth Ministry and Technology"
Dr. Rodger Nishioka delivers a lecture entitled, "Youth Ministry and Technology." 25 years ago we pretty much thought the only creature on the face of the earth that could legitimately create a “website” was a spider. Six years ago we thought the only creature that could “tweet” was a bird. Now we know differently. There is no such thing as “high tech” with youth ministry. Technology is the norm. It is the standard. So how do we do youth ministry in this technological age? Do we just join them on Twitter and Instagram? What about friending them on Facebook? What about the emerging trend of technology sabbaths? This session will focus on the opportunities and dilemmas surrounding technology and youth ministry. Together, we will explore basic guidelines and best practices around technology for our ministry with youth and their families.Video
April 2014
Rev. Mark DeVries on Sustainable Youth Ministry
"Sustainable Youth Ministry"
Rev. Mark DeVries delivers a lecture entitled, "Sustainable Youth Ministry." In the world of youth ministry, there are a handful of constant factors that thrive over the long haul. This seminar introduces participants to those factors and offers a strategic design for instilling these foundational patterns into the fabric of any youth ministry, regardless of its model. Mark DeVries identifies patterns that persistently show up in “stuck” ministries and introduces proven principles for moving beyond stuck-ness and progressing toward a ministry characterized by strategic forward motion. Sustainable youth ministries are led by successful systems leaders. Transformation of traditional person-centered/ program-centered ministries requires leaders who are equipped to make the leap from a short-term, patchwork ministry to one that promises staying power long after the current leadership team has moved on.Video
May 2014
Dr. Yolanda Smith on Exploring the Bible with Contemporary Youth
"Exploring the Bible with Contemporary Youth"
Dr. Yolanda Smith delivers a lecture entitled, "Exploring the Bible with Contemporary Youth." Many things capture the minds and imaginations of today’s youth—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, virtual games, flickr, tumblr, and so much more. In a media and technologically savvy world, how can today’s youth find time to explore the Word of God? This workshop will explore multiple ways of teaching the Bible with contemporary youth. Attention will be given to the nature of youth, creative approaching to teaching the Bible, and equipping youth to engage the text in a way that is meaningful and transformative in their lives.Video
October 2014
Dr. Christian Smith on Parents: The REAL Pastors
"Parents, the REAL Pastors: The Absolute Centrality of Parenting in Passion on Religious Faith and Practice to the Next Generation"
Professor Christian Smith delivers this year's Yale Divinity School Ensign Lecture, entitled, "Parents, the REAL Pastors: The Absolute Centrality of Parenting in Passing on Religious Faith and Practice to the Next Generation."Video
November 2014
The Rev. Dr. David C. Mahan on Youth Ministry and Contemporary Culture
"The Youth Minister as [Cultural] Diagnostician"
The Rev. Dr. David C. Mahan delivers a lecture entitled, "The Youth Minister as [Cultural] Diagnostician." The difficulties of connecting young people with faith requires every minister to become an able diagnostician of contemporary culture. With the glut of generational profiles, however, we often strain to figure out how to make that connection with the individuals in our churches and ministries. This talk will offer a different model, called “Faultlines,” that will help us not only to make faith relevant, but resonant with young people today.Video
December 2014
Tim Walsh on Awareness, Prevention and Empowerment
"Awareness, Prevention and Empowerment: A Discussion on the Role of Ministry & Teenage Substance Abuse"
Tim Walsh delivers a lecture entitled, "Awareness, Prevention and Empowerment: A Discussion on the Role of Ministry & Teenage Substance Abuse." In a time when substance abuse is being declared an “epidemic,” let us gather to learn more about the facts, the fallacies, and most importantly, the role youth ministry plays as a part of the solution.Video
January 2015
Dr. Matt Croasmun on Engaging Music in Youth Ministry
"Engaging Music in Youth Ministry"
Dr. Matt Croasmun delivers a lecture entitled, "Engaging Music in Youth Ministry." Music is an important component of the lives of our youth and of our congregations. And yet, music is often a point of disconnect for youth in our churches. Matt Croasmun describes practical ways that music can become a powerful nexus of connection through corporate worship, songwriting, and mentorship. The lecture will involve examples of music created in a modest, local youth ministry, as well as opportunities to engage together in musical worship.Video
February 2015
The Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel on Rigorous, Reasonable and Real Youth Ministry
"Rigorous, Reasonable, and Real: Youth Ministry"
The Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel delivers a lecture entitled, "Rigorous, Reasonable, and Real: Youth Ministry." With the rise of the “nones” and the “spiritual but not religious,” it often seems that the church is answering questions no one is asking. Many churches are still defining themselves in terms of what they are not (“We’re not like those other Christians who….”) in a world where people don’t know or care who those “other Christians” are. In an age of individualism and personal choice, how do we do youth ministry in community, within a tradition older and larger than ourselves? How do we make a claim for religious community that is respectful of other paths but compelling enough to warrant a young person’s time and attention?Video
March 2015
Dr. Nadja Reilly and Kate Hyde on Nurturing the Emotional Lives of Adolescents
"Nurturing the Emotional Lives of Adolescents: Identifying and Ministering to Youth at Risk for Depression"
Dr. Nadja Reilly and Kate Hyde deliver a lecture entitled,"Nurturing the Emotional Lives of Adolescents: Identifying and Ministering to Youth at Risk for Depression." Approximately 1 out of 5 adolescents will struggle with depression before the age of 24. Youth ministers are critical sources of early identification and support for adolescents dealing with mental illness. During this lecture, participants will learn about adolescent depression, how to identify symptoms, and how to access services. We will also discuss how to foster open communication and healthy coping in support of a flourishing life.Video
May 2015
Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly on The Church’s Role in Reaching Disconnected Black Youth
"The Church's Role in Reaching Disconnected Black Youth"
Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly delivers a lecture entitled, "The Church’s Role in Reaching Disconnected Black Youth." This session will include an overview of meanings assigned to the term “disconnected youth,” also called “unchurched youth,” and will highlight profiles of disconnected youth, internal and external relational challenges churches face in reaching these youth, and examples of effective ministry paradigms that build bridges of connection between these youth and churches. The lecture will draw on preliminary data uncovered in the Youth Hope-Builders Academy (YHBA) research project entitled “Building Bridges of Hope: The Church’s Role in Reaching Disconnected Youth.”Video
October 2015
Dr. Evelyn Parker on Conversations about Race with Youth
"The Elephant in the Room: Conversations about Race with Youth"
Dr. Evelyn Parker delivers a lecture entitled, "The Elephant in the Room: Conversations about Race with Youth." What’s on a youth pastor’s list of tough topics to talk about with teenagers? Teen suicide? Sex? Violence in dating relationships? While pastors struggle to find words for these tough topics with teens, occasionally race and racism surface when youth speak about interracial dating, hate crimes at schools, and growing up biracial. What is the tacit message about the church, the congregation, and its leaders when a youth pastor avoids talking with teens about race? What are best practices that maintain ecclesial and communal integrity? This lecture will focus on ecclesial, anthropological, and practical ways to tackle the tough topic of race with youth.Video
January 2016
Dr. Amanda Drury and Rev. Matthew Beck on Testimony
"Inside Jokes in an Outside World: Helping Adolescents Lead Joyful Lives Through the Practice of Testimony"
Dr. Amanda Drury and Rev. Matthew Beck deliver a lecture entitled, “Inside Jokes in an Outside World: Helping Adolescents Lead Joyful Lives Through the Practice of Testimony.” They speak on the importance of Testimony: cultivating community and individual flourishing through telling our stories and listening to the stories of others.Video
February 2016
Dr. Rodger Nishioka and Rev. Dominique Robinson on Resilience
"Resilience & Joy: Helping Adolescents Bounce Back in the Face of Adversity"
Dr. Rodger Nishioka and Rev. Dominique Robinson deliver a lecture entitled, “Resilience & Joy: Helping Adolescents Bounce Back in the Face of Adversity.” They speak on Resilience: nurturing attitudes, practices, and virtues, which facilitate recovery from - even flourishing in the midst of - mistakes and misfortunes.Video
March 2016
Dr. Frederick Edie and Ms. Alaina Kleinbeck on Worship
"Youth, Christian Worship and Joy: Deeper Soundings"
Dr. Frederick Edie and Ms. Alaina Kleinbeck deliver a lecture entitled, “Youth, Christian Worship and Joy: Deeper Soundings.” They speak on Worship: forming individuals through Eucharist, song, praise, and other liturgical practices through which they connect with transcendent reality.Video
April 2016
Dr. David White and Rev. John Leedy on Beauty
"The Fire That Burns at the Heart of Creation: Joy and Beauty as Foundations for Youth Ministry"
Dr. David White and Rev. John Leedy deliver a lecture entitled, “The Fire that Burns at the Heart of Creation: Joy and Beauty as Foundations for Youth Ministry.” They speak on Beauty: inspiring engagement with the transcendent through attention to and creation of beauty; illuminating the beautiful in the ordinary.Video
May 2016
Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly and Dr. Sarah F. Farmer on Hope
"The Courage to Hope: Empowering Adolescent Joy Amidst the Challenges of Life"
Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly and Dr. Sarah F. Farmer deliver a lecture entitled, “The Courage to Hope: Empowering Adolescent Joy Amidst the Challenges of Life.” They speak on Hope: grounding a sense of the possibility and reality of joy and flourishing in the midst of the challenges of this life, as well as in the life to come.Video
October 2016
Dr. Pamela Ebstyne King and Dr. Steven Argue on Vocation
"Joy on Purpose"
Joy vs. Happiness. Given that feelings of happiness are fleeting and the complexities of youth culture today, joy does not happen on accident. Dr. Pamela King and Dr. Steven Argue contend it occurs on purpose. Joy is dependent on knowing what matters most in life and making a meaningful contribution to something beyond the self. Purpose is forged through encountering God’s grace and discovering one’s role in God’s ongoing work in this world. Stories define us. When we know our story and our role in the story—we discover our purpose. God’s ongoing story of creation, redemption and perfection is the ultimate story. Drawing on their backgrounds in ministry, theology, psychology, and education, Pam and Steve, offer insights and practical suggestions for enabling youth ministers to nurture a sense of purpose through discovering one’s place in God’s story. Faith lived on purpose is flourishing.Video
November 2016
Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean and Mr. Wesley Ellis on Friendship
"The Joy of Untamed Friendship: Rescuing Youth Ministry from The Little Prince"
Youth ministers have long placed the practice of friendship at the center of youth ministry. But what makes our relationships with young people in church any different from their relationships anywhere else? In this session, Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean and Mr. Wesley Ellis dive headlong into the practice of holy friendship with teenagers, and whether being “tamed” by another is what Jesus had in mind. Is joy the end goal of friendship in youth ministry? Are church relationships “special”? Is this dangerous territory—or precisely the terrain we are on?Video
December 2016
Dr. Mark Gornik and Miriam Acevedo on Sacred Narrative
"Sing for the Joy of the City"
In this presentation, Mark Gornik and Miriam Acevedo discuss the role of “singing the sacred story” in learning and transmitting Christian faith across generations and cultures. To make their case for the sacred story of Christian Faith through the practice of singing, as well as reading Scripture, praying, dancing and testifying in a church community, they will share stories from New York City and of the Taizé Community in Europe.Video
January 2017
Dr. David Rahn and Ms. Ebonie Davis on Sabbath Rest
"Gritty Sabbath Rest: Shaping a Keystone Habit for Adolescent Faith & Joy"
When our experience of joy is tethered to an identity-centering relationship with Jesus Christ its promise is assured by Christ’s resurrection. Learning how to live more fully in the presence of Jesus helps us to experience resilient joy, inextinguishable in the face of untimely or chronic adversity. As Brother Lawrence taught in the 17th century, joy from the ever present Christ is accessible even amidst life’s tedious tasks, like washing dishes. Today’s fast-paced lifestyles may exacerbate the natural challenge of capacity limitations but they need not hijack the promised joy of Christ’s indwelling presence in our lives. Learning to live with Jesus is joyfully transformational, but it takes deliberate practice. Gritty Sabbath rest, shaped as a keystone habit that works for spiritually unsophisticated adolescents, may be just what we need to learn how to flourish with Jesus in joy.Video
February 2017
Dr. Courtney T. Goto and Ms. Lakisha Lockhart on Playfulness
"Holding Lightly: Cultivating Playfulness in Youth"
In this presentation, Dr. Courtney Goto and Lakisha Lockhart explore playfulness as holding lightly, a spiritual practice that is both purposeful and necessary for the faith and flourishing of adolescents. We investigate what playfulness means and how the practice can help young people cope with everyday challenges and reflect deeply on questions such as: who am I, what are my gifts and passions, who has God created me to be, and what is my purpose. We offer ways in which, we, as ministers and educators can provide adolescents spaces that not only allow for playfulness but welcome it.Video
March 2017
Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean and Ms. Abigail Visco Rusert on Purpose
"Moved to Joy: Purpose, Awe & Wonder"
To live the life of a young person is to live a life in motion. Propelled by a frenzy of activities, the young people in our care long to be “moved” beyond their selves and situations. Every day, the lure of achievement and the spectacle of entertainment promise to elevate them to new levels of joy and importance. Meanwhile, Christian theology promises a different kind of movement—the movement of God towards us, revealed when we do the unthinkable in our culture of perpetual motion and “wait” upon the Lord.Video
April 2017
Dr. Andrew Root and Mr. Christian Gonzalez on Self-Sacrificial Love
"Nurturing Relationships that Truly Transform: Self-Empowering Love and Adolescent Joy"
In this presentation, Dr. Andrew Root and Mr. Christian Gonzalez explore how faith is passed on and what, if anything, this has to do with theology. We’ll ask specifically, what exactly does it mean to take a theological turn in youth ministry? Looking at the biblical theme of kenosis, we’ll turn away from a technological perspective that sees youth ministry as providing solutions, or faith-formation as getting the knowledge of theology in young people’s heads. Instead we will explore how faith-formation, theology, and ministry are held together, drawing particularly from the life and youth ministry of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, to see how youth workers today can be kenotic guides.Video
May 2017
Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly and Dr. Almeda M. Wright on Memory
"Memory and Joy"
The lecture by Dr. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly and Dr. Almeda Wright provides historical material and pedagogical perspectives on nourishing youths’ joy by connecting them with the past in ways that foster truth-telling, communal and personal identity formation, agency, lament, and a vital life of faith and hope. The lecture draws on findings from research undertaken by the lecturers entitled “Finding Joy in Adolescence: African-American Stories from the Past for the Present.”Video
October 2017
Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean and Mr. Justin Forbes on Belonging
"Trace My Hand: Joy and Belonging in Youth Ministry"
Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean and Mr. Justin Forbes deliver a lecture entitled, “Trace My Hand: Joy and Belonging in Youth Ministry.”Video
November 2017
Dr. Robert Emmons and Mr. Marc Afshar on God, Grace, Gifts & Gratitude
"God, Grace, Gifts & Gratitude"
Gratitude comes from the recognition that gifts are not rights, privileges, or accidental outcomes but emerge when the mind is turned toward contemplation of God's incomprehensible goodness. Dr. Robert Emmons and Mr. Marc Afshar talk about how youth ministry contexts can actualize gratitude’s role as a social glue that binds people together, boosting joy in settings where flourishing often remains a potentiality rather than a reality.Video
December 2017
Dr. Kara Powell and Mr. Mike Park on How Your Church Can Grow Young
"How Your Church Can Grow Young"
Dr. Kara Powell and Mr. Mike Park deliver a lecture entitled, “How Your Church Can Grow Young.” Based on a landmark investigation on congregations who love and are loved by young people, this lecture will explore community’s relationship to joy, and offer a host of practical ideas to help our young people grow, and our church to “Grow Young”.Video
January 2018
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore and Yara Gonzalez-Justiniano on the Wisdom of Youth
"Youth Speaking to Joy"
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore and Ms. Yara Gonzalez-Justiniano deliver a lecture entitled, "Youth Speaking to Joy: Fiesta, Resilience, and the Wisdom of Youth." The lecture draws from 70 youth interviews, exploring portraits of joy in young people and analyzing the relationship between celebration and resilience in their stories. Their narratives are placed in dialogue with traditions of fiesta in Latinx communities and theologies of hope.
Video
February 2018
Dr. David F. Ford and Rev. Canon Chris Russell on Praise
"Praise: Being Transformed in Joy"
Dr. David F. Ford and Rev. Canon Chris Russell present a lecture on what it means to live a life of joyful praise today, drawing on many sources and personal experiences, and facing some of the challenges to wholehearted praise that young people meet in our culture.
Video
April 2018
Dr. Tony Campolo & Shane Claiborne on Grace
"Abounding Joy: Grace and Its Consequences"
Dr. Tony Campolo and Mr. Shane Claiborne deliver a lecture entitled, “Abounding Joy: Grace and Its Consequences.” This lecture explores how grace not only creates joy through mystical conversion experiences but also examines the joy that arises when young people engage in evangelism and social justice efforts.
Video
Dr. Stephanie Paulsell and Ms. Vanessa Zoltan on Imagination & Creativity
"Matches Struck in the Dark: Imagination and the Joyful Life”
Dr. Stephanie Paulsell and Ms. Vanessa Zoltan, MDiv deliver a lecture called “Matches Struck in the Dark: Imagination and the Joyful Life.” Drawing on a range of religious and literary resources, this lecture explores the creativity at the heart of the life of faith as well as practices that help us cultivate it.
Video
May 2018
Dr. Almeda M. Wright and Nyle Fort on Agency
"Young, Active & Faithful: Exploring Joy and Agency in Adolescence”
Dr. Almeda M. Wright and Mr. Nyle Fort will deliver a lecture entitled, "Young, Active & Faithful: Exploring Joy and Agency in Adolescence." This lecture explores both the necessity of empowering youth to be active agents in their own lives and communities, as well as examples of how to promote this type of active faith.
Video
October 2018
Frank Rogers, Christopher Carter and Seth Schoen on Compassion and Race
"Compassion-Based Approaches for Facilitating Difficult Conversations about Race and Racial Identity"
In this lecture, Dr. Frank Rogers, Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter and Dr. Seth Schoen describe the good life as both grounded empowerment in one’s racial identity, and relationships across racial identities of mutual respect, understanding, and commitment to a world where flourishing is not denied anyone by virtue of race. This lecture will introduce practices that are designed to facilitate compassion-based approaches to difficult conversations around race.Video
November 2018
David Anderson Hooker and Elizabeth Corrie on Peace-Making & Reconciliation
"Eight bowls, Four weeks, One RADICAL World"
In this lecture, Drs. Hooker and Corrie argue that peace, reconciliation, and, by extension, joy and the good life are communal achievements and not individual pursuits or possessions.Video
December 2018
Miroslav Volf and Paul Gorrell on Forgiveness
“Forgiveness and Joy”
Professor Miroslav Volf and Mr. Paul Gorrrell deliver a lecture entitled, "Forgiveness and Joy." If you have seriously wronged someone, it is a joyous thing to be told: “It’s OK. I don’t count it against you!” But is there joy in offering apology and in restoring a measure of what your wrongdoing has taken away? And if you yourself have been wronged, is there joy in forgiving? Is not revenge – “sweet revenge” – more joyful than forgiveness?Video
February 2019
Dr. Matthew Croasmun on What’s Worth Wanting?
"What's Worth Wanting?"
Dr. Matthew Croasmun, Associate Research Scholar and Director of the Life Worth Living Program at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Lecturer of Divinity & Humanities at Yale University delivers a lecture entitled, "What's Worth Wanting?"
Video
March 2019
Dr. Sarah F. Farmer, Dr. Nadja Reilly and Ms. Kate Hyde on Community
"Community"
Dr. Sarah F. Farmer, Dr. Nadja Reilly and Ms. Kate Hyde deliver a lecture on Community.
Video
April 2019
Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson on Seeking Sanctuary
Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson presents on Realizing Effectiveness and Well-being by Seeking Sanctuary. This is an important topic for all who serve within their context, especially youth workers. It has been said that youth ministry is “burned out ministry.” Youth workers are always eager to learn how to help young people cope with stress, depression, anxiety, etc. However, how are we as leaders and ministers coping and caring for ourselves?
Video
October 2019
Rev. Skip Masback on Planning and Leading Retreats that Transform
Rev. Skip Masback delivers a lecture on, "Planning and Leading Retreats that Transform." Youth long for experiences that will take them outside of the cramped, everyday patterns of their daily lives and connect them with something larger than themselves, with the unconditional love of God and neighbor. In this session, we explore how the Christian tradition of pilgrimage can inform a vision of youth retreats that change lives.
Video
November 2019
Rev. William Mathis on Creating a Nurturing Community for Youth
"Project Next Generation: Creating A Nurturing Community Space for Youth Empowerment"
Rev. William Mathis delivers a lecture entitled, "Project New Generation: Creating a Nurturing Community Space for Youth Engagement." Sunday School...What is that? Youth Department...Where is that? Youth Ministry...When does that happen? Youth Engagement...How can we when they're not here? If there is going to be "the church of tomorrow" it will be one that is a living and moving organism that encounters, experiences, and engages the realities of the present so that we may yield a future generation of believers.
Video
December 2019
Dr. Andrew Root on Youth Ministry in an Era of Over-Parenting
Dr. Andrew Root delivers a lecture entitled, "Youth Ministry in an Era of Over-Parenting: Moving from the Thing to the Story."
Lecture synopsis: Youth workers know what it is to watch parents and youth participate in multiple other activities. Most families have limited time and space for youth ministry activities or youth group. Often parent(s) (and youth) express desire to participate, but say they have no time. A parent might even say, "Sorry we haven't gotten to youth group in the last six months, it's just that gymnastics is kind of her thing, it's really who she is." This can be frustrating for youth workers and some respond by contending that youth ministry needs to up the commitment level and move higher up the ranking of things. In this presentation we'll explore together why this approach can't work because the decisions parents and young people make exist inside very deep conceptions of what makes for a good life. In a time of limited time and unlimited options, youth ministry can't - and shouldn't - compete in ranking of important activities. Youth ministry should not be just another thing (like basketball, violin, or debate club). Instead, we should turn toward story to re-imagine what you ministry can be for. Dr. Root is Professor and Carrie Olson Baalson Chair of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary.
Video
February 2020
Dr. Mary Moschella on Pastoral Care Fundamentals
Dr. Mary Moschella delivers a lecture entitled, "Caring for Stories." Just what is pastoral care? Providing spiritual and emotional care for youth and for their families is a major part of a youth leader's job, but many youth workers don't have specific training in this area. How do you have a pastoral conversation with youth group members and/or their families? Active listening skills can enhance your ability to care for youth and the stories they share. Learn how to provide a safe and supportive environment for those entrusted to your care. We will also consider questions about referral: how do you know when to speak to a pastor or recommend the assistance of a health care professional? Dr. Moschella is the Roger J. Squire Professor of Divinity at Yale Divinity School.
Video
March 2020
Rev. Mark DeVries on Sustainable Youth and Children’s Ministry
Rev. Mark DeVries will deliver a lecture on, "Sustainable Youth and Children's Ministries." In the the world of youth and children's ministry, there are a handful of constant factors that allow ministries to thrive over the long haul. This workshop introduces children's workers, youth workers, and senior pastors to those patterns that notoriously keep ministries stuck and to systems and strategies most likely to result in culture change. The thorny challenge of building healthy and engaged volunteer teams will be used as a culture-change case study for participants to workshop. Rev. Mark DeVries is the Founder and President of Ministry Architects.
Video
April 2020
POSTPONED: Dr. Angela Gorrell on Social Media and Working with Youth
POSTPONED - Dr. Angela Gorrell, "Always On: Social Media and Working with Youth." In a time when people feel like they have to be always on, what can do we? Angela will share tips for leading constructive conversations about social media with young people and practical things you can do to help teenagers use social media in ways that nurture their well-being as well as express their Christian faith. Dr. Gorrell is Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Truett Seminary, Baylor University.
This event has been postponed. Additional information will be provided shortly.
September 2020
Wrestling with Rest in a COVID-19 World with Nathan Stucky
In all our time in life and ministry, have our calendars ever looked like they look amid pandemic? So much simply disappeared: coffee dates, graduations, youth group, and soccer. All gone. So much to grieve. Our rhythms of work and rest have been utterly discombobulated. Is this Sabbath? Who are we when our calendars turn upside down? We feel acutely the difficulty of this moment, but we also sense the gifts this moment brings. Will we learn what we need to learn? Join the conversation as we wrestle together with work, rest, ministry, and pandemic, and as we imagine together the future to which God is calling us.
The video and clips from this event are here: Wrestling with Rest in a COVID-19 World with Nathan Stucky
The video and clips from this event are here: Wrestling with Rest in a COVID-19 World with Nathan Stucky
Video
October 2020
Just Breathe: Resilience Strategies for Today’s Youth & Youth Workers
In the first six months of 2020, today’s children and youth have lived through so many soul-provoking experiences. With the advent of COVID-19 illness and death, quarantines, school closures, summers on hold, graphic depictions of violence, the prospect of not going back to school or going back in a socially distanced fashion, and difficult imagery and discussion around issues of race and justice, youth have a lot of questions—and some even have deep concerns and fears. Add this to the daily, already complex lives of many youth in this country and the resultant mixture cries out for a resilient response for both them and those who work with them.
This webinar will highlight various strategies for promoting resilience in, for and among today’s generations of youth. It will be presented in two parts.
PART 1: Through a combination of academic, scientific and theological theories and studies, Jannah Scott will share information on:
Slides from this event are here: Just Breathe: Resilience Strategies for Today’s Youth & Youth Workers
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- What resilience is from both theoretical and practical perspectives
- How resilience is weakened through adverse childhood experiences
- How resilience can be strengthened
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- Physical - Natural methods
- Mental, emotional methods
- Spiritual methods
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- Highlights of promising practices in building resilience with youth
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- Reinforce the importance of the connection between mind, body and spirit in strengthening (or adversely weakening) resilience.
- Invited participants to join one of 2-3 breakout rooms to think together, discuss and model resilience interventions based on what they have learned about resilience, with application to various “composite” youth profiles.
- Reconvene the group for brief share-outs of the models developed and questions/discussion sessions.
Slides from this event are here: Just Breathe: Resilience Strategies for Today’s Youth & Youth Workers
Video
November 2020
The Science of Well-Being
The most popular course in the more than three-century history of Yale, “The Science of Well-Being” highlights research that reveals misconceptions about what makes us happy — and the concrete steps we can take to live a more fulfilling life. Yale Professor Laurie Santos has taken this course and created a new version specifically for high school aged youth. Join us for a conversation about how youth (and youth workers) can improve their mental and physical health.
Video and clips from the event are here: The Science of Well-Being.
Video
December 2020
A New Vision of Youth Ministry Beyond the Walls of the Church: Mission Work and Outdoor Ministry
Andrew Wicks and the Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer will explore the ways in which outdoor ministry and mission work are evolving and engaging youth today. It will also provide tangible tools for youth ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic and more broadly in the 21st century.
Video and clips from the event are here: A New Vision of Youth Ministry Beyond the Walls of the Church.
The presentation slides for Andrew Wicks is here.
The presentation slides for Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer is here.
Video and clips from the event are here: A New Vision of Youth Ministry Beyond the Walls of the Church.
The presentation slides for Andrew Wicks is here.
The presentation slides for Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer is here.
Video
February 2021
A Journey with LGBTQ+ and Immigrant Youth
The journey of LGBTQ+ and immigrant youth are both beautiful and complex. In this presentation, Yadi Martinez-Reyna shares a glimpse into their various journeys and the worlds they navigate and negotiate with as they try to find a sense of belonging. Yadi will provide resources and ideas on how to create a safe space for all young people. Through lecture, dialogue, and open conversation, Yadi will invite you to reflect on the following questions: How do we create space for young people who are not already here? How do we partner with those who are here to evaluate, enhance, or transform our space? How do we reach beyond the borders of comfort and familiarity to share the good news with young people in need of support? In addressing these questions, Yadi aims to share with you their social, academic, and ethical experiences working with the youth and providing some working practices to guide your ministry.
Video and clips from the event are here: A Journey with LGBTQ+ and Immigrant Youth.
Video and clips from the event are here: A Journey with LGBTQ+ and Immigrant Youth.
Video
March 2021
Innovation, Imagination, and Frustration: New Directions for Youth Ministry
Everyone knows that existing models for caring for teens (especially in ecclesial contexts) are pretty tired. The problem is that the church in North America often struggles to do excellent and compelling work. It also struggles to innovate.
This webinar will stimulate your imagination about how to best engage the teens/young adults in your community. We will look at an innovative model of ministry that has been developed in the Pacific Northwest and it’s engagement in the world of social enterprise. We'll also explore how to finance new forms of ministry to help reach and enrich the lives of your youth.
Video and clips from the event are here: Innovation, Imagination, and Frustration: New Directions for Youth Ministry.
Video and clips from the event are here: Innovation, Imagination, and Frustration: New Directions for Youth Ministry.
Video
April 2021
Adventures in Space-Making with the Rev. Phiwa Langeni
If you've ever wondered about ways to better engage with LGBTQ+ youth in your setting, you'll want to join this webinar as the Rev. Phiwa Langeni shares their experiences in youth ministry and, most recently, founding Salus Center, Lansing, Michigan's only LGBTQ+ resource and community center. In addition to learning practical tips on language, pronouns, and other queer-related issues, you'll gain insights on simple changes you can make in your own practices to create space for LGBTQ+ youth and others you intend to serve. The interactivity built into the presentation aims to make room for you to leave with tidbits that you can directly apply to your setting.
Video and clips from the event are here: Adventures in Space-Making with the Rev. Phiwa Langeni
Video and clips from the event are here: Adventures in Space-Making with the Rev. Phiwa Langeni
Lunch & Lecture Series, Not Your Mothers Youth Group: Ministry to Youth in 2020-2021, Past Events, Past Online Events
Video
September 2021
The Emotional Intelligence Factor: How to Apply EI to Youth Ministry
How are you? It’s a question you ask or are asked dozens of times each day and yet how often do we stop, pause, reflect and answer the question in an honest and open manner? Doing so is important as the question and answer help us connect with others and to get things done.
Once you have a good answer to “how are you?”, it is important to match those feelings to connect and achieve goals, to understand the meaning of these feelings and then to actively manage these feelings. These four skills are described by the theory of emotional intelligence first proposed by Jack Mayer and Peter Salovey in 1990. This interactive session will begin with a hands-on set of questions to illustrate these four hard skills and we will then apply these skills to your most challenging situations. The model itself is simple and straightforward – the challenge is to apply these skills at a high level of skill, in real time, on a consistent basis and under stressful conditions.
Video and clips from the event are here: The Emotional Intelligence Factor: How to Apply EI to Youth Ministry
Slides from the event are here: The Emotional Intelligence Factor: How to Apply EI to Youth Ministry
Video and clips from the event are here: The Emotional Intelligence Factor: How to Apply EI to Youth Ministry
Slides from the event are here: The Emotional Intelligence Factor: How to Apply EI to Youth Ministry
Lunch & Lecture Series, Past Events, Past Online Events, Thriving, Not Surviving: Building a Toolkit for a Flourishing Youth Ministry in 2021-2022
Video
October 2021
Grief, we all feel it, but do you know what to do with it?
Grief is a complicated emotion and losing someone we love is hard no matter the circumstance. This is especially true when you are faced with a loss and the grief associated with the loss at a young age. This presentation is designed to explore the impacts of grief and loss on adolescents. We will bust common myths about grief and loss, including the classic “time will heal” as well as concrete ways to process one’s grief and how to continue to connect with our loved ones will be presented. Come learn ways to healthily manage this inevitable part of our lives together.
Video and clips from the event are here: Grief, we all feel it, but do you know what to do with it?
Slides from the event are here: Grief, we all feel it, but do you know what to do with it
Video and clips from the event are here: Grief, we all feel it, but do you know what to do with it?
Slides from the event are here: Grief, we all feel it, but do you know what to do with it
Lunch & Lecture Series, Past Events, Past Online Events, Thriving, Not Surviving: Building a Toolkit for a Flourishing Youth Ministry in 2021-2022
Video
November 2021
Belonging
As youth leaders, we strive to be welcoming towards everyone. We want every young person to feel like they belong.
But what does “belonging” actually look like? What might it mean to prioritize actual belonging in your youth group?
We all want to belong to a community and that sense of belonging is elemental to our well-being. Join Dr. Margaret Clark for a conversation about just how much young people want to belong, how they strive to belong and what really makes people feel that they belong.
Video and clips from the event are here: BelongingSlides from the event are here: Belonging
Lunch & Lecture Series, Past Events, Past Online Events, Thriving, Not Surviving: Building a Toolkit for a Flourishing Youth Ministry in 2021-2022
Video
December 2021
I Hear You: Creating Listening Spaces with Youth
How well do you listen to youth's stories?
No, really.
And how well do your young people listen... really listen to one another, and to God's work in their midst?
Long-time youth ministry worker Mark Yaconelli has spent his career engaging in the quieter nature of youth ministry. Through the use of contemplation and compassionate exercises, Mark has fine-tuned the art of listening. By modeling this for youth, youth workers impart a valuable skill set to their young people: how to listen to one another, and how to be attentive for God's work in their lives.
Video and clips from the event are here: I Hear You: Creating Listening Spaces with Youth
Lunch & Lecture Series, Past Events, Past Online Events, Thriving, Not Surviving: Building a Toolkit for a Flourishing Youth Ministry in 2021-2022