Dear youth ministry friends,
As we look towards 2024, and what God wishes to do within your youth group in the next year, I want to pose a question to you.
Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough tools to engage with the struggles of youth ministry?
I receive a number of inquiries related to my work at the YMI, and many of them have roots in the same thing: a hunger to be more effective in this up swell of change we have seen in the field in the past few years. I have pondered this for some time: how to collect scholarship that addresses these most common questions, in a way that serves the Church—and all of you—today.
With this in mind, I’m delighted to share some exciting news! Yale Divinity School will be launching its first ever Certificate Program—and it will be housed within the YMI!
The Yale Divinity School Certificate in Youth Ministry Leadership will be a nine-month-long online offering, in which a cohort will gather for additional education and networking. There will be three specific sections to the program, addressing these topics:
- Leadership Theory in Church Organizations
- Theological and Spiritual Care for Youth (with a focus on mental health)
- Empowerment, Liberation, and Justice Work with Youth
The program will start in September of 2024, and conclude the following May (with ample breaks for holidays). It is specifically designed for people engaged in youth ministry—ordained or not, but especially those without seminary/div school training—who wish to hear from YDS faculty and current educators and practitioners around the country, and discuss together how to best engage with our young people. There will be videos, readings, and a weekly class with peers to discuss what we will learn together.
If you have ever wanted to sit at the feet of: William Barber; The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center; Mark DeVries; Jia Starr Brown… and two dozen other exceptional individuals and organizations, this is your chance!
Applications for the program will open in May. If you’re interested in receiving more information when it becomes available, please email our Communications Coordinator, Megan Lukens here.
As the new year gets underway, I invite you prayerfully ponder if you have the time, bandwidth, and desire to join us in this program. Let us continue to learn together!
And, as the new year gets underway, friends: I also wish you every blessing. May we all find God at work in our beings, and in our ministries, as we look towards what the next year will bring. We at the YMI hope to see you all soon!
With you on the journey,
Rev. Jill