Empowering Parents to Practice Faith at Home: A Ministry Leader Workshop
Faith formation can’t happen if children and youth are spending just one hour a week at church – or much less these days, so what are the barriers families encounter when trying to establish faith practices at home?
The Rev. Traci Smith, author of Faithful Families presents four videos that talk about practices for mindfulness, serving others, dinner time, and bedtime.
Talking about Race with Young People
Talking about race with the young people you serve can be challenging. This workshop is for leaders, parents, and church members who want to have conversations about racism and prejudice. Also, for those who want to help young people faithfully explore issues that are important to God and relevant for one of our most racially and ethnically diverse generations yet. At times it can feel easier to shy away from complex topics and avoid highly charged conversations. In this workshop we will cover vocabulary to know, history to be mindful of and will end with practical next steps so that […]
Connecting and Integrating Children’s and Youth Ministry Across the Church
So often our churches segment children’s ministry and youth ministry as if they were unrelated efforts. This presentation aims to equip lay and clergy leaders to take a wholistic view and approach to ministry with young people. We will discuss ways to join the programming we do with children to those programs offered to older youth, locate ways to integrate both into the life of the church, and discern where God is moving our ministries as we continue to emerge from the pandemic.
I Hear You: Creating Listening Spaces with Youth with Mark Yaconelli
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.
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.
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 […]
Anxiety and Decision Making
The Emotional Intelligence Factor: How to Apply EI to Youth Ministry with David R. Caruso, Ph.D., September 8, 2021. This clip is about anxiety and decision making.
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 […]
Empowering Parents to Practice Faith at Home: A Ministry Leader Workshop with Rev. Traci Smith
Faith formation can’t happen if children and youth are spending just one hour a week at church – or much less these days, so what are the barriers families encounter when trying to establish faith practices at home?
The Rev. Traci Smith, author of Faithful Families presents the fundamentals of developing faithful family practices and outline the role that ministry leaders play in encouraging and supporting families. Discover how to help parents feel confident and well equipped as they nurture their children’s faith development, at every age. Now is the perfect time for families to develop real habits and practices of […]
Adventures in Space-Making with the Rev. Phiwa Langeni
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 regarding 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.
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 […]
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 […]