Leadership

"Doing Church" and "Being Church" and Teenagers

By crollman

Is there a "right way" to do church? Can we really know what that way is? What does scripture teach?


Surviving the Weekend Hangover

By cwesleynativity

I thought I would go for a nice long run yesterday, but then I remembered it was like 100 degrees in Baltimore and my muscles were aching from a lack of sleep, long bus drive and an emotional draining experience.

When September hits there will be a lot of weekends that will be draining because of all the energy that gets expedited, especially when it comes to getting things started and keeping things going. So when there is a little more margin, like in the summer time it's important to plan for the year ahead.

Christopher Wesley

Chris is the Youth Pastor at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD.  Chris is an avid runner, big family man, and has served Christ in student ministry(grades 5th-12th) for over 5 years. Chris shares his joys,frustrations and challenges of ministry through his blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

Chris is married to his beautiful wife Kate and has an awesome son Matthew in Pikesville, MD.


Give Me Your Old, Retired and Immoral?

By cwesleynativity

I'm not going to pretend that I know the age of my student ministers; however, it's safe to say we have adults who are as young as 25 all the way up to over 65...again I'm not going to guess who.

But, knowing how old my ministers are is actually irrelevant.

Christopher Wesley

Chris is the Youth Pastor at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD.  Chris is an avid runner, big family man, and has served Christ in student ministry(grades 5th-12th) for over 5 years. Chris shares his joys,frustrations and challenges of ministry through his blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

Chris is married to his beautiful wife Kate and has an awesome son Matthew in Pikesville, MD.


Vision: Ending Up Somewhere on Purpose

By BobBarnett

As a personal exercise I have pulled out some God-given principles pertaining to fulfilling God’s God-given vision as a church and personally. These come from a study of Nehemiah, one of God’s great visionary leaders.

I learned them from various sources and teachers Bruce Wilkinson and Andy Stanley are two for sure. Thought I’d pass them on.


Following Through

By fattychris

Jesus says: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.

"Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10: 11-15).

Chris Snyder

I have been working with youth and young adults for about 5 years now. My passion is helping young people connect with Jesus and live a life devoted to Him.  I work for a school district in their IT department for a living.  I have a BA in Leadership and Ministry from Ohio Christian University, and I look forward to getting into full-time ministry.  For now, I'm good where I am, though.  You can follow me on twitter (http://twitter.com/fattychris) or wordpress (http://fattychris.wordpress.com/).


Empathy and the Drive to Belong

By Matt Erickson

Alan Hirsch first brought the following video clip from bestselling author and political adviser Jeremy Rifkin to my attention. In it, Rifkin investigates the development of empathy and the profound ways that it has shaped our society.

One of the most powerful concepts that Rifkin highlights is that the drive to belong is a more primary drive than the drive toward self-protection.

Matt Erickson

I am a husband to Kelly, father of three boys, a pastor, musician, avid hiker, disciple of Christ. Currently, I am employed as the Associate Pastor at Brooklife Church in Mukwonago, WI, which I helped to plant a few years ago after serving for five years as the Collegiate Ministries Pastor at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI. I graduated with a Masters in Divinity from Northern Theological Seminary and a Bachelors in English and Christian Education from Wheaton College (IL).

Interact with me more at the Renovate blog, Twitter or Facebook.


Protect Your Students - Get Excited about Campus Ministry

By chriswoolard

How can we get our high school students to keep their faith when they move on to college? 

About Me: Chris Woolard

I'm a Christian. a father and husband, a musician and teacher. My early years are a blur but by middle school my family settled down in Wilson NC. I married my highschool sweetheart in May of 2003 and we welcomed our son onto the scene in September 2006 and our little girl in August 2009.

If you care, you can learn a little more about me here


The Danger of Being an Expert

By Shannon Primicerio

I teach writing. To elementary students.

While that sounds harmless it really is a scary thing. For the past four years I’ve taught writing to students of all ages ranging from 6 to 19. During that time I’ve seen students of all skill levels pass through my classroom. Some students are gifted, others are diligent and some could really care less about writing or anything pertaining to it.

About Shannon Primicerio

An author of ten books, Shannon Primicerio teaches teenage girls how to apply the Bible to the drama of real life and read it like it's God's love letter to them. By helping girls establish intimacy with Christ, she puts them on a path that will ensure they will still be walking with Him long after high school and college.

Her books and conferences provide:

  • Guidance and structure on how to have a daily quiet time
  • Strategies for battling peer pressure in areas like dating, purity and friendship
  • Insight on how to see yourself as the beautiful treasure you are
  • Direction on how to find your purpose and live your passion for the glory of God

You can learn more about her at www.beingagirlbooks.com


Being an Easy Example for Your Students to Follow

By Dennis Beckner

Tonight I saw two of our students at Taco Bell hanging out with another kid I didn’t know.

After a few minutes of chit chat about their fishing trip that day and seeing picture, I turn to the kid I didn’t know and started this conversation:

Dennis Beckner

Since 1999 Dennis Beckner has been volunteering in the youth ministry at Saddleback Church. Dennis is available for training events, writing projects and speaking engagements. Learn more about Dennis and read more of his work on his blog, www.volunteeryouthministry.com.


Back to Basics

By fattychris

There seems to be a big push lately to decentralize the local church. The modern technology landscape opens the world to itself. There are a myriad of resources for leaders and open forums to discuss strategies and methods. 

We have opened up our local church to online sermon notes, and even forgoing a local teaching pastor altogether. Some churches offer a streamed message from a speaker who nobody in the congregation will ever meet.

I believe the person leading the group should teach the group, whether that be a small Bible study, young adult ministry, youth ministry or even big church.

Chris Snyder

I have been working with youth and young adults for about 5 years now. My passion is helping young people connect with Jesus and live a life devoted to Him.  I work for a school district in their IT department for a living.  I have a BA in Leadership and Ministry from Ohio Christian University, and I look forward to getting into full-time ministry.  For now, I'm good where I am, though.  You can follow me on twitter (http://twitter.com/fattychris) or wordpress (http://fattychris.wordpress.com/).


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