Archive for the ‘Announcements’ Category

It’s December already, and youth pastors are thinking about New Year’s resolutions. What’s on your list?

• Learn proven techniques to grow your leadership team
• Create and implement a strategic plan for your youth group
• Learn to be more effective and reach more students

We’re hosting a youth ministry training event January 30th where you can learn all these things and much more.

Learn how to be a more effective youth pastor, better disciple your students, and reach more teens in 2010!

Register before Christmas and also receive 10 helpful planning tools to equip your youth ministry. Includes a Parental Release Form, Leadership Application, Planning Calendar, Project Management Form and more.

Learn more: http://www.calledtoyouthministry.com/chicago

Matt Slippy got in touch with me last week about an interesting survey he is conducting for his D.Min.

Below is some information. If you would take a few minutes to participate in the survey, that would be a huge blessing. Please also share it with others via Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Orthodoxy Vs Orthopraxy

Which is more important, what we believe or what we do in youth ministry? It would be easy to debate and discuss this Q (which we will certainly do), but when it comes down to choosing only one of two options on a given weekend for our teens to participate in, what option would we choose?  For instance, would I take my students to serve at a homeless shelter or take them to a worldview conference? I am conducting an online research project to see which direction youth pastors, parents of teens, and youth ministry students in colleges and seminaries lean on this important Q. I am hoping to survey at least 1000 people in each group. With your help, I believe this is possible.

Goto: www.youthministrysurvey.com There is a link for youth pastors, a link for parents, and a link for youth ministry majors. Once youth pastors take the survey, please give the link to parents of teens in your ministry and ask them to take the survey for parents.

Also, I need your help in getting the word out about  www.youthministrysurvey.com to other youth pastors within your network of relationships, via online communities, denominational groups, and your local networks.

Hi Friends,

I wanted you to be some of the first to know about the new resource library we just launched on the Called to Youth Ministry website.

Check it out! www.calledtoyouthministry.com/resources

Our prayer is that these resources will be one more tool in your toolbelt as we work together to disciple students.

Also, please join the discussion! What makes this library unique is that anybody can contribute resources. Several people have already contributed some great resources, and I hope you will join them.

To contribute your resource, just go here to log in and get started: www.calledtoyouthministry.com/contribute

This is just the beginning. There are a lot of improvements and upgrades we are planning to make this library even more helpful, so stay tuned.

God bless, and see you soon at the new resource library!

I’m so sorry I haven’t posted much lately. I’ve been thinking and praying about some new posts, and I promise that they are coming soon! But I couldn’t wait to tell you about this…

A new youth ministry networking group is starting in the Northwest Chicago area! Our first meeting will be in Crystal Lake on October 1st (details below). The goal of this group is to provide you with an encouraging atmosphere and help you build strong relationships with other youth workers.

If you’re in the area, please come for some good times. Be ready to meet other youth workers, share ideas, and pray together. We will talk about how a youth ministry network could best serve you, help you reach teens in your community, and equip you as a youth worker.

When: Next Thursday, October 1st at 4pm
Where: Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, IL
Please RSVP to Nathaniel Dame: (440) 220-5626 or nathaniel@calledtoyouthministry.com

Let me know if you’re coming, or if you’ll be late (I will be sticking around later if needed).

We’ve heard rumors of other networks already in the area. We’re looking forward to connecting with them too and hopefully joining forces.

If you know a youth worker in the area, please send this invitation. All are welcome!

Can’t wait!

There’s a lot of exciting stuff coming for our ministry, Called to Youth Ministry.

We’ve got a youth ministry resource library that will be going live in the next few weeks, plus the coaching program for youth pastors, the Next Level Partnership, will be launching soon.

I can’t wait to see everything that God has in store! Stay tuned for details, and if you want to learn more, you can listen to our last ministry update conference call right here.