The Reality of Post-Christian Youth Ministry

I found this article to be hopeful and realistic about youth ministry in the context of Post-Christiandom. 

​“...as we embrace doing ministry in our current culture we must remember that Jesus did not call us to efficient programs or growth models. Jesus calls us to himself and then sends us to people. There is no greater work than being sent by Jesus to a people who do not know him, being faithfully present with them, and inviting to share in the story God is working into our lives. This is the way of Jesus and it is the way of youth ministry in our post-Christian world.”

https://churchleaders.com/youth/youth-leaders-how-tos/318363-3-practices-youth-ministry-post-christian-world-jeremy-penn.html

Preparing for Easter Weekend

Holiday weekends like Easter, Christmas, and Mother’s Day usually mean exposure of our communities to a broader audience. With Easter coming closer and Spring just around the corner, now is the time to make sure some of those last minute details are in order to be a place of hospitality and welcome. Here’s an article that gives some ideas on how to prepare this season.  

https://smartchurchmanagement.com/prepare-for-easter-sunday/ 

What kind of prep are you making this season? 

Practical Leadership Advice in 2018

First of all, I love this picture because it uses snack food to make a point. :-)  

Second, I hope you’ll check out this article for some quick practical advice for leading your church in 2018.  

http://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2017/december-web-exclusives/6-ways-to-lead-your-church-well.html 

Cultivating Artist of all Types

Whether someone‘s craft is photography, music, painting, dance, storytelling, or some other form of art, how do we in the church cultivate that person‘s ability in a way that honors the artist‘s gift and spurs the craft of the artist? This article holds many great ideas for cultivating the God given gifts in us and the people in our communities.  

Here‘s just a little excerpt:  „In church, it can be like that for an artist. All you hear is how anointed, talented and called you are but rarely do artists hear really great constructive critique that can enable them to grow.  Sure, we all like to edify, encourage and strengthen each other but sometimes we need to have a little bit of iron sharpening iron“ 

http://www.theworshipstudio.org/why-is-christian-art-so-bad-5-ways-to-make-it-better/ 

Adoption as a model of Discipleship

“The traditional model of discipleship as behavior modification must be replaced with a model of spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is by it's very nature relational and implies process...” 

This article seems to be just the beginning of a larger conversation about Discipleship in a Post Christian Context. I think the analagies given help us imagine new ideas and processes we might imploy to help others grow deeper in their own Jesus Lifestyle.

http://www.averageyouthministry.com/average-youth-ministry/2013/04/29/a-post-christian-model-for-discipleship 

Any Thoughts? Does this fit your ministry context?