This all sound good on paper (or on the net as it may be) but if we don’t actually use the new tools like these to communicate we will just drift farther apart as a classis.  I’m not trying to force groups to work together on all kinds of projects and events but just provide a way to connect with others in similar situations.  If you have a question about youth ministry and would like some feedback it would be great to be able to put it on this website and get feedback from others in our denomination.

Thanks for reading and if you come upon this site from some other denomination, you are welcome to hang around too:)

The PDYM components of a youth ministry are accurate and adaptable. However, the question of successful youth ministry is an outcome-based question. While those five components are irreplaceable, we need some kind of evaluative standard.

Bill, a seventy-plus year-old friend of mine, and almost a virgin when it comes to church attendance, told me that he had found an old record book from his father’s greenhouse. Now this greenhouse had been one of the most successful and well-known in the area for decades. In the book was a record of when seeds were planted, the condition of the soil, fertilizer applied, and how the plants performed. There were outcomes which gave the basis for determining success. The greenhouse was long-lasting, well loved, and profitable.

The plants matured and produced the way in which they were intended. That is a measure of success which applies directly to youth ministry.  Are our students maturing? What do we consider signs of maturity? Are they becoming less dependent upon others for their own spiritual growth? Are they beginning to sow seed and nurture others in their spiritual growth? Are they expressing that maturity in the context of a committed, vital, and growing relationship to a local, Christian community?

Once we define maturity, then, we define the components which produce that maturity. The PDYM list  dovetails in that respect. It is a means to success, but is not the definition of that sucess.

What do you think? Anxious for your responses

Evangelism

Worship

Fellowship

Discipleship

Ministry

I know my ministry is not balanced yet, but I am praying and hoping to strengthen our ministry for the health of our group. I would say our weakest areas would be evangelism and ministry, a good program would be discipleship, and our fellowship and worship are above average. I know this will be the main discussion of the blog (what is a healthy youth ministry), so feel free to post your own thoughts.

Great meeting today. I think we had some good discussion and set a great goal in seeking to empower our volunteers. That truly excites me. I went to KFC and spent a good time reading those articles Brad shared, and I can say I felt encouraged by what I read. I mean we have an opportunity to share a robust gospel to a people who need to be saved. It’s exciting. Anyways, I received an email in my inbox with a link to a leadership survey that examines your personal leadership style.  Thought you may be interested. Check it out here.

Here are some questions that I was wondering for other groups in the area.

Curious as to what you are doing.  Do you have music incorporated during your youth group time? If you do, what are all the instruments that you incorporate? Is it student or leader led? What songs do you do? Then the Biggie…What would you like to see happen?

Here are our answers…

Yes, we have a time of worship in the form of song almost every week we meet.  We usually do about three songs a week. My wife, Andrea, leads this time. She plays her guitar, and that is the only instrument we incorporate, but we are not opposed to adding drums, other guitars, pianos, etc, but we’re looking for people to add these elements with us.

I’d like us to be able to modernize our songs a little more, and we’ve been working to introduce some more, but here are some names of the favorites that our students have…

Mighty to Save

Empty Me

Love the Lord

Here I am to Worship

Heart of Worship

In the Secret (I Want to Know You)

Blessed be Your Name

Lord I Lift Your Name on High

Prince of Peace

Andrea’s working to add a few more that are featured on Passion: God of this City.

Interlinc also has good sources that I’ve checked out on good songs for worship.

Leave comments!

It’s late Wednesday night and I decided to go blogging and add to my personal blog.  I put it in our bookmarks.  Anyways, check out volkers84.blogspot.com

I wanted to give ya’ll an update of how things have been going at Bethel. We just kicked off our Hand in Hand Sponsorship Program. It is designed to get our older member active in the life of our children and youth. We have sponsorship packets, similar to Compassion and World Vision Packets, that our members can take home. We ask that they commit to one year of sending monthly cards, praying for their child and a few other things. Please pray that this sparks something at Bethel. I do have one other prayer request. March 21st – I am taking a group down to Kiln, MS. We are struggling with keeping kids and adults motivated to go. I have had people bow out left and right (offering nothing but excuses) Now some students feel that because adults haven’t shown much or any interest at all……why should they. Please pray that God would move certain adult in our congregation to realize the importance of this trip and get the excited to be a part.

- thanks Anne Ardapple

We were talking about evaluating youth ministries.  Well, here is a link that I found from Dare2share that looks to evaluate how youth ministries go wide (evangelism) and go deep (discipleship). I will bring a hard copy to our next meeting.

Dare2share.org

http://www.dare2share.org/deepandwide/assessments

David and I had a great time at the Time Out retreat at Camp Manitoqua. It was a great time to recharge and reconnect with the Savior.  Will talk to you soon!

I’ve made it a week long goal to get on this, but as soon as we broke our meeting last Thursday (the 14th), my week has been nuts. I told some of you that I graduated from NIU last year, which of course was were the terrible tragedy took place. Thankfully all of my friends and old roomates are counted for and safe, but I had some friends who had friends who were hurt and even killed in the shooting. That room was a very popular room that most people know very well. In fact, we had Campus Crusade for Christ in that room, and I have preached off that very stage that the shooter used to kill people. Please be praying for my friends, their family, current students and their friends and family, faculty, and alumni as this university is trying to cope with the reality of the sheer terror that was thrust upon them last week.

As if that wasn’t enough, my wife’s aunt (who she was very close to) lost her battle with cancer on Friday. I spent the end of last week and the beginning of this week comforting her and her family. It has been a tough few days as many were very close to her aunt, who was a believer, so we are excited to see her in Heaven some day!

Because of those mentioned events, my pastor, sponsors, and myself thought it was best to postpone the 30 Hour Famine that I told so many of you about last week. We will actually have it on March 21-22. I think this may be better for attendance too.

On a good note, the combined post high ministry I mentioned kicked off last night, and we had a great turn out. 36 people came to hear what Christians mean by faith. We are stoked to offer a ministry geared for those out of high school and into their 20s. Our area really needs something like this.