http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church

Reason #5 – They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.
“Younger Americans have been shaped by a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance and acceptance. Today’s youth and young adults also are the most eclectic generation in American history in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, technological tools and sources of authority. Most young adults want to find areas of common ground with each other, sometimes even if that means glossing over real differences. Three out of ten young Christians (29%) said “churches are afraid of the beliefs of other faiths” and an identical proportion felt they are “forced to choose between my faith and my friends.” One-fifth of young adults with a Christian background said “church is like a country club, only for insiders” (22%).” Read more…

laura For Leaders, Laura's Blog, Life Issues, Liturgy and Worship, Stories and Articles Faith Formation, love and respect, Youth Ministry 'How To'

Awesome video.  We saw it at one of the liturgies at Common Ground (National Youth Ministry Forum) in June 2011.

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Bishop Mark MacDonald preached the sermon at the opening Eucharist at Generation 2008.

The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald is the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop of Canada and the pastoral bishop of the Episcopal Church of Navajoland. His previous ministries include Bishop of Alaska and Canon Missioner for Training in the Diocese of MN, as well as positions in Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Oregon. Among his published works are Native American Youth Ministries, co-authored with Dr. Carol Hampton.

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The story of the Surprising Samaritan

and the ‘Good’ Temple Priest

(or, “What WOULD a Samaritan Do?”)

Read more…

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Narrator:

Long ago in ancient Judah, in the time when the judges ruled and before the time of the kings, there was a great famine in the land. And a man from Bethlehem named Elimelech went with his wife Naomi and their two sons and went to live in a land called Moab, far away. Elimelech died in the land of Moab, and Naomi raised her sons there. When they were grown up, they both got married to women of Moab. Naomi’s daughters in law were called Orpah and Ruth.

Both the sons died as well, so Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. In those days, that was a great tragedy, as a woman had no status apart from that which her male relatives gave her, and Naomi was a stranger; alone, in a foreign country.

Naomi:

“There I was. Alone. There was only one thing for me to do, and that was to try to return – Read more…

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“Help!  I have to plan worship for (youth camp/conference/event) and I don’t know how to do that!”

Have no fear, a resource is here!  This was written especially for youth and young adults who are responsible for planning and leading worship.  It’s not quite a ‘step by step guide’ but almost.

Whether this is the first youth service you are planning or the 20th, this resource will hopefully give you some new ideas and guidance in the process.

Read more…

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Pentecost Reading in Many Languages

This is an effective method of reading the passage from the book of Acts at Pentecost.  Involve as many people as possible from the congregation in presenting this. Read more…

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By Aiden Enns

This column is for all those people who feel trapped in church. I recognize that worship services, which are one of the foundations of our Christian life together, simply don’t work for everyone.

I hear complaints about fluffy songs, outdated hymns, exclusive language, narrow theology, judgmental messages, too much fashion consciousness, sheer boredom or simply being indoors on a free morning.

Some people leave, but others stay in spite of their gripes, usually for family reasons.

Instead of yielding to bitterness, why not find positive reasons to stay, even though you don’t approve of everything? Here are some strategies. Read more…

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This brochure was specially produced for us for  Generation 2008 by Augsburg Fortress/Anglican Book Centre.  In case you lost or didn’t get a paper copy, here’s all the information in electronic format.

Top Resources for Youth Ministry

The choices were made, not by publishers, but by youth ministers themselves.  Almost all of these resources were recommended by Diocesan Youth Ministry staff from across Canada as their “must haves’ for youth ministry.

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Is “Getting Results” the Agenda?  Changing the Agenda with Contemplative Youth Ministries.

One of the things that constantly amazes me in youth ministry is how adults and some clergy in congregations seem afraid of youth’s spiritual experiences.  Spiritual encounters are either orchestrated (“this is what we’re going to do and this is what you will experience”) or they are mediated (“this is what you are supposed to think about/respond to this particular scripture passage”).

Or, we wonder how to find the perfect ‘program’ which will solve all adults’ anxieties about youth ministry and ‘getting youth into church’.

In this linked article, a youth minister in the Diocese of Melbourne talks about his encounter with the practice of Contemplative youth ministry – which is about letting the Holy Spirit move, without trying to give her a script to follow.

I really liked these words in particular in the article, and was amazed how much they resonate with our experience in the church in Canada…

“Youth Ministry is wrought with anxieties – from the Church, the parents and the youth. Here are some generalizations from my observations:

The Church wants results. They want to see the ‘future of the Church is assured’ because the young people are seen. They want the ‘bang for their buck’ from their Stipendiary Youth Ministers. They want ‘good young people’ who will do church the way the older people do it, without expectation of change. They want themselves replicated in a world that simply isn’t there anymore.

The parents (in the Church) want results. They want their children protected from bad people, bad things and bad media. They want their children to be ‘good’, without making decisions that will harm themselves or others. They don’t want their children to drink or smoke. They want their children to have good friends. They want their children to do the ‘right thing’.

The youth can smell these anxieties. They hear them explicitly or implicitly. They sense why they are pushed into youth programs and paraded to the church. They are anxious about the burdens they haven’t asked for. They have choices to make, and they can do so without the baggage from the Church.

But when a young person enters an environment that is open to them (without judgment from people), allows them to spend time in silence (unheard of in today’s world), asking them to deeply ponder God’s Word and His love for them without being told what they should hear (considered risky) and experiences the overwhelming grace and love of Christ, how can we argue?”

Read the full article here

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