Next to the question, how do we find a great part-time youth minister, the question I receive more than any other as I consult and meet with local church members is this one, “How do we get youth to come to church?”  The motive behind the question is positive.  Our members desperately want to share the Gospel with young people, and that is a wonderful thing.  The problem is that the question presupposes that we need to offer something like what the world offers to lure youth to our church.  Without even knowing it we find ourselves hoping the right games or the right curriculum or the right program will get youth to come, or better yet, to bring friends.

The answer I think we are looking for, however, actually requires us to change the question.  Perhaps we should ask, what do we offer youth, or anyone else for that matter, that is different than what the world offers?  Or better yet, how are we living out following Jesus in a way that is life-altering, radical, or even dangerous as it challenges our current culture?  With hundreds of choices and demands on the time in their life, teenagers today see the church as one choice among many.  If we believe we have something that is worth the commitment and risk, are we living that way?

(Thanks to Marko and Kenda Creasy Dean for the seeds of these thoughts.  Check out Marko’s blog post from today here.)

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Youth 2011 – July 13-17 @ Purdue

You have only one week left to get the early bird rate for your entire group. All you need to do is register with a deposit. No details or numbers needed yet. Pay deposit today and save money on your entire group!

Register at www.youth2011.org/registration.

There is a great Chinese proverb that says, “Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.”  How true I’ve found that to be in my years in youth ministry.  Culture is changing, communication patterns are changing, methods are changing – as we seek to make disciples and communicate the Gospel there is always more to learn.  And if we stop learning we so quickly can watch the world go by and find not that the Gospel is irrelevant, but our means of communicating and sharing it are no longer effective.

In the next few weeks and months we are offering Youth Ministry Training (101: Basics), and while the target audience is those who volunteer or are new in youth ministry, we believe it will have something to offer for everyone.  We hope you will consider joining us and bringing others from your church who are interested in learning and growing in ministry with youth.  The training link here has more information, or you can click directly on the church names below to register.

January 29 – Mexico New Life UMC (near Peru)

February 12 – Seymour First UMC

April 2 – Bluegrass UMC, Evansville