So many youth and family ministry leaders aren’t full-time professionals—we’re volunteers juggling this work alongside everything else, and we’re just doing our best! It’s easy to get overwhelmed, or to find yourself going through the motions without much thoughtful grounding in the theology and purpose of it all. So what is most important as we engage in the vital work of our young people’s faith formation? Where do we begin? What faithful, informed choices can we make to best guide the young disciples around us?
This course is designed to introduce you to the foundational mindsets, essential knowledge, and core skills you need for ministry with young people. We’ll explore practical strategies and theological grounding to help you guide young people with care, confidence, and creativity.
This training can be invaluable for new ministry leaders, group orientations, or anyone who just needs a refresher. If your church has an established program, engage in this learning to enrich the work you are already doing! And if you don’t already have a huge, structured program in place? If only a few children show up on Sunday mornings, and only some of the time? This course will be especially helpful for thoughtfully meeting the needs of the young disciples you do serve, while also laying a foundation and paving the way for something more organized down the road.
Whatever your context, this training helps your ministry teams get on the same page and move forward with clarity and shared purpose in shaping meaningful experiences that nurture faith. Join us as we step back, reflect, and develop a sustainable, theologically grounded approach to faith formation.
What You'll Learn
- The theological principles central to ministry with children and youth
- How to connect theology and practice in faith formation
- Ways to authentically integrate children and youth into worship
- How to design small experiments that deepen young people’s faith experiences
- Best practices for ensuring safety and healthy boundaries in ministry
- The developmental stages of children and youth and how they shape faith formation
- The importance of multiple caring adults in young people’s faith development
- How to assess and adapt activities for relational and age-appropriate ministry
- Strategies for supporting faith formation in the home and working with parents
- How to cultivate intergenerational connections and activities
- Methods for identifying and guiding volunteers effectively
