Lessons from Apple?
I’m fascinated by this reflection in the Harvard Business Review blog. James Allworth dares to suggest that the pursuit of profit alone is not the key to ... Read more.
Interim ministry as a missional opportunity
Recent Luther DMin alum, Chris Hagen, talks about his research project which sought to approach interim ministry not as an effort to help a congregation “... Read more.
Earthly death = living proclamation?
by Christie Hallenbeck “Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”... Read more.
A Compelling, Biblical Case for Relationship
Terence Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, talks about prayer and relationship with God. “God understands what a heal... Read more.
Moving with the Spirit, engaging race and diversity
This week at Luther Seminary we honor Jane Buckley Farlee with the annual Race, Church and Change award. Her work with Trinity Lutheran Congregation, the only C... Read more.
Caught in the Current – by Terri Elton
I don’t know about you, but as a family with children in school, this time of the year I get caught in the current. Our family tries hard to be intentiona... Read more.
Thank you, Mrs. Jones: The Power of Words that Welcome
Sandy Troyan, Luther Seminary student in Children, Youth and Family, weaves a powerful and timely story about the simplicity of connection for the development o... Read more.
Stewarding God’s Gift of Time by Tim Coltvet
Probably one of the finest lessons taught to me about time came from a wise and learned friend from Tanzania. As a part of our growing congregational partnershi... Read more.
Discerning mission: The Holy Spirit’s new challenge and opportunity
By Gary Simpson In his August 5, 2011, letter to the rostered lay leaders and pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presiding Bishop Mark Hanso... Read more.
Living Your Strengths by Nancy Lee Gauche
“Everyone has a calling. Discovering it is what life is about and that calling does not come from God’s voice thundering from above; but it more oft... Read more.
EYM Shifts by John Roberto
The Exemplary Youth Ministry Study results indicate that churches seeking to develop an effective formation focus make three distinctive shifts. SHIFT I They em... Read more.
It’s all about YOU! by Nancy Going
While it may sound like the Exemplary Youth Ministry study was just about these 121 congregations who have it all together, that’s far from a complete pic... Read more.
Leveling the Playing Field by Nancy Going
EYM levels the playing field: We used to think that great youth ministry was built pretty much exclusively around a dynamic youth minister, so the church who fo... Read more.
The Sweet Spot by Tom Schwolert
The term “sweet spot” is often used in sports. It is that place on the face of a golf club that creates the best possible shot or on the baseball ba... Read more.
Life Teams by Jerry Watts
For years I have struggled to move beyond the “if we build it they will come” programmatic formula for youth ministry. In my quest for fidelity to t... Read more.
About Your Pastor by Kristen Baltrum
One of the key ingredients to effective youth ministry is that the ministry is supported by the senior pastor. I have found this to be so true. I will never for... Read more.
Leadership Insights: Leading EYM Style by Nancy Lee Gauche
Recently, I was asked, “If you were to go back and do youth ministry again, how would what you know now change what you would do?” I had quite ... Read more.
Name It by Kristen Baltrum
When I first started in professional youth ministry, I simply wanted to create an environment of relationship and “church fun” that mirrored my own ... Read more.
Coaching Your Pastor by Nancy Going
Exemplary Youth Ministry is really about leadership on multiple levels — your leadership as the youth minister, your adult leaders. One of the key finding... Read more.
Dispelling Cultural Myths by Tim Coltvet
In Disconnected: Parenting Teens in a MySpace World, Chap and Dee Clark take on a popular cultural myth that, sadly, most of us in youth ministry buy hook, line... Read more.
Life Teams Part II by Jerry Watts
We started our Life Teams by recruiting current & former confirmation, mission trip, and Sunday School teachers to agree to join the Life Team that already ... Read more.