Examples of Mentoring Programs in Urban Contexts > See video of Brenda’s summary here Kinship is a community-based, one-to-one youth mentoring program. From Kinship: Does mentoring work? Studies show that mentoring reduces: drug and alcohol use; school drop outs; teen pregnancy; and violent behavior. Treehouse is a faith based, non-profit organization offering hope and guidance…
By Allison Tunseth, MA Children, Youth and Family student at Luther Seminary Brenda Olson’s presentation and article on faith formation and the urban church, unpacks the theme of relationships by engaging the idea of ‘accompaniment’. > See video of Brenda’s summary here Olson defines accompaniment in the urban church as, “a joint venture in which collaboration…
“Urban Ministry and the First Third of Life — Joint Venture: The Missional Call to Accompaniment” Youth ministry in the urban context is really about a missional call to the accompainment of young people. The idea is that God walks with us and therefore we walk with young people that we are in relationship with….
In reflecting on David Lose’s presentation about Finding Ourselves in the Biblical Story, this scripture text comes to mind. Joel 1:2-4 – Tell of This to All Future Generations from Luther Seminary’s EntertheBible.org Use this passage reflection to open up discussion: What evidence do you see of young people finding the bible irrelevant? How can…
By Karen Gieseke, MA Children, Youth and Family student at Luther Seminary Identity is at issue. The Missional Church Consultation explored identity as God’s child as something to be wrestled with, both in relationship to self and to other. > Watch David Lose’s summary of his presentation The scientific understanding of identity begins at each…
“Finding Ourselves in the Biblical Story” What if reading Scripture wasn’t about dates, places and people that lived a long time ago, but instead was about ourselves and the people we know and love today? And what if reading the Bible wasn’t about learning facts about God but instead was about learning to see God…
Elizabeth Drescher, author of Tweet if You [heart] Jesus, and a plenary speaker at next year’s missional church consultation, has a lovely short piece up at Religion Dispatches which explores five trends in social media that are intersecting with pastoral ministry. What do you think of her list?
By Laurie Neill, MDIV Children, Youth and Family senior at Luther Seminary The reality that John Roberto brought to light for me was that it is not only possible, but beneficial, for the church to provide faith formation for anyone, anytime, anywhere, 24x7x365. While I know that our youth (and adults) are connected to each…
This email completes a two-part series on the generosity of King David, seen in the collection of the offering for the building of the temple in I Chronicles 29. I wish you a blessed Christmas and some time of rest and relaxation with those you love. Chick Lane Director of the Center for Stewardship…
By Tom Schwolert Influenced by relational faith circles “To encircle young people with authentic, available, and affirming adults who support them in their faith and life journey.” The traditional model of youth ministry asserts that if we build a youth group that is big and active, we will profoundly influence the faith of young…
The last two Stewardship for the 21st Century emails for 2011 will continue the series on generous people in the Bible. The two emails look at the generosity and leadership of King David, recorded in I Chronicles 29. May the blessings of Advent fill your days. Chick Lane Director of the Center for Stewardship Leaders…
By Dr. Nancy Going Place matters. Mike King looks at both the church and the process of faith formation from a pretty unique perspective. Longevity. He has lived in Kansas City his whole life, and served the same parachurch organization—Youthfront for 36 years. His organization figures that something like 1/4 of the population of the…
“Envisioning the Future of Faith Formation in the First Third of Life” The first decade of the 21st century has brought dramatic change affecting virtually every dimension of American religious life. How can faith formation in the first third of life address this new context? This presentation explores key questions for envisioning the shape and…
“Thrive: Curating Environments for Vibrant Faith Communities” Mike King How do we move from being programmers who do events and programs that tend to create mere connections with adolescents, to youth workers who craft environments where young people inhabit transforming space and sustained Christian formation? Serving as a curator requires deep theological reflection and an…
“Following Jesus in Participatory culture: Faithful Living in a World Mediated by technology” Dr. Ryan Bolger, Part 1 above Click HERE for Part 2 Ryan Bolger examines how the social media revolution has reshaped daily life for those in the first third of life. In addition, he explores how these cultural changes impact churches. How…
