This article was originally posted on 5/28/2013 on FirstThird.org Derek Tronsgard, one of our First Third Voices gives his take on Sarah’s Bane’s thesis topic in: Youth Ministry, Stewardship, and the Ladder of Cool (Before reading this post, we highly recommend reading Sarah Bane’s thesis. It’s posted again at the bottom of this blog. It’s…
By Patrick Torbit It was a hot summer evening in New Hampshire. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the sanctuary of my internship congregation. Tied to my right wrist was an orange bandana. Surrounding me was my tribe, about fifteen energized third and fourth graders. On second thought, energized might be an…
A blog post by Terri Elton It is November, a month set aside for giving thanks. What a great practice that is. Pausing and giving thanks is something we can’t do enough. As you make your way toward Thanksgiving I encourage you to fully participate in this season’s rituals. But our focus for this month…
This article was originally posted on 10/20/2011. If you didn’t catch it then, we hope you enjoy its message anew! Dorothy C. Bass and Craig Dykstra once unpacked the meaning of Christian practices. They write: “By Christian practices we mean things Christian people do together over time to address fundamental human needs in response to…
A blog post by Terri Elton We’ve spent the month wandering through ideas, insights, resources, and research on younger adults, their understanding of faith, and implications for ministry. Each post offered a picture, a snap shot, of what’s important and meaningful for younger adults today. We were reminded that Martin Luther was a younger adult…
This article was originally posted on 8/7/2012 on FirstThird.org. We hope if you didn’t catch it then, that you would find it useful presently! As you live into the Messy Reality of Young People and Faith, here’s a resource for meeting your youth where they are at. John Roberto’s book, Faith Formation 2020: Designing the…
By Josh Linman “Becoming missional will save the church.” Whether we want to admit it or not, many mainline pastors and denominations are banking on this idea. In our race to become missional, we have allowed some key assumptions to endure that are actually roadblocks to renewal. Missional Assumption 3: Faith is ignited in hearing…
“I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to…
A blog post by Luke Halverson What is one thing I have noticed about young adults? Early on in the book of Job, Satan is granted power over Job’s life. From Job losing his children to having sores inflicted all over his body, Job endured enormous amounts of pain and loss. When Job’s friends heard…
A blog post by Isaac van Bruggen Picture this: it’s the early 1500s, and you are a young Martin Luther. Disenchanted with some of the Church’s teachings, you begin to form your own ideas and question authority. You go rogue. Do you ever wonder what it must have felt like to completely change the church…
By Josh Linman “Becoming missional will save the church.” Whether we want to admit it or not, many mainline pastors and denominations are banking on this idea. In our race to become missional, we have allowed some key assumptions to endure that are actually roadblocks to renewal. Missional Assumption 2: Worship is the centerpiece of…
A blog post by Jake Sorenson Christian outdoor ministry is an incredibly understudied field. As scholarly attention increases in the fields of youth ministry and emerging adult ministry, camp is conspicuously absent from nearly every study. Evidence for camp’s effectiveness is left largely to anecdotal accounts that seem convincing to those of us who have…
A blog post by Jake Sorenson In diverse studies on emerging adult religiosity, three essential factors consistently rise to the top as important for lasting faith formation: relationships, internalization of faith, and incorporation of faith into daily living. These factors align remarkably with the “essential trinity” of camping: community living, away from home, and in…
A blog post by Terri Elton As we begin to imagine accompanying younger adults in their journey, what are some things to keep in mind? 1. Younger adults are tinkerers. According to Robert Withnow: “The single work that best describes young adults’ approach to religion and spiritual life — indeed life — is tinkering. A…
A blog post by Terri Elton Over the next several weeks, we will share with you some resources that might help you understand some aspects of what’s going on in the lives of people in their 20s and 30s. This first installment address these three questions: Who are they? Why is this so important? What…
