By Rev. Tim Coltvet,Coordinator of Contextual Learning and Coaching for the Children, Youth, and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary As I step back for a moment, I have to say, “I love confirmation!” And I’m really excited for the next First Third Dialogue: Monkey Business. I, perhaps like you, have actually been the envy of…
By Dr. Nancy Going, Director of Distributed Learning Children, Youth and Family Luther Seminary My second real youth ministry job was in Germany. My husband and I had just moved there so he could serve as a pastor in a German congregation. After we got settled in, I really wanted to do youth ministry in…
Listen to Dr. Andrew Root and Bethany Stolle as they discuss chapter 14 of The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry, by Andrew Root and Kenda Creasy Dean. They dig into the topics of confirmation, catechism and doubt. The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry Chapter 14
Monkey Business: A First Third Dialogue on the Confirmation Process February 27-29, 2012 Register at: www.firstthird.org/events Early Bird registration extended through February 4th!
A Faithful Future: A Conversation about the missional church and the first third of life The Seventh Annual Consultation on the Missional Church, held Nov. 4-5, 2011 Preview Video: Dr. Terri Elton discusses the Missional Church and the First Third of Life “Cultivating a Consequential Faith in a Consumer-Driven World: From Object to Subject to…
by Dr. Terri Elton, Associate Professor Children, Youth and Family Ministry and Director of the Center for First Third Ministry at Luther Seminary Ministry with those in the First Third of Life and thinking about church missionally…two big, complex ideas which have captured the attention of many church leaders these days. Two days in November…
“Thinking Deeply about Relationship: The Practical Adequacy of Our Understanding of the God-Human Relationship” The word “relationship” pervades current reflections about God in the life of the church. What do we mean when we speak of “relationship?” How adequate is our understanding of the God-human relationship for our missional commitments and conversations? What will we…
In Todd Hobart’s video, he recommended churches do 2 things:1) Discern where you are as a church. Identify your particular context and the issues in your community. 2) Discern who you are as a group of people. Learn about the congregation and its strengths. Then, you can see how you fit into what God…
“Collaborative Worship – an act of Stewardship” Dave Scherer and Tony Fair give us a peek into the emerging All Metro Praise (AMP) worship experience partnering city and suburban churches in praising God together with ALL of our gifts. The first AMP worship experience will be January 29th at Augsburg College. All are welcome –…
“Anticipating the Kingdom: Engaging students in missional faith formation“ What do “mission” and “faith formation” have to do with one another? In this presentation, Todd explores how to cultivate an authentic faith in children and teens who are immersed in a culture of individualism, consumerism and self-absorption.
Once again MIchael Jinkins, the president of Louisville Seminary, offers a pointed reflection on the challenges of living in the global and diverse world we inhabit. Read his whole essay, but here’s a taste to whet your interest: If we construe our differences as merely matters of individual taste and preference, we trivialize the religious…
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…
