I’m here to find resources that can help me innovate faithfully and renew Christian communities.
By Derek Tronsgard There’s well-known saying by Edmund Burke that says “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it”. How well do you know your congregation’s history? Earlier this month my congregation started a visioning process for our youth ministry to map out the next 3-4 years, and one of the most helpful…
By Dr. Terri Martinson Elton, Director of the Center for First Third Ministry at Luther Seminary Between 20-33% of young people in the United States have participated on a short-term religious or mission trip. That’s around 5.5 million 13- to 17-year olds. Yet I continue to hear youth workers ask, “Why do mission trips?” Mission…
By Andy Sahl There are many areas of our leadership as youth and children’s ministers where we have a LOT of freedom. In many congregations, the youth and children’s ministries are allowed to experiment and fail in a way that other ministries are not. Experimenting and dreaming up new ideas for our little silos can…
By Julie Hagen I’m done with winter, but according to the forecast, it looks like Mother Nature has a different opinion. I may be stuck in the cold for a little bit (or more) longer, but my church calendar is looking like summer! Summer registrations are open and we’re busy finalizing details and looking to…
By Dr. Nancy Going, Director of the CYF Distributed Learning Program at Luther Seminary I saw a job description last week for a Children’s Ministry Leader, which listed as “able to write curriculum” at the top of the list of other capabilities this church was looking for. Have you noticed how common it is when…
By Dr. Terri Martinson Elton, Director of the Center for First Third Ministry at Luther Seminary Each year our country takes a day to “honor” past presidents. Mostly we honor them by getting the day off from school, or work if we are lucky, giving little or no attention to presidents at all. But on…
By Pastor Nancy Lee Gauche I heard Krista Tippett’s interview with Vincent Harding the other day. Vincent Harding is Professor Emeritus of Religion and Social Transformation at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. Back in 1955, he paid a life-changing visit to Martin Luther King Jr. Vincent Harding says that the phrase “civil…
By Derek Tronsgard A funny thing happened this fall. My wife and I were on our way to the Minnesota Golden Gophers homecoming football game against Purdue. We had parked our car in the street several blocks away and had to walk right through the main row of fraternity houses to get to the stadium….
By Dr. Nancy Going, Director of the CYF Distributed Learning Program at Luther Seminary Here is how the job that many Youth ministers or pastors find themselves doing asks them to spend their time. Is this true for you? Events planning (even if the event is a small group system), event recruitment, curriculum assessment, curriculum…
By Dr. Terri Martinson Elton, Director of the Center for First Third Ministry at Luther Seminary I must admit, I can live in my head. I love ideas, theories, and understanding why. But sometimes I need to be reminded that knowing about ideas is different than living out ideas. In other words, knowing is one…
By Andy Sahl “Andy, I don’t think I want to be an intern anymore.” I really couldn’t believe my ears. For years our few spots for high school interns (high school students that help with our middle school program) was a coveted role. For the last two years we’ve added the number of inters…
By Dr. Terri Martinson Elton, Director of the Center for First Third Ministry at Luther Seminary Several weeks ago I wrote about the power of gathering. Gathering is a vibrant part of abundant life, of living a Christian way of life. But there is other side of that coin, the reality of scattering. No matter…
Courtney Young is a May 2012 graduate of Luther Seminary – MDiv with an emphasis in Congregational Mission and Leadership. Missional, millenial and now, a new mother, Courtney shares her thoughts with us here: Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the church and social media. Partly because I used to work in seminary relations…
By Julie Hagen Sam, a shy 1st grader, asked his small group leader if she would call him ‘Sam I Am’ from now on. They hadn’t seen each other for a few weeks but last Sunday, she remembered and his face lit up when he sat down by their group and heard “Hi Sam I…
By Neil Christians I’m sure you may find these text messages familiar. “Hey Neil, is there still room for me to go on the ski retreat? I know it’s past the deadline but I still want to go.“ “I think I can find a place for you. Let me check the rooming list and space in…
