Volume 4, Issue 4

Summer is often a time of newness in youth ministry—new trips, new kids, and new growth. At CYFM, the newness of our summer largely revolves around our new name. Starting September 2, we will no longer be called the Center for Youth and Family Ministry. Instead, we will be the Fuller Youth Institute, or FYI. We are thrilled with this new name for we think FYI is not only more memorable but it also better captures our mission of translating research into resources that transform youth and family ministry. Here are what a couple of our friends are saying about the new launch of FYI:

The Fuller Youth Institute has a special and unique place in the world of youth ministry: they bring consistent and regular scholarship and research to regular, in-the-trenches youth workers. This isn’t just one-off stuff designed to bring grant money into the seminary; this is best-practices research, designed to root out urban legends and spread the word about what is true. What an amazing resource for those of us with a calling to reach teenagers for Christ. —Mark Oestreicher President, Youth Specialties

The Fuller Youth Institute suffers from a severe case of thinking big. Every effort is well thought out about how youth workers can make the greatest, most tangible and caring impact with hurting and disconnected kids. And they are just a click or call away! They’ve become friends. —Megan Hutchinson Life Hurts GOD HEALS Minister, Saddleback Church FYI Advisory Board Member

We’ll have a host of new FYI resources in September for you, including a new and expanded website and a new monthly (instead of bi-monthly) E-Journal. One of our new FYI resources that we want you to know about ahead of time is our new Deep Leadership book. Many of you have thanked us for our articles and asked for help in translating them into tools to share with your entire leadership team. As a result, we’ve created Deep Leadership as a nine-month training journey for you and your adult leaders, complete with a leader’s guide for you and interactive journals for your volunteers. You’ll find more information and a sample of the curriculum below in this E-Journal. Those of you who serve in urban settings don’t have to wait until September to act on another great FYI resource. Starting today, our Urban Youth Ministry Certificate application is available online. This two-year training program gives you the chance to learn from some of the sharpest urban instructors and youth workers in the country through academic courses that can be completed with minimal time away from your own ministry. To find out more, including details of the scholarships offered to all youth workers, visit our UYM Certificate page. We look forward to sharing this next new chapter of FYI with you. Kara Powell

Kara E. Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute and an Assistant Professor of Youth, Family, and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has been in youth ministry for over 20 years and is the author of many articles and books including Deep Justice in a Broken World (co-authored with Chap Clark, Zondervan, 2008) Deep Ministry in a Shallow World (co-authored with Chap Clark, Zondervan, 2006) Help! I’m a Woman in Youth Ministry (Zondervan, 2004) Mirror! Mirror! (Zondervan, 2003), and the Good Sex Curriculum Guide (co-authored with Jim Hancock, Zondervan, 2001).

©2008 Fuller Youth Institute