Kara Powell talks with Efrem Smith, pastor of Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, who helps us bust some of the myths and embrace some of the realities of an emerging urban-suburban blend in culture and our youth ministries.
What is the city’s greatest hope? While God works through all sorts of leaders, perhaps the greatest hope for the city comes from those who grow up in the city and and choose to stay there as indigenous leaders. Urban practitioner and researcher Jude Tiersma Watson explores the model of urban leadership development as a way to raise up leaders in your—and their—context.
Kara Powell interviews Lina Thompson, World Vision’s National Director for Training and Capacity Building for U.S. Programs, about talking about race with kids and adults.
What is social justice, and how do I know if I’m doing it—or doing it well—in youth ministry? To help you evaluate your own ministry, we’re reporting here on a collaborative effort by FYI, World Vision, Community Solutions, Inc., and the Urban Youth Workers Institute to get at the difference between average justice work and deeper justice ministry. FREE DOWNLOADABLE ASSESSMENT TOOL.
While it may seem an oxymoron, resting in the city is not only possible, but imperative for urban youth workers. Read on as Kim Williams explores the “prayer of rest” as a method for encountering God in the city, suburbs, or wherever you find yourself in ministry.
Do you ever wonder about the personal impact of ministry stress? Do you ever suspect that the risks of your ministry might outweigh the ability you have to survive or be resilient in the midst of them? This report looks at the findings from a recent FYI study of urban youth workers from around the country, with implications for youth workers in every environment.
Are kids getting more or less violent? Given the amount of media attention attracted by episodes of youth violence, it’s hard to get a handle on what research might be saying or what ministry interventions might be working to lower violence. With the help of the Fuller Youth Initiative research team, this article takes an in-depth look at the key questions youth workers and parents have about youth violence, and a few encouraging responses from youth workers who are making a difference.
This article is an excerpt from a chapter in the new book The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip Hop Generation, by Fuller Seminary’s Ralph Watkins. Pastor-Professor-DJ Watkins explores ministry implications for reaching out to hip hoppers by facing hard questions church leaders are asking about hip hop culture, and applies these insights to cross-cultural outreach to kids in general.
