The Ruthless Southwest Airlines
How sticky are your ideas? When people hear your vision for impacting kids, is it burned into their minds, hearts, and souls? Or is it In-One-Ear-And-Out-The-Other?
Archive October 14, 2010
A Man on the Moon
Do you have a single, vivid, unshakable image of where you’re hoping to lead students in your ministry? Can you communicate it to others?
No Longer an Option The Essential Role of “Cultural Intelligence” in Youth Ministry
Training in cross-cultural communication used to be reserved for elite business leaders or career missionaries, but now it’s essential for all of us—even for your youth ministry! Check out this overview of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and interview with Dave Livermore, CQ guru. No matter what your ministry context, this paradigm shift is guaranteed to stir changes in the way you approach cross cultural interaction.
A Theology of Culture for Your Ministry Is “The World” Friend, Foe, or Something Else?
Whether it’s deciding what music to listen to in the church van or which movies to see with students, youth workers are always wrangling with questions of culture. How we think theologically about culture has a huge impact on the way we answer the questions, but we rarely have time to contemplate the roots of our responses.
Bring ‘em Out Evangelizing and Pastoring the Hip Hop Generation
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.
The Art and Science of Persuading Teenagers Chap Clark's Perspective on Communication Theory and Youth Ministry
What does it mean to persuade students with the Gospel? When do we cross the line to manipulation? What can we learn from persuasion research to help sharpen our communication practices with students? Mark Maines utilizes some of Chap Clark’s work from the newly-released Deep Ministry in a Shallow World to offer a new look at our persuasion.
CRASH When it All Comes Colliding Together
Few issues push our buttons as a culture more than race relations. While the Church may often pretend the conflict does not exist, in reality we have a responsibility to engage and respond to the difficult dynamics of race in the U.S. The movie Crash takes a unique look into these dynamics, and Dan and Jude help us navigate the movie and its implications for ministry in this article.
Why Don’t Good Ideas Fly? What Youth Ministry Can Learn from Innovation Research
Ever had a great idea completely bomb? Ever scratch your head and wonder why it happened? The field of innovation theory reveals several insights for youth workers that just might make a difference in your next idea’s take-off rate.
Beyond the Mechanics The Power of the Right Question
Why do you do what you do in ministry? Check out these insights from Chap Clark and Kara Powell on the art of asking Macro-Questions in evaluating your youth ministry.
A Radical Rethinking of our Evangelistic Strategy
Do we get evangelism? Do we even get the Good News? What kinds of disciples are we making in our churches? Statistics suggest that we are in need of a radical rethinking of our evangelistic strategy as gospel-oriented Christians, seeking to follow the Great Commission. Check out these radical thoughts from Brian McLaren.