#Brangelexit: From Idolatry to Reality

September 21, 2016 By John Vest

According to John Calvin, the human mind is a perpetual factory of idols. I’ve been reminded of this dictum as the internet blows up over news of the #Brangelina divorce—what some are calling #Brangelexit. What really got me is the ridiculous number of stories on CNN.com. Seriously, how many different angles can one legitimate news outlet possible find to report on this story? While #Brangelina may be a predominantly Gen X obsession, the ubiquitous presence of this pop culture story... Read more

Pride in Dallas

September 20, 2016 By Yadi Martinez

In Dallas, TX, we celebrate LGBTQ Pride in the month of September, unlike the rest of the country which celebrates in June. This past Sunday, thousands of people filled the streets in uptown Dallas to participate in or see the annual Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade—Pride Parade for short. I have attended the parade for many years, marching alongside young people from a youth center as a way of showing them support. In 2006, I attended an open and affirming congregation that also... Read more

I Pledge Allegiance…

September 16, 2016 By Kevin Vandiver

One summer years ago, my aunt and uncle gave my cousins, sister, and me the option of either camping on the beach, or going to the mountains. We chose the mountains and drove up to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I’d say we kids ranged in age from 10 to 13 years. The seven of us made the drive up to Tennessee, and it didn’t disappoint! From the lovely scenery, to the arcades, food, and putt putt, it was wonderful! We hadn’t... Read more

Peas and Carrots: Why young people don’t care and adults don’t know

September 13, 2016 By Wes Ellis

There’s a lot of anxiety surrounding the question of young people and church. It would seem, these days, that the two aren’t exactly like peas and carrots. In fact, one could easily conclude, upon brief observation of what happens in your typical mainline worship service and its attendance, that church just isn’t for young people (or young people aren’t for the church). There are, of course, a whole lot of misconceptions floating around that would contribute to such a conclusion.... Read more

Fifteen Years Later

September 11, 2016 By John Vest

In many respects, my ministry career has been defined by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I had just finished a summer of Clinical Pastoral Education, during which I served as a chaplain in a level 1 trauma center on the Southside of Chicago. I was beginning a second year of ministry at the church I had interned at the previous year. The weekend before I had led my very first confirmation retreat and the following weekend had another... Read more

Changing Hearts and Lives at #PYM17

September 6, 2016 By John Vest

“Repentance” is a theological concept with a lot of baggage. In traditional youth ministries repentance has often been associated with puritanical piety and guilt-laden pleas for behavior modification. This approach colors the way people think about themselves—as totally depraved sinners—and how they think about God—an angry God in whose hands we tremble. Bible scholars have suggested that “repentance” in the sense of being sorry for mistakes is actually a mistranslation of the Greek term metanoia dating back to the first... Read more

Christian Myth in Youth Ministry (Part 2 of 2)

August 5, 2016 By Guest Contributor

Yesterday Kevin Alton outlined three kinds of myths: true myths, false myths, and willful ignorance. Today he unpacks the church’s preference for the third kind of myth. Kevin is a full-time freelance youth ministry creative. He’s the co-founder of Youthworker Circuit, content curator for Science for Youth Ministry, and can be found on most social media as @thekevinalton. Deep down the church knows that, in its current state, it won’t hold up well to scrutiny. Take this issue of myth. My entire life I’ve... Read more

Christian Myth in Youth Ministry (Part 1 of 2)

August 4, 2016 By Guest Contributor

Kevin Alton is a full-time freelance youth ministry creative. He’s the co-founder of Youthworker Circuit, content curator for Science for Youth Ministry, and can be found on most social media as @thekevinalton. Ignorance just isn’t what it used to be. There was once a time when you could genuinely not know stuff. Knowledge didn’t come to you; a person would be well versed in their immediate surroundings and capable of managing most of their daily needs. Learning beyond what was... Read more

Digging Deeper into Faith and Science

August 1, 2016 By Andrew Esqueda

Each summer I do a series with my high school and college students called “Digging Deeper”. We cover theological topics such as the Trinity, creation and fall, salvation, and this year, faith and science. This is not a class or a study, it’s an opportunity to actually do theology with students. At the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference this past year in Dallas I had the opportunity to hear from people like Paul Wallace, Catherine Keller, and Tony Jones on the... Read more

Let’s Go on Mission Trips

July 18, 2016 By Wes Ellis

“Ask teenagers in a church youth group what they mean by mission, and most of them will tell you about a hot week in July when they traveled to a poverty-stricken community to do home repair…” -Kenda Creasy Dean (Almost Christian, p. 96). In some progressive churches and youth ministries there is a push against the traditional “mission trip.” We’ve become suspicious of the week-long excursion to a “low-income” or “impoverished” place, to serve and help the “less fortunate.” I remember... Read more