The Day I Heard “I think this takes priority over soccer” was the greatest day of my youth ministry life. It was amazing—a parent was pulling a child from a sporting event so that they could participate in the youth event I’d planned. They were actually prioritizing church over sports! I. couldn’t. believe. it. I’m sure you battle the enigmatic specter of sports all the time. I work in a relatively wealthy urban congregation, where families have access to all... Read more

Yesterday the Departments of Education and Justice issued a joint letter directing public schools to allow students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity, providing guidelines that will ensure “transgender students enjoy a supportive and nondiscriminatory school environment.” This is the latest round of the increasingly divisive national debate about LGBTQI rights. As a youth pastor I saw firsthand how challenging it is for young people and families to experience gender nonconformity. If you are a youth worker who has... Read more

Last month we called your attention to a survey that explored the impact of high-profile bullying on our young people, with a particular emphasis on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. In this guest post, Joseph Feldman responds to the findings of his survey. Two of the most famous names associated with New York City apartment buildings have been in the news lately, and they combine to provide a teachable moment worth thinking about and worth acting on. Kitty Genovese was killed outside of her Queens... Read more

This weekend my family and I will attend the wedding of two dear friends, both of whom happen to be women. One of them, a clergy colleague of mine, spent many evenings with us seven years ago holding our newborn son (and obsessively watching Lost). Now our seven-year-old son and his younger brother will attend her wedding and not think twice about the fact that she is marrying a woman. Same-sex relationships and marriages are a normal part of the world... Read more

Youth ministry has always been a place in the church for creativity and innovation. Kenda Creasy Dean has sometimes called it the “Research and Development Department” of the church. Perhaps it’s because youth workers are often a bit younger and less experienced than their Senior Pastors, so they don’t know any better. Or perhaps it’s because young people in the church are sometimes a little less attached to their traditions. But youth ministry in the U.S. has always been marked... Read more

Scripture readings for the Day of Pentecost (Year C; May 15, 2016): Acts 2:1-21; Genesis 11:1-9; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17 (25-27) I wrote my previous two lectionary reflections from a travel seminar in Ghana, during which I had my first substantive encounters with the global Pentecostal and charismatic movement. I’ve been interested in charismatic Christianity since I was in high school and some of my youth group leaders “went charismatic” and were essentially kicked out of our church. I... Read more

Lara Crutsinger-Perry has written for us before and is now part of our amazing team of regular bloggers. Lara is a Member in Discernment in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ and currently serves in Olympia, Washington. She lives with her wife, daughters, and a host of critters on their urban farm. She loves Netflix, tacos, and good flea markets. EB White once said, “I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have... Read more

Yadi Martinez, who helped make PYM16 happen, is joining us a regular PYM blogger. Yadi is a Latin LGBTQIA Youth Advocate and Unconscious Bias Awareness Facilitator. With over 10 years of ministry in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, Yadi has worked with several churches and organizations, including Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ. Yadi currently serves as a Youth Minister with the New Church – Chiesa Nuova UCC in Dallas, Texas. I grew up in a fundamentalist Pentecostal Church, completely... Read more

Scripture readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year C; May 8, 2016): Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21; John 17:20-26 Today is the last day of a two week travel seminar in Ghana that I’m co-leading as a class for Union Presbyterian Seminary. I’ve learned much about the two Presbyterian churches of Ghana and their practices of evangelism, Christian education, and ministry with youth and young adults. One of the consistent themes of our trip has been... Read more

Please welcome Rocky Supinger to the PYM blogging team. Rocky is the Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. He has served churches in California and Missouri, and blogs at yorocko.com.  I don’t know who said, “Don’t try to be interesting—be interested instead,” and I’m certain the advice’s author was not addressing youth ministry when she said it, but I have adopted it as my working definition for our work: be interested. We are interested in teenagers,... Read more