Having a Servant Heart

When you think about service, do you imagine an activity that involves a higher class stooping to meet the needs of the lowest social status? If your answer is yes, you have a wrong concept of what service is.

Read the rest of this entry »

Family Ministry

by Rev. Monte Cyr

We would all agree that our families are important. Even in today’s world where young people see and hear so much from so many who are trying to influence what they wear, what they do, what they listen to, and what they believe, studies have repeatedly shown that the number one influence in the lives of youth people is their family. God’s intention is that it is to be primarily under the influence of the family that young people’s values are formed, faith is nurtured, priorities are set, unconditional love is received and given, identities are “tried out” and life is practiced, personalities are molded, and life models are watched and imitated. The family is to be the place and the people who help the young ones grow and mature into Christ-like disciples, ready to take their place of leadership in the church and the world.

Of course, as you’ve been reading this and agreeing with what the family is supposed to do, your mind has been filling with the images of the many young people whose families are not what they need to grow up healthy and happy and ready for life. You think of the young person whose father skipped out long ago, and his mother goes from one live-in boyfriend to another. You think of the young lady who has been so emotionally, and maybe even sexually, abused by her parents that she is willing to do about anything just to feel loved and accepted. You think about the young man who ditches classes and spends his time drinking and taking drugs, trying to drown out the feelings of rejection he gets at home. You see face after face of young people who want nothing to do with the church because their experiences in their families are of either loveless legalism or hypocrisy. You think of the many young people who only hear the name of Jesus from their parents as a curse word. This obviously isn’t what God’s plan for the family, and the family’s influence, is supposed to be.

Read the rest of this entry »

Reviving the Soul of Youth Ministry

By Mark Hayse

What is the soul of youth ministry? Pizza? Passion? Personality?

How about prayer?

Read the rest of this entry »

We introduce a new feature on the blog today. Flavio Barbosa of Brazil offers a more global perspective on our topic of prayer:

The power when youth prays

By Flavio Barbosa

Talking about prayer has become a great challenge nowadays. It seems the youth of today, for the most part, do not pray! Unfortunately this is the reality of the youth in our country and the world. In some research I have done, I saw that the youth of today spends an insignificant time praying, doing so only at meals, in meetings, and when invited.

The reality is that prayer should be practiced, not only by our youth. Pray without ceasing is an order of the Lord (I Thessalonians 5:17). To put it simply, “The more prayer, the more power; less prayer, less power,” said a servant of the Lord who has since gone on to glory.

Read the rest of this entry »

7 Ways to Pray Compassionately

1. Bath time: Think Clean Water.

Nearly 1.1 billion people are without access to clean water—that’s more than the combined populations of North America and the European Union. Without access to clean drinking water, children are at a much higher risk for life-threatening diseases like diarrhea, intestinal worms, and cholera.

2. Off to work: Think Child Labor

Circumstances for many children worldwide require them to work to support themselves and their families. These children earn less than $1 a day, if they are even paid at all. Around 176 million children work in ways that are likely harm their health, safety, or moral development—such as bonded labor, slavery, or sexual exploitation.

3. Lunchtime: Think Hungry Kids

McDonald’s serves nearly 50 million people worldwide each day. Three times that number of children go hungry every day, leaving them undernourished, vulnerable to disease, and prone to stunted growth.

4. News Break: Think Education

There are 117 million children worldwide who do not receive a primary level education. Without education, these children are condemned to carry out menial jobs and will struggle to provide for themselves and their families.

5. Heading Home: Think Displaced Children

The number of displaced people in the world has steadily decreased over the last five years, but there are still an estimated 9.25 million children who have been forced by violence or disaster to leave their homes.

6. Visit the Pharmacy: Think Medical Access

2.4 million children die each year from diseases that could be prevented by vaccination. Many children lack access to health care for diarrhea, malaria, and measles simply because they are poor.

7. Bed Time: Think Orphans

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, reported in 2006 that 143 million children in the developing world are orphans. That is 1 in every 13 children. Still today, 15 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. That is roughly the total number of children in Germany or the United Kingdom.

*Adapted from “7 Ways to Pray” originally printed in the World Vision Magazine Winter 2006.

“We Are The Branches”

By Brian Woolery

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the book of John, specifically when Jesus says “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (15:5). Many times I wonder if we show that we trust what Jesus says in that verse by the way we live our lives. Do our daily habits in ministry show that we are trusting fully on the wisdom, power, and discernment of Christ? We want our lives to be used to glorify God and we want to be effective in ministry, but sometimes our desires to do our best for God are actually OUR desires. We have to be honest with ourselves. Is God guiding us or are we working for God but in our own strength? So how do we keep that connection? Prayer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Justice, Mercy, and the Curriculum of Youth Ministry

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Who among us would knowingly oppose those words? Not one, I imagine … and yet, what do our youth ministry calendars and programs tell us? What do we really believe that the Lord requires of us?

• Fund-raisers and summer camps?

• Bible quizzing and Sunday School?

• Lock-ins and scavenger hunts?

• Worship teams and altar calls?

As far as I’m concerned, these are all good things. No, great things (except maybe the lock-ins). But I must confess that during my youth pastor days, our calendars and programs were so full of education, play, worship, and evangelism that justice and mercy took the back seat. Although I hope that my experience was unique, I fear otherwise. I spoke on behalf of justice and mercy, but gave more attention to other things.

Read the rest of this entry »

Now, I’m not an expert on Sabbath, Sabbath-keeping, etc., but I think that is part of the problem.  Let me try and explain what I’m talking about.

I recently got off the phone with a youth pastor who is just flat burned out.  He talked with me about the need he was having for a break, and what I think he was asking for was a Sabbath, a rest, a break from the routine.  This was more than just a time to spend with family; as a matter of fact, from the outside looking in, I thought he was one of the guys who had it all together.  I thought he was pretty balanced in his life at church and home.  From the outside, he seemed like he was doing okay.  Apparently I was wrong.

He didn’t have an affair, not even on the radar screen.  He didn’t have a meltdown, loss of work ethic, fractured marriage, or kids who hated him.  He didn’t have a board that was too demanding, a slave driver as a senior pastor, or a youth staff that expected him to be at everything and do it all himself.  He was just dying from the inside out.  His pastor was shocked when he told him how he felt.  The board was supportive but a little bewildered by his request for a sabbatical.  How does this happen?  How do we get here?

Read the rest of this entry »

Hola everyone! November is upon us (by the way, can you believe it is November already?) and so is Social Justice month at the Youth Ministry Academy. First off, have you been listening to Youth Ministry Academy Radio lately? We’ve been slowly releasing excerpts from an interview we did with Jamie Gates (Director of the Center for Justice & Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene University) and Jon Middendorf (Senior Pastor of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene) on Social Justice and it is fantastic! Wanna know why the term “social justice” may be inadequate? Check out the first episode we released earlier this month! You definitely want to subscribe to the podcast in order to have each episode sent to you right away! You can do so here.

In coordination with Social Justice month (or maybe we should just call it “Justice Month”), we have been releasing 30 ways to become aware of injustice on our Twitter and Facebook pages… it’s something we call “30 Days of Justice.” Here is a recap of week one:

• Day 1: Sponsor a child with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. Only 82 cents a day! http://cs.ncm.org
  • One of the easiest and most beneficial ways to get involved with bringing justice is to sponsor a child. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries has an excellent child sponsorship program that will connect you with a child who so desperately needs their physical needs met. You can sponsor a child for only $25 a month, or 82 cents a day. If you’re looking for the ideal starting place for justice, look no further than Child Sponsorship.
• Day 2: Buy foods that are “Fair Trade Certified.” More info here: http://www.transfairusa.org/
  • What is “fair trade certified?” Well, it is a label that guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. This label is placed on coffee, fruit, sugar, rice, and more. Buy purchasing foods with the Fair Trade label, you are helping support fair labor and production practices. Whenever possible, please buy Fair Trade.
• Day 3: Make yourself aware of the latest stats on global poverty. Check out the United Nations Development Programme http://bit.ly/UNPoverty
  • If you follow that link, you will find information on the current state of global poverty. For example, did you know that over 80 percent of Africans are small-holder farmers
    though very few have access to fertilizer and quality seeds? Learn what the United Nations Development Programme is doing to work with African governments to help support and subsidize small farmers.
• Day 4: Check out the great things that are going on at Blood:Water Mission! http://bit.ly/14bHVI
  • Blood:Water Mission is a quality organization that works to build clean drinking water wells throughout Africa. Did you know that $1 provides one year of clean water for an African? It is quite incredible how many lives can be changed if we only live generous lives.
• Day 5: Educate yourself on justice issues including globalization, economics, and poverty. Book recommendations: http://bit.ly/zq3aI
  • This list provided by Hearts and Minds Books (an AWESOME bookstore located in Dallastown, PA) is a great resource for those wishing to learn more about these justice issues. All of the books in the list are highly recommended!!
• Day 6: IJM secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of oppression. Student resources: http://bit.ly/bK1
  • International Justice Mission exists to bring innocents out of slavery and other forms of oppression. IJM has some excellent resources for youth in particular. Please support this fine organization!
• Day 7: Prepare a “Beans and Rice” lunch for your church. Promote awareness of hunger and the luxury of food variety we have. Take donations.
  • This is an idea first featured in October’s article from NCM right here on the YMA Blog. This is a great idea for your youth to take charge and make your church aware of justice issues and make a real difference as well!
    
• Day 8: Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Resources here: http://bit.ly/3a7v5k
  • Finally, Sunday November 8 was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Many Christians live through injustice daily brought about solely due to their faith and belief. Although the day of prayer is now over, please continue to pray for those who suffer due to their faith. There are great resources on the website above.

That’s it for out first week of justice. Keep checking our Twitter and Facebook fan pages throughout the month for more ways to bring about justice!

“In Love there is Hope”

By Brady Franklin

I like to think that I am a globally and socially minded Christian. For me, joining the oppressed is a natural step for Christians. No one has to convince me that we should be meeting the needs of those in poverty. I believe in the idea that when we embrace love, needs are met, whether spiritual or not.

Love is a nice thought. But I’ve run into a problem when thinking about love in a world context. The world is a huge screwed up place. In my pursuits to transform the world with Christ’s love, I have ended up overwhelmed, burned out and in the need of something more.

Is love not enough?

Read the rest of this entry »