Youth Ministry Academy

“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.

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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.

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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?

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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?

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By: Mark Hayse

Professor, MidAmerica Nazarene University

“What is global ministry, anyway?”

That’s the question that kept crossing my mind as I read Gary Hartke’s comments in the first issue of The Academy Today. What defines global ministry? Programs and sermons that look alike and sound alike no matter where you go?

As David Gonzalez wrote in the last issue, we live in “a great global village” sustained by transportation and media technologies. Technology truly brings the world closer together. However, those same technologies that can make us one also threaten to make us all the same. For example, Facebook may free us to talk together across cultures, but it also restricts our speech by reducing our creativity to the same format. We make that trade every time that we use media technology. Media technology both sharpens and dulls our communication at the same time. If you would like to read more about this idea, then check out these two books by Shane Hipps: The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Your Faith, and Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith.

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We here at the Youth Ministry Academy are proud to announce the launch of Youth Ministry Academy Radio! Each month, we will feature interviews with youth ministry experts discussing our monthly topic at the Academy. Look for new episodes of YMA Radio every Monday on the site. You can even have them automatically delivered to you via our Podcast RSS Feed or you can subscribe to YMA Radio through iTunes!

This month on YMA Radio, we are featuring a three-part interview with Nazarene Youth International director Gary Hartke.  In the part one, Gary explains his responsibilities at NYI, tells the story of how he was called into youth ministry, and explains where youth ministry has been in the past twenty five years, where it is now, and where he sees it going. A fascinating interview, so check it out! And be on the lookout for part two of our interview, coming out next Monday!

YMA Radio Episode One Download (Right click, Save as…)

Greetings! You are a part of the newest initiative from Nazarene Youth International. The Youth Ministry Academy exists for YOU, the hard-working youth leader. We feature resources, training, and community for youth leaders around the world. Allow me to unpack that a little bit:

Resources - Our website hosts resources in thirteen categories including devotionals, articles, lessons, activities, statistics, and many more. All of these resources are free for you to use in your local ministry context. The best part about this is that we have opened the doors for you to submit your own resources to be shared among the greater community of youth leaders. More on that later…

Training - We have partnered with Clergy Development, Continuing Lay Training, and youth ministry professors around the world to create a consistent and thorough curriculum for formal youth ministry training. We currently have our academic curriculum (Youth Ministry Deacon Module) hosted on the site for faculty and students. This curriculum is designed especially to be used in a formal classroom setting. If you would like to take these courses, please contact your District Ministerial Studies board. In the very near future, we will be adding a less-intensive course of study based on the deacon module that is designed for a more casual self-learning approach. This track will be conducted online through Continuing Lay Training. We will let you know when this will be available for you!

Community - Finally, we seek to provide an online space for youth leaders around the world to meet and discuss current issues in our field. We enable this through our Facebook Fan Page, our Twitter account, and right here on the blog. Each month we will focus on a specific topic that is pertinent to youth ministry. This month, our topic is “global ministry” and we have several articles and features on the site right now that delves into how we can conduct youth ministry in a way that is aware of global issues and active in our response. There are discussion boards on our Facebook page for your benefit in dialogue and we also have commenting available on the blog. All month long we will focus on this topic.

So, now that you know what we are about,we need your help! First, TELL EVERYONE about the Youth Ministry Academy. We are excited about the potential of this ministry tool and we want everyone to grow aware of it. Share this message with other youth pastors on your district and volunteers in your church. Spread the word!

Also, you can sign up for our newsletter, “The Academy Today.” Our inaugural issue went out on October 1 and it features articles by Gary Hartke and David Gonzalez in addition to recommended resources, poll questions, and statistics all pertaining to our theme of global ministry. You can sign up for the newsletter on our front page on the right hand column.

Finally, you can help us out by getting involved! Remember earlier when I mentioned you can share resources? You can do this through “The Network!” By going to “The Network,”, you can fill out a short form and then submit any resource you own to our database. Once it has been submitted, it will undergo a review process and then be posted to our site! This is your opportunity to share your wisdom and knowledge with youth leaders around the world. Take advantage!

We are so excited for the future direction of the Youth Ministry Academy. Our passion is to provide you with vital training and resources that will compliment your ministry and directly result in changing the lives of countless youth. Thank you for partnering with us on this journey.

As always, please contact me with any comments, suggestions, or questions you could possibly have. These are good days and God is at work!

Peace,
Jeremy Bixler
Youth Ministry Academy

Each month, the Youth Ministry Academy blog will feature a guest column written by one of NYI’s seven global regions.  The Guest Column will feature opinions on each month’s topic at the Academy.  The inaugural Guest Column, on the topic of Global Ministry, comes to us from NYI Director Gary Hartke

By: Gary Hartke

In June 2009, 713 NYI delegates gathered for the 22^nd Global NYI Convention. This was an historic event as delegates participated in the convention from 8 locations around the world including: South Africa, Germany, India, Philippines, Ecuador, Trinidad, Dominican Republic, and the United States of America. Throughout these days delegates participated via video conferencing technology in general sessions, regional caucuses, and partner region meetings. This was another “first” for NYI. Expanding the convention worldwide was another step in the NYI journey of being and becoming a global ministry.

Today NYI is working in over 150 countries of the world, in 13,706 local churches, 433 districts, 47 fields, and 7 regions. We are a worldwide family. Yes, we are divided by borders, languages, cultures and customs; however, we share a common belief in God and desire to journey together with other young believers that we may never meet here on earth.

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Hello friends!

Greetings from Nazarene Youth International and everyone at the Global Ministry Center!  Some of us are still recovering from the incredible experience of NYI Global Convention in Orlando, FL this past June!  What an amazing experience as delegates from eight separate sites were able to come together as one body. It is a privilege to be part of a truly GLOBAL church!

While at the Global Convention, we launched the Youth Ministry Academy. Exciting days are ahead for the Academy! Here are just a few recent updates:

• Twitter followers, listen up! The YMA now has its own Twitter page for you to follow here! We have exciting plans for our Twitter account for the days to come, so follow us and stay tuned!
• We have also launched a new Facebook fan page here. If you have a Facebook account (and really, who doesn’t?) become a fan of the Youth Ministry Academy! We will be continually updating our fan page with the latest news and additions to the Academy, so check it out!
• The Network is live! One of the most exciting aspects of the Youth Ministry Academy is the capability for YOU to be involved! We will be accepting resources from youth workers all over the world as we continue to grow our database. All you need to do is go to the Network site, fill out the form we include, and attach your resource. All resources are subject to a review process. Once it passes, though, we upload it right away to the YMA website. This is your chance to use your experience in youth ministry and pass it on to the whole world! We look forward to receiving your submissions
• Finally, make sure you check out the site on October 1. More to come…

That’s the latest for now. Keep tuned to the blog as we continue to grow toward Christ together and seek to raise effective youth leaders around the world!

Peace!