By Meghan Hatcher Meghan is the director of the Innovation Laboratory at CYMT. She holds degrees in journalism; sustainable development and applied sociology; and a Master of Divinity. Meghan has served diverse faith communities through pastoral leadership, youth ministry, new ...
By Dietrich KirkWhat should our relationship with God look like? God is full of grace, forgiveness, and love. God is often referred to as a Good Father. Jesus desires to have a deep relationship with us and calls us friend. Relationships ...
by Dr. Andrew Zirschky Lament is a powerful form of prayer that allows us to express our deepest sorrows and doubts to God. It is a way of acknowledging the suffering we experience in life and bringing it before God ...
by Stephen Ingram I have three kids, ages 17, 15, and 10. When they argue with each other or feel wronged by one of the others, bridging the gap between apology and actual forgiveness can be really difficult. According to ...
by Rev. Stephanie Dodge Steph is a United Methodist Senior Pastor as well as a former Innovation Lab Cohort Participant. For more information on our Innovation Lab Cohort Program (which is registering new cohorts now) CLICK HERE. In 2016, Glendale ...
by Andrew Mochrie Andrew is the leader of the Theology Together Program at CYMT as well as a former Innovation Lab Cohort Participant. For more information on our Innovation Lab Cohort Program (which is registering new cohorts now) CLICK HERE. ...
by Dr. Andrew Zirschky Starting in the 1990s, a focus on innovation and particularly disruptive innovation began to take hold in business schools and large companies worldwide. In the past decade, that interest has spread to the Church and to ...
By Meghan Hatcher The first step in product thinking, as Nikkel Blaase writes in an article for the Interaction Design Foundation, is to “determine the problem that your users are looking to solve.” When done well, determining a user’s problem ...
By Stephen Ingram I don’t do CrossFit. I’m more of a racquetball then hit the sauna workout kind of guy. Even though I do not do CrossFit myself, it is not from a lack of effort from many of my ...
By Rhys Ferguson It is that time of the year. The five advent candles have been lit and put out, the presents under the tree have been unwrapped, the trips to far off places (and places just around the corner) ...
By Laura Provence My first holiday season at my new church felt like a Christmas miracle. After struggling to maintain our large numbers from the Summer and early Fall, our Sunday night attendance quadrupled for our Christmas Party. These numbers ...
By Andrew Zirschky, Ph.D. As the calendar year rolls over, many families see opportunities for new beginnings and restarts as they consider returning to church or finding a new one. For youth workers, this inevitably leads to evaluating and retooling ...
DEI: Thoughtful Approaches to Youth Ministry By Dwight Johnson Approaching youth ministry through the lens of DEI will require partnership with an individual or consultant that can help you identify the spaces that need reflection, change and implementation. Research DEI ...
4 Tips for Utilizing Your Strengths 1. Research and understand both the positives and negatives associated with your strengths. This produces a deeper sense of priority and affirms one’s calling and direction. It also helps know where our ...
A Youth Minister’s Guide to Leading from Your Strengths by Stephen Ingram Many youth ministers struggle for a number of reasons. It may be due to overcommitting ourselves, difficulty finding healthy rhythms, or lack of support and training. However, most ...
You’re Not My Parent: A Youth Minister’s Role in Discipline By Dietrich Kirk I can remember in my first two years of youth ministry thinking that my role on a trip was to be youth’s parent. Not literally, but I ...
It Happens: Conflict Resolution at Its Best and Worst By Dan Lambert “The elders expect you to be in your office at church 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. You have Monday ...
Tips for Consistent Communication with Parents and Adult Caregivers Don’t Assume Labels Be careful not to assume that the adults at home are the parents. When reaching out to the adults at home, do not assume they are to be ...
The Good Game - Reaching Gamers by Justin Bowers Minecraft. Destiny. 2K. League of Legends. D&D. Bioshock. Overwatch. Call of Duty. Half-Life 2. Mario Kart. Skyrim. FIFA. World of Warcraft. Magic the Gathering. Zelda. Pokémon. E3. Team Liquid. Furries. Overcooked ...
Setting Up Boundaries for the Long Haul by Samantha Tidball I remember wanting to wow the first church I worked for by making big impressive plans! I also didn’t want to let anyone down. Therefore, I often worked more than ...
