Youth ministry as a learning laboratory
Jeffrey Conklin-Miller asks: How can we open the door to a new laboratory for youth -- a place where we emphasize experience, reflection and play?
Youth & Children
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Photos courtesy of Duke Youth Academy
Mainline Protestantism and disruptive innovation in youth ministry
While mainline churches were looking the other way, marginalized youth ministries became laboratories of disruptive innovation. Fortunately, hand-wringing despair is not the only option.
Emerald Youth Foundation choir performs at the organization's 2012 prayer and fundraising breakfast. Photo courtesy of Emerald Youth Foundation
Emerald treasures
Emerald Avenue UMC and the nonprofit it created more than 20 years ago -- Emerald Youth Foundation -- are bringing new life to children and youth in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Knoxville, Tenn.
Most Recently Published
Acrostics and mesostics are forms of poetry; acrostics intersect the first letter of each line and mesostics intersect in the middle. Illustration by Jessamyn Rubio
Amy Peterson: How poetry can help kids -- and all of us -- practice lament
Poetry from the book of Lamentations invites us to find words for our feelings and offers a form to contain that which feels uncontainable and uncontrollable, says a writer.
The author and her two sons, ages 6 and 9. Photo courtesy of Angie Hong
Angie Hong: Parenting in the midst of protests and a pandemic is a difficult opportunity
Parenting right now is chaos, but there is a lot of opportunity to teach our children to love God, says a worship leader.
Parents and professionals are working to provide safe and meaningful formation for youth this summer. Photo courtesy of Episcopal Church in Minnesota
What will summer be like without the usual VBS, camps and youth mission trips?
Christian professionals and families partner to experiment with innovative approaches to youth formation in a socially distant environment.
Excerpt: "Delighted: What Teenagers Are Teaching The Church About Joy"
Written by four faith leaders with deep connections to youth ministry, "Delighted" was published in April. In this excerpt, co-author Wesley Ellis reflects on how churches can offer joy and authentic friendships to young people.
In December 2018, Prakash Keeley was enthroned as a "bishop" at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Photos courtesy of Steve Rice
The tradition of child bishops teaches the meaning of the Magnificat
In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a church enthrones a young chorister as “bishop” every December in a medieval practice that illustrates the upside-down spirit of Advent.
Detail from the cover of "Wrestling with Rest."
Nathan T. Stucky: Sabbath isn't easy
Young people struggle with Sabbath, in part because adults model a life of busyness, says the author of “Wrestling With Rest: Inviting Youth to Discover the Gift of Sabbath.”
Fishers mend huge nets used to catch salmon off Alaska's Harvester Island. Holes, torn by sea lions, seals and boat propellers, are repaired by hand. Photos by Gretchen E. Ziegenhals
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: Mending more than nets
Taking the time to fix what is torn can build strength and resilience. What would it mean for young people to learn the art of mending early in their lives?
The author and her daughter celebrate her high school graduation. Image courtesy of Grace Ji-Sun Kim
Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Christian parents must allow their children the freedom to develop their own identities
A parent’s desire to guarantee a child’s success prevents the child’s own development -- and is not the way God parents us, says a theologian and mother.
The young adults who work at Village Wrench do not need to have experience fixing bikes. They just need to have a passion for helping the community. Photos courtesy of Village Wrench
A faith-driven bike shop teaches repair skills and helps provide bicycles to its neighbors
Village Wrench in West Greenville, South Carolina, helps meet tangible needs such as bike repair and transportation. But it also offers youth development and a community gathering place.
Demonstrators carry signs during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. Library of Congress / Photo by Marion S. Trikosko
James B. Ewers Jr.: What I learned growing up in the segregated South
Remembering the landmark Civil Rights Act that was signed into law 55 years ago in July, a retired educator says our history can teach young people the value of education, mentors, leaders and communication.