Here are some resources I’ve found very helpful in my years in Youth Ministry.
ONLINE NETWORKING
So, I am pretty sure most of you know this already, but I have found a huge benefit in online networking. Here in New England, the culture is very on-the-go all the time. They have sports events almost every night of the week. They travel a lot in the summers. They work. Some of them live 45 minutes or more from each other. The list goes on and on. I would love to meet more with them, but sometimes it gets tough, especially in the beginning stages of ministry. I have appreciated the connections with the students I can make through Facebook and iChat/AIM. Very often, we have what the high school students affectionately call “Facebook Youth Group” through forums. We chat about plans, events, the Bible, etc. So, my advice for you is to get connected with your students online. Of course, you have to be careful about what you look at, as with everything online (especially with MySpace), but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. They are on it ALL THE TIME, so a way to get “in their world” is to sign up and log on.
A great (and FREE) e-book I found is “Facebook for Pastors” by Chris Forbes. Click here to download it from ChurchMarketingCoach.com.
A list of popular online social networks that I use:
Do you have any others that work well for you? Feel free to talk about them when you leave a comment below.
CAMPS
I first took a group of 15 students to Camp Berea for “Deep Freeze” early in 2008. It was a great retreat for middle school and high school students. A good combination of fun and excitement mixed with deep spiritual times created the perfect environment for teenagers to grow. For “Deep Freeze,” we had 4 main worship/speaking times spread out over the 3 days. In between these times, we spent time paintballing, snow-tubing, snowshoeing, dodgeball, basketball, volleyball, participating in drama/skits, talking with the worship band, connecting with other youth groups, and many other activities. In addition, the other churches who participated this weekend were from many different denominations. We had non-denominational churches (like ourselves), Congregational churches, Baptist churches, etc. It was cool to see THE CHURCH as one this weekend.
Camp Berea is in Hebron, NH, and I totally recommend it to anyone in the New England area. They are right on the Newfound Lake, and the view is amazing, especially with the mountains in the background! You can check out their website at www.campberea.com.
Even if you are not in the area, I still recommend Christian Camps to you. I have been attending camps since I was in high school, and I haven’t been to one that wasn’t worth it!
WEBSITES
One reason I developed this page on my website is because I often am searching for websites that can help my ministry. I look for sites that contain game/activity ideas, lesson plans, retreat info, mission trips, etc. Then it hit me — why don’t I include some of these links on my website? So this is my effort to do so. I will list some of my favorite sites. I may add to this list later as I find more resources, but here is the list of Youth Ministry websites I have bookmarked.
(Each one is a clickable link.)
SOFTWARE
I’ve been using the Youth Specialies “Ideas Library” software for some time, and I wanted to share it with you who may not know there is something out there like it. Many of you may already use Youth Specialties’ resources. In fact, I can probably assume correctly that most of you own some of the Ideas Library books containing lesson ideas, skits, activities, games, etc. Did you know there is a computer program that houses all of these books in one easy-to-use location? Check it out! I currently have version 4.0 HD, which works on both PC and Mac. Check it out by clicking here. I ordered mine from Amazon, but you can find it many different places (like ChristianBook.com). It is definitely worth the price you will pay. If you were to buy all the books separately, you could end up paying much more! Also, the searching for exactly what you need is so easy when using a computer. If you are like me and need help every once in a while to find a creative idea, I recommend this resource.
DEVOTIONALS
I’ve had several students of mine ask for devotional suggestions — books they can use to help them get into reading the Bible on a regular basis. I decided to put together a list of popular and useful devotionals. This list is in no way complete, because there are literally hundreds of options out there. However, hopefully this will help you or your students choose something to fit their preference.
To check it out, click the link below.
4 responses so far ↓
GarykPatton // June 16, 2009 at 2:22 pm |
How soon will you update your blog? I’m interested in reading some more information on this issue.
Teen Devotional Suggestions « Steve Cullum – Life & Youth Ministry // October 17, 2009 at 2:46 am |
[...] YM Resources [...]
ostrov // December 2, 2009 at 7:10 pm |
Thank you,
very interesting article
Fred // January 19, 2010 at 7:02 pm |
thank you, very interesting idea