Talking to Your Kids about Youth Group
Matt Rice here with Beyond the Pew and I wanted to talk to parents today about how they can help their kids bring what happens at youth nights or youth group home. As a dad of a thirteen year old, I actually get pretty frustrated when I ask my son, “Hey, what did you learn […]
After the Youth Retreat
Welcome back to Beyond the Pew. As we continue this series on how to help your youth come home from different church events, we’re going to be talking today about retreats. So when your youth goes away for a weekend or for a day retreat, and they’ve encountered Christ there, how do you help them […]
Preach the Gospel
This past semester at St. Joseph’s, the middle school group focused on the sacred scripture. We started with basics, how the Church formed the Bible and what books make it up. Then we zeroed in on the gospels, learned what parables were, and looked at a number of Jesus’ teachings and miracles. We also talked […]
Continuing the Conversation
This post is based off of thoughts and reflections resulting from How Not to Hijack Your Youth. I encourage you to read that post, which shares how to facilitate discussions on controversial topics found in music, movies, or other media. The youth are able to think critically in a setting that allows for open and honest discussion. […]
Bruised, Dirty, and Muddy?
This past Saturday, several good friends and I ran a race called the Tough Mudder. We had a lot of fun, worked hard, and got muddy. Afterward, I realized that this race makes an excellent analogy for what the beginnings of many new ministries feel like. Initially it’s scary seeing the course that has been laid […]
Those Turds
Maybe it’s just our ministries and you don’t have this problem, but we have some unique children in our programs that we lovingly refer to as “turds”. I sincerely mean that. We love them, but their behavior stinks. It’s ok though, they’re keeping us all on our toes, as well as sometimes on our last […]
Battling Burnout
When I was new into ministry I asked a priest if he had an advice for a new youth minister. “Take care of yourself,” he said. “You have to look out for yourself because no one else will.” I thought he might be exaggerating, after all I was working for a Church and anyone working […]
What Happens When You Leave
After a short 6 month stint in the Peace Corps, I’d easily estimate I heard the word “sustainability” over a thousand times. Sustainability is the buzzword in the international development community, and for good reason. The focus of aid has shifted from “giving” to “teaching.” For example, we underwent three months of training, covering cultural […]
National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry – 5 Quick Takes
Last weekend, the team from Next Level Ministry was able to attend the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM). Over 3,000 people gathered to discuss how we as ministers and as a Church could better connect Christ to teens and families. Here are my 5 quick takes from the conference. Evangelization > Catechesis Bob […]
Complaining
A few weeks ago, after a ministry event for our youth, some friends and I were standing outside talking about how it went. We stood there complaining about all of the things that went wrong and how annoying phones can be when the youth are on them, among many other things. Standing there, I could […]