Finding the "Family" in Youth & Family Ministry

This past weekend was the Synod's Middle School event FreeRide held at the YMCA Camp Letts in Edgewater, MD - it was a beautiful weekend to be out in the midst of God's Creation!

On Saturday morning, members of the Equipping Congregations Team came to help facilitate a discussion on the possibilities for Family Ministry in the life of the church. Many of us have family as part of our job titles or the names of our congregation's ministries, but when it comes down to it, how is this area of family ministry being addressed?

Led by Pastor Kathy Morris (Associate Pastor at Our Shepherd Lutheran in Severna Park, MD), the conversation covered many of the foundations and issues associated with centering ministry on the family as a whole, whether that's a "traditional" family or family in many of the forms we know and minister with.


There were a number of resources shared to help leaders begin to this about this direction for ministry, and I invite you to comment and include other ones you know of!

Print Resources
* Passing on the Faith by Dick Hardel & Merton Strommen

Online Resources
* The Youth & Family Institute
* Faith Inkubators Faith Stepping Stones

Last call...

While the registration for the ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza will continue to be open for months to come, this is the last call for anyone who is interested in our efforts to travel and/or room together for the event. There is a small group of us who are leaving from BWI on Friday the 8th in the morning and returning on Monday the 11th in the late evening, flying through Northwest Airlines. If you're still interested in joining our group, please e-mail or call me at (410) 825-1725 x114 ASAP!

Of course, you can still register and meet us there - just make sure to do it before the end of December so you avoid the late fees!

Magazine Resources

There are tons of magazines out there for youthworkers! Group Magazine, Youthworker Journal, the Lutheran... the list goes on. What magazines do you find helpful for your ministry? Any specific things you've learned that you can share or articles that really touched you?

Atheism Among Your Youth?

I was listening to a FM talk show this afternoon to their discussion titled, "Atheism on the rise - Do you believe in God?" The article that prompted the topic was from the Washington Post printed a couple of weeks ago - you can read the whole article here.

The research the article cites for this rise in the number of atheists in the US come from a Baylor University and Barna Group study from 2005. Also quoted is Margaret Downey, who heads Atheist Alliance International - she is encouraged by the increasing number of attendees at their annual gathering.

So their research points to this rising number of people who profess their belief of the absence of God. Does this ring true to your context in working with young people and families? What experiences can you share? How would you help another leader dealing with it in their church?