| TheSource4YM.com | |
 | Jonathan’s Resource Ezine |
Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
| In This Issue |
- ARE YOU REACHING YOUTH… OR THE WHOLE FAMILY? What’s all this “Family Based Youth Ministry” about anyway?
- AFFORDABLE ALL DAY SEMINAR NEAR YOU. Helping Families Succeed Seminars Coming This Fall! Special Discount for all The Source “EZINE” subscribers!
- YOUTH SPECIALTIES’ FREE PROGRAMMING ARTICLE. Featuring Jonathan’s Article “Do Games Still Work?”
| If you aren’t a subscriber of this EZINE and would like to subscribe – it’s free – just pop on www.TheSource4YM.com and sign up in the upper right hand corner. |
| ARE YOU REACHING YOUTH… OR THE WHOLE FAMILY? What’s all this “Family Based Youth Ministry” about anyway? |
Is your ministry reaching youth . . . or the whole family? Good Question. YouthBuilders’ Vice President Mike De Vries gives us some great insight on this subject and, better yet, some free resources we can use this week!
"What’s all this ‘Family-Based Youth Ministry’ stuff all about anyway?"
Mike DeVries
Vice President, YouthBuilders
mike@youthbuilders.com
Maybe you’ve heard it before, maybe you haven’t. There are people who are talking about a family-based model or approach to youth ministry, but what does it really mean? Is it all about adding more programs for parents and families? What about the non-Christian parents and families, what do we do about them? There’s been a lot of talk and philosophizing about family-based youth ministry, but what’s the reality?
The reality is simply this: our calling as youth workers is not to minister to students in a vacuum, but in the context of their most influential setting, their families. Family-based youth ministry is not a program, a strategy, or a model. Family-based youth ministry is the mindset in which we do ministry. Family-based youth ministry is about including parents in the equipping and nurture of their children. It’s about finding connection points where parents can be involved in the spiritual dimension of their children’s lives. Here are a few ideas for making the quantum leap in mindset.
- When you hear of or see a student’s growth in Christ, jot a note to the parents to let them know about it.
- Provide parents with "Parent/Family Pages" – a small group interaction where the family can continue the discussion of what you talked about on Sunday morning.
- Invite parents to be a part of the baptizing of their kids.
- Instead of eating dinner with just the student, have dinner with the entire family.
- Include parents in the process of growth – share with them what you’re praying for their children, have them pray too.
- Offer parents a set of follow-up family devotions for an after camp/retreat or missions/service project.
| AFFORDABLE ALL DAY SEMINAR NEAR YOU. Helping Families Succeed Seminars Coming This Fall! Special Discount for all The Source “EZINE” subscribers! |
If you’re interested in learning more about family-based youth ministry, we’ve got something you need to check out! YouthBuilders is hosting an all-day seminar in 29 cities across the country – "Helping Families Succeed" – and we’d love to have you, The Source EZINE subscribers, be there. This highly interactive, all-day seminar is written by some of the foremost thinkers in youth ministry and will leave you challenged and stretched in your thinking. "The Source" and YouthBuilders are teaming up to get you and your team to the seminar for an unbelievable rate.
SOURCE EZINE SUBSCRIBERS GET 25% OFF
To get the low down on the seminar content, locations and dates, and to get your "Source" discount, just visit the events page on the YouthBuilders’ website at www.youthbuilders.com.
When you are ready to register, scroll down this page to under the bold word "Cost" and click "register online" link. After you fill out all your information, just before you enter your payment information it will give you an option to enter a coupon code. Enter "4E-ZINE" in the coupon code section – and you’ll receive 25% off your entire registration – both individual and the already low group rate! Offer good through October 1st!
Do not miss this great ministry opportunity, register for these seminars today for your "The Source" special discount. Visit www.youthbuilders.com well as to register online for the event closest to you!
Visit us at: www.youthbuilders.com
Email Us: training@youthbuilders.com
Phone Us: 800-397-9725
From all of us at YouthBuilders – thanks for all you do for the Kingdom!
| YOUTH SPECIALTIES’ FREE PROGRAMMING ARTICLE. Featuring Jonathan’s Article “Do Games Still Work?” |
Many of you have heard the hype about Jonathan’s new book. Well you can read the entire first chapter of THE TOP 12 RESOURCES YOUTH WORKERS WANT for free on Youth Specialties web site:
http://www.youthspecialties.com
If you like what you read, YS provides the following link at the end of the article to buy the book from us, THE SOURCE: https://thesource4ym.comhttp://www.jonathansresources.com/Books/default.aspx We have a few hundred of the FREE RESOURCE CD’s left for those who order the book from us. These CD’s will not be reprinted- get them while they are here.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
If you have any other youth ministry ideas you want to share, please email meat jon@thesource4ym.com
God Bless!
Jonathan R. McKee
Do you have a speaker for your next camp or retreat?
Check out Jonathan’s speaker page and who’s recommending him!
/speakers/jonathan.aspx
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.