Renew…Educate…Connect…
Over the last few years, one of the conversations that has come up again and again in youth ministry circles is about how we approach mission and service. Many of us grew up with a model that was driven by ...
Last week, I had the chance to spend a day with our friends in Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Network at their annual conference, and it was exactly the kind of experience that fills your tank in ways you didn’t know you ...
Hello friends, In the past few weeks, news broke that Group Publishing has been acquired by David C. Cook Publishing. Once upon a time, Group was a powerhouse in the world of children, youth, and family ministry. They produced books and ...
As ministry continues to evolve, the ELCA Youth Ministry Network is walking forward with intention. In response to feedback from our community and in the spirit of deep listening, we’ve launched a comprehensive strategic planning process to guide our future. ...
I received a note today on Facebook that made me catch my breath. Lost and Foundis Michael and George. They travel the country, performing and leading music in congregations and at events. They are good friends of the Network. The notification I received was about a new Kickstarter project that they are starting to help ...
Occasionally someone will ask me the question “How do I help out with ____________ in the Network?” The blank space might be “the Extravaganza”, or “with 3rdTuesday Conversations” or with “the Board of Directors.” Whatever it is, it is a great question that I always really appreciate being able to answer. What I usually say ...
Network Leadership week is next week. Every spring, we link two of of our primary leadership teams together for back-to-back meetings. Beginning Sunday night, our Network Board will begin meeting in Chicago. They will finish up on Tuesday at noon. On Tuesday, our Regional Facilitators will begin meeting and will finish up on Thursday at ...
Please allow me to introduce Shannon Savage-Howie. Shannon is the youth minister at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California. She is awesome. She has served on the Extravaganza planning team in the last few years. Most importantly she is married to Robert, and is the mother of Declan, and housemate of Boomer, a ...
This past weekend, the Extravaganza team leaders met at the Hyatt in Anaheim, site of the 2013 Extravaganza, to process the evaluations from the New Orleans event, and to do the organizational planning for ’13. We spent quite a bit of time processing the evaluations, and I just wanted to share a couple of observations ...
There is a new webinar that has been added to the catalog of webinars that are a part of the “Practice Discipleship Project” done cooperatively by the Network and the ELCA Youth Gathering. I’m really excited about the webinar. It is titled “Compassionate Justice and Service Learning.” I’d like to give you the description, and ...
It is a simple word. Praying. But it means a lot. There was a another tragedy today, this time in Chardon, Ohio. A school shooting left (last I heard) 5 people wounded, one of whom died from the gunshot wounds. To be honest, I was in meetings today from 8:30am almost straight through until ...
Have you ever had an experience where something you were deeply invested in went really, really well, and it’s all said and done, and everything is boxed up and put away, and you sit back and sigh and you realize “hey, that was really cool…it feels really good to have been a part of that.” ...
So if you haven’t yet booked your hotel room for Extravaganza 2012, you might have a little bit of trouble. First, you have to understand that rooming list at a convention hotel in a city like New Orleans is a bit of a moving target. A quick background: When we book an Extravaganza, a part ...
I hear it actually all of the time. Somebody will send me a question about a ministry topic, or perhaps about a resource, and I’ll drop back a quick note to them and say “you should check out _______________’s talk from the Extravaganza a couple of years ago…there was some stuff said there that I ...
Network is a Verb 