Tag: Practice Discipleship
Because Everybody Needs a Plan
If you ask anyone who has been doing ministry with children, youth and families in ELCA congregations for awhile, they will be able to tell you that there has been a significant change in the culture of our community over the last 20 years. Children, youth and family ministers share resources, give mutual support and ...
Network Strategic Plan + Practice Discipleship Structure = Something Brand New
The ELCA Youth Ministry Network’s strategic plan has taken a huge step forward. Approved in February, it has the ambitious goal that “every Network member will create and live into a plan that deepens their skills and identity in ministry.” This goal means that every member of the Network will engage in developing a personalized ...
Trending
Over time, I’ve noticed that ministry with those in the first third of life seems to be kind of “trend driven.” There are new ministry concepts…thoughts and ideas that tend to bubble up. They become a big deal…they become mainstream…they fade…they are replaced… When I first started doing this work, congregational youth ministry was all ...
We Have a Plan…
Last week, the Network’s Board of Directors had a final, online discussion, and voted to approve the new strategic plan for the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. This vote comes after a year of development that included prayer and conversation, writing, editing, re-writing, more editing, release of drafts, feedback, rewriting, writing, and so on and so ...
Being Made New
There is change happening in the church. Maybe it’s a new awareness…perhaps it’s a new reformation…I’m not sure what to call it. But something is different. There are new conversations taking place. There are new questions being asked. When I enter into conversations with those who do ministry alongside young people and their families, the ...
The Tom Hunstad Award Presented to Lisa Jeffreys!
Text from Rev. Larry Wagner’s presentation: While tonight’s announcement regarding the recipient of the 2013 Tommy Award won’t be covered by any of the major networks, and it won’t likely be printed in the morning edition of the LA Times, it matters deeply to those of us who are gathered in this ballroom tonight. One ...
Introducing: The Network App!
We’re really excited about this! Today, the Network introduces our new mobile app! For both the Android and Apple (iOS) platforms, this app is awesome! Features include! A “live” events calendar Direct feed of the Network blog A directory of Network leadership A media library Network News A “prayer wall.” Post prayer requests, and respond! ...
Prayers for Travel
And today they come. Yesterday, about half of the Extravaganza planning team came in to the Hyatt in Anaheim, along with those leading the Practice Discipleship Initiative, to start the preparation. There were also a few random folks who came in early just to enjoy California. (And in the mid 70’s a beautiful, what’s not to ...
Strategic Plan
Dear friends, The Network’s Board of Directors has spent the last 12 months working together on assembling a new Strategic Plan to guide the Network in its growth in the next 3-5 years. We’re excited about the future, and on where God is leading the Network. We are grateful to Rev. Mike Ward of Lutheridge+Lutherock ...
Who We Are
In the last couple of weeks of November, we did a demographic survey of our Network members. We e-mailed our members, inviting them to take the online survey sometime over a period of two weeks. We had a good response to the invitation. Our response rate was 52%. There are two reasons we did the ...
Network is a Verb 