For many years I’ve trained youth ministers and leaders about the importance and impact of their ministry.

But now, as a parent of teenagers of my own, the significance of youth ministers on the teenagers has arrived very close to home.

Read my tribute called ‘Thank you, youth leaders’, in today’s sydneyanglicans.net.

Sometimes we seem to have too many new ones. Sometimes there are too many old ones.

So, here’s a guide to choosing the right mix of oldies and newies… using the same formula as the radio stations.

Read the article here at sydneyanglicans.net.

Regardless of what you think about it, you can be assured that our young people know about it and are trying to work out what they should think and do about it.

To help them and to help us grownups, I’ve written two articles.

The first I wrote for sydneyanglicans.net called ‘Talking to kids about Kony’.

In this, I offer seven things that adults should think about as they talk to youth and children about this topic.

The second I wrote for Fervr.net called ‘Should you help make Kony famous?’.

This attempts to apply the advice I’ve given in the earlier piece so that my seven ideas can be modeled to anyone trying to work out just how to put these thoughts into words.

You might also refer the youth in your church, whether believers or unbelievers, to this Fervr.net article.

Let’s pray that our youth are wise in responding to Kony, but far more importantly, wise for salvation.

More than ever before it seemed the message was that first aid was about helping the casualty stay alive so that the ambulance could take over. Nothing more.

Funnily enough, because I need to know less it means I feel more equipped for first aid than before.

This got me thinking about the way we do our evangelistic training.

Perhaps we need to be providing the everyday evangelists in our congregation with a few super-simple things to say that will help keep the enquiry ‘alive’ until they can get ‘professional’ help.

Read all my thoughts and join in the discussion at today’s post on www.sydneyanglicans.net

My training and lecturing in youth ministry has been strongly influenced by this understanding of the church, especially in terms of what we ‘do’ when we gather.

The latest edition of ‘The Briefing’ has an excellent summary of this doctrine, and I think it’s an important read for anyone who is responsible for shaping the content and context of a Christian gathering.

Read the article in full here at The Briefing online.

For a powerful explanation of the effects of this disorder on our society, check out this great Youtube video:

All the more reason to get outdoors!

For this reason, I want to TWIST the arm of the congregational leaders in our churches. I want to TWIST the arm of the rectors, assistant ministers, wardens, and anyone who has a key role in our churches.

I want to TWIST your arm to encourage your church musicians to be a part of one of the TWIST (‘The Word in Song Together’) music events this year run by Emu Music and Youthworks.

To read the full sydneyanglicans.net article, click here.

For more details about TWIST, click here!

Yet, the right thing for us to do in our youth groups right now is to lead our kids through a sober reflection on the global crises facing us, and to show the students how to respond appropriately to these events.

So what is your youth group going to do this weekend in the light of the Japanese disaster?

Read my further thoughts (and contribute your comments) in my latest article at sydneyanglicans.net

Should we run some sort of wilderness experience where we get fathers and sons to learn about manhood and to mark the occasion of a boy turning into a man?

Read the article (and join in the controversial comments) by visiting http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/ministry/modernministry/rites_of_passage/

We’re looking for:

Assistant Director of Programs

Groundsperson at Port Hacking

Hospitality Assistant at Port Hacking

Second Chef at Port Hacking

I’d love you to join me and my great team, or to let anyone you know who might be suitable. Click on the links for details!