Christmas is coming, you are decorating the trees that are in your churches, hanging lights, and putting up the nativity set. We all know that there may be a lot of new faces (or ones we only see a couple times a year) at church on Christmas Sunday. Many churches […]
Being a Bystander is Hard…
Last weekend, while we were out of town, my son saw another boy almost killed on a bicycle. There was nothing my son or the friend he was playing with could do to stop it. A car was driving what looked way too fast, the boy jetted across the street […]
What’s the Point of Arguing?
Recently, I read this article about Bart Campolo. He’s the son of author and preacher Tony Campolo. Bart, who originally followed in his father’s footsteps, now serves as the Secular Humanist chaplain at the University of Southern California. He does a lot of the pastoral care pastors do for churches, […]
A New Adventure…
I have exciting news. I have taken a position with National Network of Youth Ministries in the Great Lakes region. I will be serving as a Rural Ministry Specialist working with youth worker networks in Illinois and Western Indiana. This position involves resourcing and encouraging youth workers in both paid and volunteer […]
A Rural Church Millenial Story…
There was much to do over the release of the 2012 SBC Annual Church Profile statistics a few weeks ago. One of the most staggering stats was the fact that the SBC churches baptized very few or no Millennials or Youth in 2012 (the latest year we have statistics for…). I was […]
Guest Post: Are You Ready For Kick-Off?
Editors Note: This is a guest post by my friend Ryan Campos. Here is a little about him… I’m a student minister who lives in Hermitage, MO with my lovely wife and two beautiful children (one is probably pushing her luck as you read this). I am passionate about students, […]
The Importance of Families in Youth Ministry…
The longer I serve in Rural Ministry, there are a few things that I have seen that catch my attention and scream their importance. One of these important factors is the role of Family in youth ministry. If you asked 100 youth pastors if they believed that it was vital […]
10 Things a Youthworker Should Do When You Have a New Principal…
It’s that time of year again. School is coming soon, Districts are replacing staff as we speak. The county where I live has three High Schools and all three of them have new principals this year. Here are ten things to do as a youthworker to establish the partnership between the […]
Rochester Mission Team Update 1…
I am on Mission this week with a team from FBC Rockville, Indiana. Throughout the week I will be posting a few updates that you can pray with us about. Our Team in Rochester needs your prayers. In the two days before the trip, the ethnic tension between the African […]
The Future of Rural Students…
A friend of mine who is a local HS Spanish teacher recently put together a video application for a local teachers award in the Terra Haute, Indiana called the Golden Apple. He was from one of the smaller districts in the area, but was still one of the five […]
4 Lessons from the Bible Found on the Farm…
We live in a world where context is vital to our understanding. One of the reasons our society struggles with parts of the Bible is that it is set in an agrarian context. Jesus and Paul used that backdrop and crafted wonderful illustrations. Let’s look at a few and “recast […]
A Hand for the Mission Field….
The church where I serve has been a long time supporter of a ministry called Seedline International. They are a ministry that prints, produces, and ships Bibles all over the world in many languages. Our church is near enough to one of the production centers that we bring a team […]