Resources for YouthMinistry:
Although intimidating at theoutset finding resources
for youth ministry is actually fairly easy.
There is far more out there than anyonelikely has the time or inclination
to wade through. In this list of resources Ihave highlighted some web sources
that I have found useful. I haveintentionally focused on Canadian resources as
much as possible.
I suggest these booksprimarily because they are easy
to skim and their authors have other similarresources available, many of which
can be found on the web. I have suggestedspecific chapters to read that I have
found especially useful and highlightedbooks that have prepared workshops or
activities in them. Most of the newerbooks have accessible layouts, a
self-explanatory table of contents andresource lists of their own.
A sustainable youth ministryprogram can be imagined as
having four programming components; youthfellowship, engaging youth with the
congregation, engaging youth with the world(social justice and social awareness
development) and spiritual practices.These components do overlap of course, and
should not be completely extricatedfrom eachother, but in the scheduling and
design of a youth program it isextremely important to keep them all in mind. I
have noted before each resourcelisted what programming components I think it
most directly applies to:
Programdevelopment/leadership:
Youth
fellowship
Engaging
with thecongregation
Engaging
with the world
Spiritual practices
Bookresources: (arranged in the highlytechnical order of that which I have found most
useful/must-have-on-handdescending into should-borrow)
Programdevelopment/leadership:
Transforming BibleStudy, Walter Wink: An amazingresource for leading
bible study or facilitating spiritually transformativeexperiences- super
accessible and easy to read. It is rich in concretesuggestions. It has a great
chapter on left versus right brain approaches tolearning and suggestion for how
to integrate them. For specific advice thatapplies to leadership read Wink’s Ch
4 & 5.
Programdevelopment/leadership:
Will our ChildrenHave Faith? John Westerhoff:Though slim,
this book can be hard to read due to Westerhoff’s academictone. It’s dense and full ofwisdom, but is probably
not worth reading in its entirety. However, Ch 3identifies elements he sees as
essential to creating a Christian community thatcan authentically nurture faith
development. Ch 4 outlines a useful model of 4phases of faith formation- whichare fully explained from pg 89 to 103.
The Westerhoff and Winkbooks have been around for more
than what is considered a full generation-25yrs, so these two should be fully
establishment by now. The arguments andconcepts presented in the books are
familiar to many in the United ChurchCommunity. They are both worth reading
largely to acquire the language withwhich to advocate for congregationally
integrated youth ministry thatincorporates different learning styles and
opportunity for integrative learningexperiences.
Engaging
with the congregation
Storycatcher.Making Sense of our Lives through the
power and practice of Story, Christina Baldwin. Reading the
preface, Ch 1, 8 and9 will give lots to work with and inspire. This book is
especially importantfor framing why it is important that congregations and
generations share theirstories with one another. If you read the whole thing
and love it- track downThomas King’s The Truth about Stories as the
Massey Lecture on CD or inbook form- and pay attention to opportunities to
engage with First Nationscommunity members about the value and place of
storytelling.
Spiritual practices
Discover YourSpiritual Type,
CorrineWare. It’s easy to get the gist of the Spirituality types by reading
about 30pages of the book. It also includes; a study guide, resources for
individuals,a wholly assembled congregational workshop to introduce
spirituality types anda guide for the spiritual practice of Lectio Devina.
Programdevelopment/leadership:
PracticingDiscernment with Youth: A Transformative
Youth Ministry Approach, David F. White. This book is about placing
youth ministry programs squarely within acongregational context. The
introduction gives a very smooth and solid theologicalargument for what I have
essentially renamed Sustainable Youth Ministry. ThenChapters 1 and 2 briefly
introduce the context of youth in society and culture,and the recent history
and crises in youth ministry. Section 2 breaks down the4 elements of
discernment, introduces practices of discernment and then appliesthem to youth
ministry. White draws from a variety of Christian traditions forpractices of
Discernment. In this case the book is definitely worth reading,but it also
meets the requirement of being accessible for skimming and quickreview. This is
one that I do highly suggest!
Programdevelopment/leadership:
The Godbearing Life, Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster: An
excellentoverall resource for leaders with youth. Guides leaders through
challenges intheir roles, provides an insightful theology for youth ministry
and hasconcrete examples. Section 1 and 2 really set the stage for how to
engage asleaders with youth.
Youth
fellowship:
Way to Live;Christian Practices for Teens,Dorothy C. Bass
and Don C. Richter: As promised in the title it outlines practices we can walk
through withour youth groups, designed in consultation with youth. Also a great
onlineguide for leaders, and an interactive website for youth. The section
reflectingpractices of Welcome is useful for reflecting on building community.
Much more and lists uponlists of book resources and linksto other useful sites on
www.practicingourfaith.org
Spiritual practices
SpiritualJournaling, Julie
TallardJohnson. A great resource to explore this one practice with questions
andguides for reflection, stories to start with and a plethora of approaches
tojournaling all served up in a package that is skim-able and readable with
handypictures, quotes and focus boxes.
Engaging
with thecongregation
Calling the Circle;The First and Future Community,Christina Baldwin:
The whole book is an exploration of the circle as aspiritual model for
community. It’s not Christian, but if offers valuableexamples of ways to be in
relationship with others. Good source material forleading congregational or
intergenerational dialogue.
Programdevelopment/leadership:
Leading Change; Theargument for values-based leadership,James O’Toole: The
introduction to values based leadership is extremelyrelevant to how we engage
with youth. The body of the book is about effectingchange with values based
leadership.
Spiritual practices
I’d Say Yes GodIf I knew What you Wanted, NancyReeves.
A book for spiritual discernment. Each chapter is easily accessible onits own.
She introduces spiritual practices of discernment- so the book highlightsboth
discernment skills and spiritual practices and so is useful for both
andincredibly pertinent for youth. This is a book that I have often given
familyand friends at times of transition. Another book of hers, A Path
throughLoss, while a guide for grieving is also useful for engaging
withtransition as so often the struggle with change is tied to grieving over
whatwas.
Programdevelopment/leadership:
Leadership and SelfDeception; Getting out of the Box,The Arbinger
Institute. This book is most useful for
personal development. It provides a model (the box) forhow conflict occurs, and
tools for how to deal with it. It is a very usefultool in the context of deep
emotional work with youth. There’s a workbook thatgoes with it.
Engaging
with the congregation
This UnitedChurch of Ours,
Ralph Milton;New to the United Church or a tad confused about how things work?
Pick this upfrom your church library and plant it on your bedside table. At a
minimum readCh. 8 to learn about the decision making hierarchy of the church,
as the bodiesdiscussed therein will make decisions that affect your future.
Spiritual practices
Healing Fromthe Heart, Rochelle Graham, Flora Litt and WayneIrwin.
Common resource in United Church communities, most people who practiceHealing
Touch own a copy- so chances are someone in the congregation can lendit out.
There are good guided meditations in Appendix C, and Ch 4, 7 and 8 areworth
reading for leading conversation about effect of prayer.
Engaging
with the world
Me to We:Turning Self-help on its Head,Craig
and Marc Keilburger. This is a youth focused, youth friendly book writtenby
inspiring brothers, both still young adults. Has lots of stories with
greatinspiration- basically a book that expands on the quote of Emerson’s that
getwhat we give back. Canadian Living Magazine has regular features by
theKeilburgers with shiny really accessible ways of engaging families in
changingthe world. In the Jan 2008 issue there was a pull out “From Me to We”
boardgame that broke down positive change into 7 easy steps with friendly
photos andlists. Also check out the website, or look up Free the Children.
The websites have tons of stuff on them gearedtowards engaging children and
youth to be a force of change.
Spiritual practices
Learn to Pray, Marcus
Braybooke. I’m not certain if it’s thecontent or the presentation that makes
this book easy to use, but it doesdeliver as promised and is one of many
excellent prayer resources. It has bothpractice (broken down into exercises)
and theory, both or which are importantto teaching or group exploration of
prayer.
Spiritual practices
Psalms forPraying, Nan C
Merrill. Inexploring the Psalms on their own or in exploring practices of
prayer, thisbook is a complimentary resource. I’d suggest it for a church
library before apersonal collection though, as it works best alongside other
prayer resourcesor other bible study resources.
Engaging
with the world
RadicalGratitude, Mary Jo Leddy- small book, full ofinsight, readable
and skimable, broken up into accessible chunks. Mary Jo Leddyand Romero house
are also worth looking into.
MisquotingJesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the
Bible and Why, Bart Ehrman,
see also the Tapestry Podcast about the book.
The Impossiblewill take a Little While,ed.
Paul Rogat Loeb. A collection of essays, stories, and dialogues that playsout
with the who’s who in past and current Western dialogues of Hope andchange-
theologians, activists, scholars, poets. Besides the inspiration of thestories,
which are a great pickup for days when the burden seems unbearablyheavy while
being easily consumed in bite-sized pieces, this is a greatintroduction to
thinkers and writers who are worth knowing more about.
Also, there is aquietly growing movement of
storytellers- all across Western Canada there arestrong storytellers guilds-
check Google and ask congregation members who theyknow involved in storytelling
the community.
the Chicken Soup forevery-themed soul series is the
standard fluffy version of emotionallyevocative, inspirational stories, but
really getting people to share their ownstories is far more meaningful
Rachel Naomi Resen’stwo books Kitchen Table Wisdom:
Stories that Heal and MyGrandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength,
Refuge and Belonging are bothwell loved, spiritually grounded collections
of inspirational stories that arereadily available
Modern technology is abeautiful thing- there are far
more resources available on the web, use thislist as a starting point and guide
to language and names to search further onthe web.
WebResources:
Spiritual Gifts Inventory byDavid Ewart
www.davidewart.ca
Google books.- there isdetailed publishing information
about the books- and for some books evenportions of the book available online
Engaging
with the world
has free podcasts with lots of interesting stuff
inthem:
Tapestry has discussions on faith and
spirituality-check out the interview with Tom Harpur about his book , and check
outTapestry’s past programs- including interview with Bart Ehrman about his
book MisquotingJesus
“This I believe” – essays starting with thatline
“The Current”- current affairs issues (also on
theradio every morning- the interviews are generally very good)
The CBC website can now besearched and has lots of its
older programs as audio file links that can bedownloaded. Most of the radio
documentaries have to be purchased on CD. Keepthe CBC in mind though- the
Massey lecture series is run by the CBC annuallyand the spoken essays have
become books that lots of us are familiar with:Thomas King’s The Truth about
Stories, Margaret Sommerville’s TheEthical Imagination and Stephen
Lewis’s Race Against Time- all ofwhich should be at your local library if
not at the church library
Wondering how to getyouth fired
up about socialjustice issues? Check out the Firestarter Youth Empowerment
Program: www.freechild.org/firestarter/home.htm
If you haven’t seen it yet,check out www.inheritthemirth.comfor some bible
cartoon humour
Youthfellowship:
www.practicingourfaith.comis an
ecumenical Christian resource site, with links to other useful sites
Student ChristianOrganizations: the student Christian Movement of Canada
www.scmcanada.org and the World
StudentChristian Movement www.wscfglobal.org
In their own words themagazine Geez is for “the over-churched,
out-churched, un-churched and maybeeven un-churchable” the website iswww.geezmagazine.com
Engaging
with the world
The Pastor and theImam: search YouTube or Google Video
for this documentary (it’s 40 mins long)that explores how a Christian Pastor
and a Muslim Imam moved from leading rivalmilitias, through forgiveness to
becoming close friends and co-leaders of aninterfaith peace dialogue. Their
story speaks to the need to move beyondtolerance to acceptance of others to
truly walk in faith.
For their book:
http://www.peoplebuildingpeace.org/thestories/print.php?id=93&typ=theme
Programdevelopment/leadership:
For Inspiration on workingwith children and inspiring creativity- and a
fabulous critique of theeducation system watch the 20 min video of Sir Ken
Robinson at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66. The transcript is
also available on the site.