Exploring Emotional Health – with Liz Edge
It was through adolescence that I began to feel a void in dialogue between my Christian faith, and being diagnosed with anxiety and depression. No one seemed to want to talk about emotional health and God in the same conversation; it was as if they simply didn’t mix. Over the years, I was convinced that […]
An open letter to Nitin Passi CEO of ‘Missguided’
Missguided HQ Missguided Ltd, 75 Trafford Wharf Rd, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1ES @Missguided @Missguided_help 06 Aug. 2017 Dear Nitin Passo, CEO I am a youth worker with over a decades’ professional experience working with teenagers and vulnerable young people. I was horrified to learn that your brand store in Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent, has […]
Young people, porn, and pop-psychology
Porn addiction is a serious thing, and the very last thing I want to do on here is to minimise or trivialise it. It genuinely messes up minds, and mangles marriages. Addiction (rather than just habit or compulsion) rearranges your neurological pathways and replaces your body’s natural abilities to release chemicals like dopamine. It is […]
What actually makes us relevant?
Relevancy is a word we throw around, and rightly so! It’s essential, as effective youth workers, to be relevant to young people. What we mean by this, however, dramatically varies depending on who you talk to. Immersion – Being Just Like Them For some, being relevant means being just like them. So the youth worker […]
Can you be a Christian and watch Game of Thrones? 5 Better Questions to Ask.
I’ve had a lot of these ‘can you be a Christian and…’ questions recently. Although they usually come less in the form of the genuine and curious, and more in the form of the judgemental and arrogant, thus ‘how can someone possibly be a Christian and… So lets’ break this down. Can you be a […]
Why Fivefold Ministry matters to youth ministry – by Jonny Price
‘Fivefold Ministry’ is a concept that can be found in Ephesians 4:11. In it Paul outlines five roles Jesus has given the Body of Christ to help it to mature, these are: Apostles – Pioneers of new work Evangelists – Fresh communicators of the gospel Prophets – Those who speak out about spirituality and the […]
Bitesize Messages: Nailing the one point.
One of the pivotal rules to communicating any type of message clearly is the ability to reduce it down to a single motif. I should come away from your sales pitch, event flyer, email, Sunday sermon, or training seminar able to distill it into a simple sentence and then recognisably say it back to you. […]
Real stories from 40 women in youth work
On this International Women’s Day I’d like to pay respect, honour and gratitude to female youth workers. Lingering over from Western Christendom is a patriarchal and masculine church. This interprets theology and practice with a bent that need correcting. In many churches we are quite happy for a woman to be a youth and children’s […]
Are our employment practices driving youth workers away? (Research write-up by Jonny Price)
I am deeply passionate about youth ministry. I believe that through Christian youth ministry, we can see lives transformed, chains broken, and bring people to fulfil what they were created to be through the redeeming love of Jesus. To do this, I believe that relationships are key. The relationships we build during our teenage years […]
42 things NOT to say to a youth worker… that have ACTUALLY been said
When are you going to get into proper ministry? When are you going to be a real pastor? It must be great to get paid to just play with kids! What do you do all week? What is your job, job? I mean like, real job, like how do you like you know make money? […]
Top 8 Reasons Why Youth Workers Burn Out
Youth worker burnout is a very real issue. In the UK youth workers last an average of 2 years in a position, and around 3-5 years in total before throwing in the towel. I spent some time with a great youth worker yesterday who has put some real energy into properly researching this dilemma, and […]
The three most misused Bible verses in youthwork:
Matthew 18:20 – When two or more are gathered… This is a verse about discipline and correction, but is often (quite randomly) used in defense of ‘youth church’, or youth groups being a ‘church alternative’. Ever heard something like this: ‘Well all you need for church is two or three believers and a cheeky Nandos… boom!’ […]
Things Introverts In Your Youth Club HATE – Comics by Chloe
Guest comics By Chloe Perrin. Volunteer Youth Worker, Musical Theatre Tutor and Youth Charity Trustee.
7 Ways To Lead People Older Than You – on Leadanyone.com
A wee while back, I was approached to write a couple of articles of Leadanyone.com by it’s founder Joel Preston. The whole site is full of quality articles and I would heartily recommend it to you. The first of my articles went up online, and you can read it here. It’s a simple set of […]
11 Lists That Successful Youth Workers Keep
I love a good list. Numbers, bullet points, colour coordination and, of course, subheadings. Lists are nectar to the analytical soul! They’re also invaluable if you run Youth Work projects. Here’s a random bunch of my favourites gleaned from talking to amazing youth work practitioners. If you don’t already keep some of these – you […]