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Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity: A Review

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May 11 7

I’ve spent the past week in Washington DC at the “Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity” conference. It’s been awhile since I’ve been at a Continuing Ed event and it was a great chance to get to connect with some friends (old and new), do some networking and hear from some great folks. I thought I’d just share some highlights and then offer a few comments.

Best Presenter: Patricia Lyons
While I struggled at first to keep up with her pace and excitement as she shared about her conversion to Harry Potter, her presentation was definitely a highlight of the conference. She was a presenter who made a relevant presentation about how to read the language of our culture to communicate good news to children and youth today. Add to that the fact that she was hilarious and wearing a Harry Potter robe and had a wand…a great presentation.

Best Workshop: Michael Novelli and Rebekah Lowe – The Art of Bible Storying
Michael and Rebekah offered a wonderful interactive and participatory workshop after the conference officially ended. It was based on Michael’s work on bible storying (his book is “Shaped By the Story“). I think this was a great way to end the conference, where we actually learned about a new way of doing youth ministry (which I think is what many were hoping for at the conference). If you’re not familiar with Michael’s work, be sure and check out Echo. And Rebekah has done some amazing work translating his work specifically for children’s ministry.

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See you in Washington D.C. in 1 Month!

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Apr 14 0

Just got an email from the folks behind the Children, youth and a New Kind of Christianity conference being held next month. And it was a reminder that there are only 4 weeks until this conference! If you haven’t signed up yet…it’s not too late; you can still register here. This is how they describe the conference:

This isn’t your average children’s and youth ministry conference!

Something is happening in the church. A new kind of Christianity is taking root and growing across the globe. New forms of ministry, worship, and community are emerging. Questions are being asked. And change is happening.

But amidst these changes and shifts, children and youth are being left behind. Innovative approaches to ministry with adults are emerging around the world, but little critical reflection and attention has been given to how to nurture young people within a new kind of Christianity.

In May of 2012, leaders, ministers, volunteers, parents, and students will gather in Washington, DC, USA to spark conversations about youth and children within a new kind of Christianity. They will talk about innovative practices, critical issues, and controversial topics like violence, racism, interfaith dialogue, and sexuality. They will emark on a journey together to engage in life-giving ministry with young people. And they will blaze a new trail for the 21st-century church.

After finally figuring out my hotel and flight details two weeks ago, I’m really jazzed about making it out for this conference. I’ll be flying out on Sunday (a red-eye) and getting into DC on Monday morning. I can’t wait to meet up with friends, meet new folks and listen to some phenomenal presentations and panels.

My real hope for this conference is to come back with some really helpful ideas for how to do children’s ministry in a small-church/small-town context. That is one of our struggles at our church right now, and I’m hoping to draw on the wisdom of others at this event. It’s going to be great, and I hope to see some of you there.

Andrew Zirschky on (Re)Imagining Christianity

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Apr 2 1

This post is part of an ongoing blog series on Pomomusings entitled “(Re)Imagining Christianity.” To read about the series, as well as get a full schedule of participants, click here.

What is one belief, practice or element of Christianity that must die so that Christianity can move forward and truly impact the world in the next 100 years?

What is one belief, practice or element of Christianity that we must hold onto and live out more fully so that Christianity can move forward and truly impact the world in the next 100 years?

Young people are doubting alone. According to a recent study by Fuller Seminary, 70% of Christian young people doubt their faith, but only a small number of them will ever talk to anyone about those doubts.

As we face the future, what we must embrace is that the Christian community is uniquely equipped to engage doubt. What must die is doubting alone.

My thoughts on the matter of doubt largely derive from empirical and theological research conducted during my doctoral work at Princeton Seminary. During that project I listened intently to young adults’ experiences of doubt and faith amidst the landscape of American Christianity. Among the findings of that project are two that I believe are particularly helpful for the matter at hand: (1) Doubt is traumatic; (2) Most churches force people to doubt alone.

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6 Weeks Until the Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity Conference

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Mar 27 2

Only 6 weeks until the Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity Conference in Washington, D.C. (shoot, I better work on my travel arrangements!). As this conference gets closer and closer, my excitement grows for what I think is going to be a really excellent conference. I’m really hoping to come back with some great ideas for the children’s ministry at our church.

The conference website just released the full list of presentations and workshops, which you can find here. I think the ones I’m most looking forward to from that list are:

  • Ivy Beckwith, “Godspell, Footloose (the original) and a New Kind of Children and Youth Ministry”
  • Rosemary Beales, “Godly Play: An Imaginative Approach to Religious Education”
  • Sara Million, “Kindness, Courage, and Nourishing Children to Think for Themselves”
  • Marti Andrews and Belinda McCafferty, “Let the Children . . . Stay”
  • Melinda Melone, “Welcoming Rainbow Kids: Resources and Approaches for Working with Youth in the GLBTIQA Community”
  • Anna Speicher and Rose Stutzman, “Sunday School that Doesn’t Have All the Answers”

Are you going to the conference? Have you been thinking about it but having registered yet? You can register here. What presentations and workshops are you most looking forward to?