Youth ministry is weird.  Ok, that's cliche, granted, but it also happens to be true.  Not weird in the "odd for God" way.  Rather, its simply a strange amalgam of skills and knowledge.

For example, a youth minister should be expected to have some expertise in:

• Biblical knowledge
• Discipleship methodology
• Cultural studies (especially progressive culture)
• Counseling, especially crisis and developmental counseling
• Adolescent development
• Family systems
• Organizational communication (especially non-profits)
• Leadership development
• Educational psychology (how people learn for transformation)
• Visionary and strategic planning

It's worth noting that each of these is a field all it's own - one can get advanced degrees in each of these subjects!  Add to this specializations in such diverse fields as multimedia technology, marketing, and facility management!

My point is that developing a holistic program to address the  core skill set for working with adolescents in the church hurts my head!

This is also why I've begun telling prospective Y&FM students that "loving Jesus and loving kids" isn't enough to be a youth minister.  That's more than enough to minister to youth, mind you!  Youth ministers, in our program at least, do indeed love Jesus.  They also love kids.  They add to that solid foundation a desire to master the skills necessary to transform adolescents into culture-building disciple-makers, families into stable agents for change, and churches into organizations where youth have a dynamic role in ministry now AND in the future.

We're looking toward a standards-based portfolio system to help us integrate this wide diversity of skills into a more holistic process.  More to come, kids!

I'm Back

The poor blog was the first thing to go in the scheme of things. Now, however, it's back on the front burner.

Upcoming posts will include:

• A review of the new Star Trek
• A review of Wolverine
• Some thoughts about the direction of KCU's Youth & Family Ministry emphasis

For now, though, allow me to revel in the freedom of the road. My bike is back up and running well. She needed some work, that's for sure!

This has been a great machine, there's no doubt. After 80K+ miles, it shouldn't surprise me that some maintenance is in order. A few bolts loose, some clutch friction plates, and a new voltage regulator aside, she's a tight little bike.

That's a positive and a negative, in some ways. After something runs so well for so long you start to take it for granted. This year has reminded me that my scooter has been a good one partly because I've cared for her well.

Of course, relationships work the same way. Something to think about....