Articles for tag: Youth Specialties

August 10, 2018

Church & Ministry Youth & Children's Ministry

The Changing Face of Youth Ministry

4 key transitions over the last 40 years . . . and what the future holds By Nick Tomeo In 1975, a month after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in ministry, my wife and I filled our Chevy Nova and a U-Haul truck (driven by my brother-in-law) and drove through the mountains of West Virginia to begin our first full-time youth ministry at the First Christian Church of Covington, Virginia. I was armed with a new Bible college degree, two “Ideas” books from Youth Specialties, experience working for Christ in Youth, a background of serving on outreach teams for

July 27, 2018

Jerry Harris

Church & Ministry Youth & Children's Ministry

Youth Ministry 180

By Jerry Harris I remember the way youth ministry used to be. (Yes, I’m one of those guys.) It was a time when adults wanted to create a space for young people so they wouldn’t be bored in the adult service. Back then, church services didn’t connect to students. The deacons, wearing suits and ties, marched in and sat in the front row while the preacher took his place behind the pulpit. The organ would drone an instrumental call to worship until the song leader instructed the congregation to stand, then he would beat out 3/4 or 4/4 time with

May 9, 2010

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Youth & Children's Ministry

Generation to Generation: An Interview with Wayne Rice

By Joni Sullivan Baker “I think if you are working with teenagers, you have the most important job in the church.”””Wayne Rice, in a phone interview, March 2010 In the late 1960s, churches didn”t have youth ministers. The Christian Endeavor meetings for youth that some folks remember were pretty staid affairs, possibly highlighted by a rousing rendition of “Deep and Wide,” or some other camp chorus. Meanwhile, a youth culture was starting to emerge in a changing society experiencing the generation gap. Outside the church, organizations like Youth for Christ experimented with new ways of reaching teens through large events