March 2007 CYFM E-Journal: Free Youth Worker Resources


Ministry Conversations: Chap Clark on Calling the Church to Faithfulness This month we debut our new "iTunes U " site with video and audio download options to catch Chap Clark speaking at Fuller on March 6, 2007. Please try our new "iTunes U" site to download CYFM audio and video! You'll find directions on the site for downloading files, and if you don't have iTunes, there's a link to download iTunes software for FREE. When you go to the Fuller "iTunes U" site, note the CYFM logo under "resources" on the welcome page that opens in your iTunes store browser. To access Chap's talk, click the "get song" or "get movie" buttons beside the title: "Do not hinder them: The imperative we can no longer ignore." We hope this new format will make our files more accessible. For those who prefer to directly download the files without using iTunes, we will still post them at http://www.cyfm.net/audio/index.php.	FREE RESOURCES accompanying the book Deep Ministry in a Shallow World Information about and application materials for the Urban Youth Ministry Certificate program Developing resources for youth workers who minister in urban areas Responding to the AIDS pandemic in Africa on multiple levels Discovering what's missing in youth ministry to prepare students for the college leap
If We Send Them, They Will Grow... Maybe by Kara Powell, Dave Livermore, Terry Linhart, and Brad Griffin As we move into spring break and summer short-term mission trip planning mode, most of us assume that we “get” short-term missions and its impact on our students. After all, we’ve led plenty of trips on which students experience transformation, right? Perhaps; or perhaps not. CYFM recently co-hosted a Think Tank of short-term mission exemplars—youth workers and organizational leaders—to assess the current landscape of short-term missions effectiveness and to survey its future. This article looks at a few of the findings from that gathering.
Your Kids: Half Full or Half Empty? by Kara Powell and Pam King When you look at the students around you, what do you tend to see—their potential or their hindrances? Their advances or their setbacks? This second report from our Urban Youth Workers in America (UYWA) study takes a closer look at the “full-ness” and “empty-ness” of both urban kids and non-urban kids.
Re-Storying Conversion: Listening to Students’ Accounts of Coming to Christ by Brad Griffin "Conversion" and "evangelism" are words we often throw around in ministry without really stopping to consider what we mean and what we are attempting when we use them. Looking at two different approaches to conversion research might help us think more carefully about how we—and the students we serve—see the roles of both story and process in evangelism.
The Other Side of “At-Risk”: Freeing Youth from Suburban Oppression by J.R. Rozko Few of us actually think suburban kids live risk-free lives, but most of what we hear about "at-risk" relates to kids who live in urban areas, in deep poverty, or in obviously harsh family environments. This article looks deeper into the oppressive forces impacting the lives of suburban kids—no less real or oppressive, but perhaps less obvious.
March 2007 Update from CYFM and Kara Powell This E-Journal should probably come with some kind of warning. Deep down, our goal is that every CYFM resource causes some boat-rocking. But really, this time we are very aware of the potential tidal wave of change that might happen as a result of using these resources and sharing them with others in your ministry. From Chap's imperative for the Church to our new research on short-term missions, we hope this month's resources do their part to nudge or perhaps catapult youth workers like you into uncharted waters of ministry possibilities. We also want to be sure you don't miss out on some other brand-new resources at cyfm.net. In partnership with World Vision, we are releasing a resource called "Vision Generation" every month via email that offers ongoing ideas for engaging students in issues related to AIDS, poverty, and injustice worldwide. We are archiving these on our site as well, at www.cyfm.net/vision_generation.php. Here's to deeper, more profound reflection on our call to point students toward the Kingdom of God. Kara Powell Kara E. Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Youth and Family Ministry and an Assistant Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has been in youth ministry for 18 years and is the author of many articles and books including Deep Ministry in a Shallow World (co-authored with Chap Clark, Zondervan, 2006) Help! I'm a Woman in Youth Ministry (Zondervan, 2004) Mirror! Mirror! (Zondervan, 2003), and the Good Sex Curriculum Guide (co-authored with Jim Hancock, Zondervan, 2001). Please PASS ON this E-Journal to your ministry team and youth worker friends! Our Mission: Working alongside frontline leaders, Fuller Theological Seminary's Center for Youth and Family Ministry (CYFM) exists to turn research into resources that transform youth and family ministry. To read more about how we work and the leadership of the Center, visit www.cyfm.net.

Ministry Conversations:
Chap Clark on Calling the Church to Faithfulness

This month we debut our new "iTunes U " site with video and audio download options to catch Chap Clark speaking at Fuller on March 6, 2007.

Please try our new "iTunes U" site to download CYFM audio and video! You'll find directions on the site for downloading files, and if you don't have iTunes, there's a link to download iTunes software for FREE.

When you go to the Fuller "iTunes U" site, note the CYFM logo under "resources" on the welcome page that opens in your iTunes store browser. To access Chap's talk, click the "get song" or "get movie" buttons beside the title: "Do not hinder them: The imperative we can no longer ignore." We hope this new format will make our files more accessible. For those who prefer to directly download the files without using iTunes, we will still post them at http://www.cyfm.net/audio/index.php.

FREE RESOURCES accompanying the book Deep Ministry in a Shallow World

Information about and application materials for the Urban Youth Ministry Certificate program

Developing resources for youth workers who minister in urban areas

Responding to the AIDS pandemic in Africa on multiple levels

Discovering what's missing in youth ministry to prepare students for the college leap

If We Send Them,
They Will Grow... Maybe

by Kara Powell, Dave Livermore, Terry Linhart, and Brad Griffin

As we move into spring break and summer short-term mission trip planning mode, most of us assume that we “get” short-term missions and its impact on our students. After all, we’ve led plenty of trips on which students experience transformation, right? Perhaps; or perhaps not. CYFM recently co-hosted a Think Tank of short-term mission exemplars—youth workers and organizational leaders—to assess the current landscape of short-term missions effectiveness and to survey its future. This article looks at a few of the findings from that gathering.

Your Kids: Half Full or Half Empty?

by Kara Powell and Pam King

When you look at the students around you, what do you tend to see—their potential or their hindrances? Their advances or their setbacks? This second report from our Urban Youth Workers in America (UYWA) study takes a closer look at the “full-ness” and “empty-ness” of both urban kids and non-urban kids.

Re-Storying Conversion: Listening to Students’ Accounts of Coming to Christ

by Brad Griffin

"Conversion" and "evangelism" are words we often throw around in ministry without really stopping to consider what we mean and what we are attempting when we use them. Looking at two different approaches to conversion research might help us think more carefully about how we—and the students we serve—see the roles of both story and process in evangelism.

The Other Side of “At-Risk”: Freeing Youth from Suburban Oppression

by J.R. Rozko

Few of us actually think suburban kids live risk-free lives, but most of what we hear about "at-risk" relates to kids who live in urban areas, in deep poverty, or in obviously harsh family environments. This article looks deeper into the oppressive forces impacting the lives of suburban kids—no less real or oppressive, but perhaps less obvious.

March 2007 Update from CYFM and Kara Powell

This E-Journal should probably come with some kind of warning. Deep down, our goal is that every CYFM resource causes some boat-rocking. But really, this time we are very aware of the potential tidal wave of change that might happen as a result of using these resources and sharing them with others in your ministry.

From Chap's imperative for the Church to our new research on short-term missions, we hope this month's resources do their part to nudge or perhaps catapult youth workers like you into uncharted waters of ministry possibilities.

We also want to be sure you don't miss out on some other brand-new resources at cyfm.net. In partnership with World Vision, we are releasing a resource called "Vision Generation" every month via email that offers ongoing ideas for engaging students in issues related to AIDS, poverty, and injustice worldwide. We are archiving these on our site as well, at www.cyfm.net/vision_generation.php.

Here's to deeper, more profound reflection on our call to point students toward the Kingdom of God.

Kara Powell

Kara E. Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Youth and Family Ministry and an Assistant Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has been in youth ministry for 18 years and is the author of many articles and books including Deep Ministry in a Shallow World (co-authored with Chap Clark, Zondervan, 2006) Help! I'm a Woman in Youth Ministry (Zondervan, 2004) Mirror! Mirror! (Zondervan, 2003), and the Good Sex Curriculum Guide (co-authored with Jim Hancock, Zondervan, 2001).

Please PASS ON this E-Journal to your ministry team and youth worker friends!

Our Mission:

Working alongside frontline leaders, Fuller Theological Seminary's Center for Youth and Family Ministry (CYFM) exists to turn research into resources that transform youth and family ministry.

To read more about how we work and the leadership of the Center, visit www.cyfm.net.