Life and Faith

Tag: Leadership

  • Slaves + Saints: The Essence of Christian Partnership

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    Jon
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    It’s not very common these days to receive a physical letter in the letterbox. I’m not sure about you but what usually arrives in our letterbox is bills, junk mail, or some political party telling us what they’re going to do if they are elected. But on occasion, perhaps for a birthday, there might be…

  • 3 Specific Reading Reflections

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    Jon
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    Reading is an important building block in my life. It’s part of my relaxation and leisure time, it’s part of my role as a pastor, it’s part of my development both personally and professionally. Reading, forever and a day, has always been part of my life and I can’t really think of a time when…

  • The Inadequate Youth Pastor

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    Jon
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    As I stand in the front row of our church, waiting for the song to finish before I get up to preach, my heart is beating faster than usual. My mind is sending up invisible prayers like a professional boxer hitting the speedball. While on the outside I might look calm, inside is nothing of…

  • Published: A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry by Michael McGarry

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    Jon
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    A friend of mine from the USA, Mike McGarry, recently published this great book, A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry. It’s an excellent read, and a much needed contribution on the theological foundations for youth ministry. I reviewed the book and had the review published at TGCA. You can read the whole thing here. You…

  • Published: The Power of Two by Danny Hunt

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    Jon
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    My friend and colleague, Danny Hunt, recently wrote a book about being a second-chair leader. That is, a leader that has a boss. It’s a short book but packed with wisdom and reflection from his 30-plus years of experience in church leadership. It is aimed mainly at those who are involved in church life, but…

  • Published: Theological Reflection In Training For Youth Ministry

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    Jon
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    It was only a little over a week ago I wrote about the impact my Master of Divinity studies had on my training for youth ministry. I outlined four points about how my theological education has prepared and impacted my role as a youth and young adult pastor. However, there was really a fifth point. And…

  • Youth Ministry With The Training Wheels Off

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    Jon
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    On the outside basketball court, just down the road from where we live, we spent time as a family helping our eldest daughter with her bike riding. For a few hours we were focussed on helping her with her coordination, pedalling, steering, and balance as she learnt to ride a bike without training wheels. It…

  • 10 Tips For Leading Discussion Groups

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    Jon
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    I don’t particularly like leading youth leader meetings where all we do is plan the coming term. To me, there needs to be something of substance in the meeting, something that can help us get better at what we do. At our most recent meeting I collected some thoughts around what makes for facilitating a…

  • My Top Books of 2018

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    Jon
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    At this stage of the year every pretentious writer worth their while comes out with the most arrogant of posts. Knowing they’ve read more than most of their friends they willingly share this information in a list, highlighting their favourites reads of the year just gone. Adding to this pretentiousness I offer my not-so-humble addition…

  • Reflections On The Rooted Ministry Leadership Summit

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    Jon
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    In May just gone I had the privilege of attending a leadership summit organised by the US-based youth ministry organisation Rooted Ministry. I’ve written for their blog over the past couple of years and enjoyed many of the articles they produce. Unbelievably, I was invited to attend this small summit in Birmingham, Alabama with other…