It happened to me recently. I got an alert on my iPhone that I had received a friend request on Facebook. I pulled up that person's profile only to find I didn't recognize the person's name or profile photo in the slightest. Faced with only two options (Confirm or Delete), I created a third option - I did nothing. I left their request sitting there. My wife and I talk about friendship in a "Facebook world" all the time. She lovingly calls me a "friend whore." According to her, I will accept friend requests from "anyone" (over … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Foster Community with Young Adults
I've had countless conversations recently about what it looks like to do collegiate and young adult ministry in churches. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some amazing formula we could put into place and – PRESTO – young adults are showing up and involved ministry? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. There have been a number of studies pointing toward the decline of Millennials being involved in churches. There are questions about who they are, what motivates them, and how they interact with the church. My own recent conversations … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Overcome Disappointment in Ministry
We’ve all been there. We planned something for months and the day finally comes--and only 3 people show up. We had a significant conversation with someone in our collegiate or young adult ministry about a life decision--and a few days later, they're making choices as if that conversation never happened. Disappointment is a regular factor of ministry, but it's a topic we rarely discuss. We often treat it like a forbidden topic to talk about as leaders. So how do we deal with disappointment in ministry? I’ll be honest: … [Read more...]