emerging youth ministry recommended resources

These are not listed in any particular order. I hope you may find some of these resources beneficial in the ever-changing climate of contextual youth ministry.

I have benefitted from these organizations, curriculum, and networks both in New York and now in an international setting in France.

Barefoot Ministries  http://barefootministries.com/

Recommended:  “Missio Life”, Immerse Journal, Credo, “A World Unbroken”

http://www.immersejournal.com/

http://barefootministries.com/aworldunbroken

Sparkhouse    http://wearesparkhouse.org/

“SPARKHOUSE CREATES RESOURCES FOR CHRISTIANS THROUGH COLLABORATION AND IMAGINATION. OUR MISSION IS TO SPARK NEW LIFE IN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES.”

Recommended:

Re:form curriculum (Confirmation, Ancestors, Traditions)

Echo the Story

The United Church of Christ  http://www.ucc.org/

“Our Whole Lives” Justice and Sexuality Education series

http://www.ucc.org/justice/sexuality-education/our-whole-lives.html

Paraclete Press  http://www.paracletepress.com/

The Jesus Creed (student edition)  http://www.paracletepress.com/the-jesus-creed-for-students-loving-god-loving-others.html

YouthFront– spiritual formation and camps

http://www.youthfront.com/

The Youth Cartel

http://theyouthcartel.com/

“Instigating a Revolution in Youth Ministry”

Recommended:

The Good News Curriculum

http://theyouthcartel.com/products/good-news-in-the-neighborhood-a-6-week-curriculum-for-groups/

Open YM events

http://youthwork-magazine.co.uk/main/index.php

Short-term missions:

Envision   http://envision-culture.com/

Habitat for Humanity   www.habitat.org

Group Work Camps  http://groupmissiontrips.com/workcamps

Academic and Theological Training:

Princeton Theological Seminary

*Institute for Youth Ministry  http://www.ptsem.edu/iym/

Fuller Theological Seminary

*Fuller Youth Institute http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/

International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry (IASYM) http://www.iasym.net/

Advertisement

Top Ten youth ministry resources

These are in no particular order.  Although the first few I personally like and recommend strongly.

I have found each one to be very helpful.  Some focus on youth ministry training, while others provide helpful resources such as curriculum and books.  Taken as a whole, this list is aimed to provide a youth worker with a holistic and balanced resource for their personal, professional, theological, and spiritual development.

Additionally, there are great resources for your students and your youth ministry program.  This list is intended to be diverse in nature.  I suppose that sub categories could arise from this list including: books, programming, blogs, journals, education, missions, training, etc…

These resources have blessed me personally in my own development in youth ministry over the past decade. Some of these are new, while others have a long (and good) track record in youth ministry.  I hope all of these will be around in the next decade as I sincerely believe they make a signficant contribution to the youth ministry realm.

Again, my list is not complete and I would love for you to comment with other helpful resources and websites (even if its your own)  Self promotion is fine with me!

I look for new and upcoming resources and also have an eye on ideas and ministries that are progressive and emerging.  I also try to include good academic/theological resources for those of you interested in pursuing more of that stream of youth ministry.  I left out youth missions/service resources as that can be a completely separate category.

I will attempt to provide a very concise overview of each resources (and by concise I mean really really short)

1)  Youth Specialties (the mecca of all things youth ministry)

Youth Specialties

2) Barefoot Ministries (training, youth worker development, theology, spiritual formation for students)

Barefoot Ministries

3) The “Group” network (an assortment of everything from events, missions trips, curriculum, books, coaching, training)

Group-youth ministry

Youthministry.com

4) National Network of Youth Ministries (regional and national networking)

Youthworkers.net

5)  Youth Worker (lessons, magazine, articles, programming)

Youth Worker

6) YMtoday (articles, books, resources)

YMtoday

7 ) Student Ministry ( a youth pastor friendly site by and for youth pastors)

Studentministry.org

8 ) Fuller Youth Institute (theology, research, leadership, academics)

Fuller Youth Institute

9) PTS- Institute of Youth Ministry (theology, research, forums, degrees & certificates, academics,)

Princeton Theological Seminary Institute of Youth Ministry

Princeton Institute on Facebook

10) Sparkhouse– publishing & curriculum w/ innovation, creativity, and imagination for church and youth ministry)

Sparkhouse

Moving on up……

Youth Ministry 360 (* a new site for training, networking, bible studies, and resources)

Youth Ministry 360