In addition to the information found in the other tabs in this section, the Youth Ministry Coach is available to come to your area to provide education and training on a variety of topics. Including but not limited to…
Safeguarding: Let’s start with safeguarding. It is a huge topic that needs to be addressed in every congregation. Gary is well versed in the basics of what your congregation needs to do in order to comply with the State Attorney Generals Office Ordinances. Learn more here »
Creating a Healthy Youth Ministry Culture Within Your Congregation: A foundational presentation designed to aid in creating a healthy youth & family ministry culture within your congregation. Once a healthy culture has been created then intergenerational relationships flourish and programming becomes far more effective.
Faith Webbing: An active learning experience that delves deep into understanding the concept of Faith Webbing. The vision is to wrap our children and youth in a web of faith so loving and caring that they will know God and always want to be a part of a local congregation. Back in 2014 Gary wrote a book on the subject and gifted one book to each Southern Ohio Synod Congregation. Search around your church for a copy. Need another book? Gary is happy to gift your congregation another at no cost.
Outcome-Based Ministry: Design your ministry to young people defining the end result. What Faith Skills/Ministry Assets do you want to build into your young people by the time they graduate High School? In 2015 Gary wrote a second book and gifted one book to each Southern Ohio Synod Congregation on Outcome-based Ministry entitled “What’s In Your Bag?” Search around your church for a copy. Need another? Gary is happy to gift your congregation another at no cost.
Faith Advances: A Faith Advance is an opportunity for youth, parents, and other congregational adults to have shared experiences that impart Faith Skills, ease youth and adults into discussing important topics, and lay a foundation for future teachable moments. Obtain the list from Gary and together we can tailor an event specifically for your conference, cluster or congregation.
Networking: Check out the “Networking” tab for how we go connecting our Synod congregations.
Service: Young people so very much want to be an asset to the faith. Help them to be the hands of Jesus in a broken world. This experience will help your congregation to define meaningful service projects that will excite, energize, and draw your young people into lifelong congregational service.
Active Learning Ideas for Bible Passages: Need ideas? This experience will give you as many good ideas for helping children and youth to experience the Bible as you can handle at one time.
Teaching by Learning Style: Teachers have a dominant teaching style. Learners have a dominant learning style. Help teach and pass on the faith to the next generation by understanding and then teaching to various learning styles.
Adult Training Sessions: Do your volunteers need training? Gary visits conferences, clusters, and congregations offering opportunities for equipping those that work or volunteer with congregational ministry to young people.
Then, here is a list of the Faith Skills that Gary builds into young people. He is able to come to your venue to lead a session and/or to train adults in your congregation to lead sessions on the following topics.
Developing Spiritual Disciplines
- Know your purpose in life and pray through it daily
- Understand your God given job description and process your day
- Develop a meaningful prayer life and an everyday prayer sheet
- Learn a Personal Bible Study Method (Be in a regular Faith Growth Group)
- Understand the Acts 1:8 Service Philosophy
- Understand the Christian View of Finances
- Develop a Discipline of Fasting (Not necessarily food)
- Personal Enhancement/People Skills
Intentional Relationship Building Skills & Self Discovery
- Faith Webbing: Understand the importance of and how to develop a personal faith web
- Create an “I Believe” statement
- Develop written personal standards to live by
- Develop a personal mission statement/direction
- Develop a personal ministry plan
- Develop an attitude of appreciation & understand its benefits
- Cultivate an ability to be visionary in your thinking
- How to spend time with people the way Jesus did
- Understand the concept of love languages and become aware of your primary love language
- Understand the basics of personality temperaments and identify your temperament
- Develop a biblical self-esteem
- Be able to introduce yourself
- Be trained to give faith-based talks (Story Talk Training)
- Give and receive compliments
- Find your million dollar mate
Faith Foundation/How To’s
- Develop Bible Usage Skills
- Learn how to facilitate a Bible Study
- Learn how to create and give a devotion
- Develop a prayer journal/notebook
- Learn how to read scripture out loud
- Learn how to open/close a meeting in prayer
- Learn how to say or lead a table grace
- Recognizing God Sightings
- Learn how to lead a service project
- Learn to put together a social event
- How to put together a vesper/camp fire
- Learn how to verbalize your faith
- Learn delegation skills
- Develop “Go” Thinking
- Learn a decision-making method
Facebook Page: A Synod Youth & Family Ministry Facebook page has been created to help those interested in our favorite topic to connect with each other. To join send an email to Gary and he will get you connected with the group gpecuch@southernohiosynod.org).
Email Distribution List: A Synod Youth & Family Ministry e-bulletin is sent out on the 1st and 15th of each month.
What We Offer (Beyond the Synod)
ELCA Resource Links
- The Christian Education Network Of the ELCA (Formerly LACE)
- ELCA World Hunger Resources
- Augsburg Fortress is the publishing company of the ELCA, Augsburg is dedicated to serving you with top-quality Christian materials that communicate the Gospel, enhance faith, and enrich the life of the Church and the communities it serves
- Lutheran Campus Ministry is a Lutheran ministry for students, faculty, staff, and others on campus, not just a ministry for Lutherans. It provides an ELCA presence at more than 180 state and private colleges and universities with cooperating congregations in campus ministry at an additional 400 campuses nationwide.
- Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM) has 132 outdoor ministry sites, 300 full-time directors, 3,500 summer staff, and 30,000 acres of land.
- ELCA Youth Ministry Virtual Coaching Network: Connect with Helen.harms@elca.org
- Involve Youth in Global Giving:
ELCA Good Gifts
ELCA Global Service Guidebook - Global Missions (YAGM)
For Young Adults - Lutheran Volunteer Corps
For Young Adults - Urban Servants Corps, Denver, Colorado
For Young Adults - Take a Gap Year in Toledo, Ohio:
ALT (Abundant Life Together) Year
For Young Adults - A Year Working for Social Justice:
http://www.borderservantcorps.org
For Young Adults - Fundraising Resources Example:
Fundraising Epiphany Lutheran Church Policy
For Young Adults - Thrivent For Lutherans
- We Raise Foundation(formerly Wheatridge Ministry Grants)
- Other Lutheran Resources:
LEAD (Living Everyday as Disciples)…Validating Congregational Ministry with Children, Youth, and Families: http://waytolead.org/ - Special Needs Ministry Developmental Disabilities Resource
- Special Needs Ministry Lutheran Services
- Websites Worth Checking Out:
http://www.textweek.com
Corresponds to the Lectionary. This website corresponds to the Lectionary and will give you ideas on how to utilize the weekly readings.