Adults matter in the lives of our young people. To walk alongside a young person is a gift and we want to support you in that journey. Faith formation happens when we share the story of Jesus. Faithful, caring, and inclusive adults give space to hear those stories of faith and to grow together for the sake of the world. Never forget that you matter. You don’t have to have all the answers. Being present, being willing to say, “I don’t know,” and hold that tension is a sacred space. Thank you for the time you spend equipping young people and learning from them.
Resources for your Journey
Continuing Education Days
Monthly, rostered and lay leaders gather at the synod office for sharing and learning together. Join us. You can also join via ZOOM if you’d like. Just email Tammy We begin at 10am and finish before lunch together.
There’s always a topic plus ANY topic you would find helpful to your ministry. Pastors, rostered leaders, paid staff, volunteers – all are welcome.
Online Training
Practice Discipleship Initiative – Leadership Development for the sake of Faith Formation.The Practice Discipleship Initiative fosters faithful, thoughtful and intentional leaders in congregations who follow Jesus in their daily lives.
I’d recommend downloading them all and using them for your council, youth committee, senior group, etc. Enjoy!
Networking Lunches
Monthly, those who are serve in Youth and Family Ministry (paid staff, pastors and volunteers – all are welcome) gather around the table for networking, sharing and learning together. If you would like to have a themed Networking Lunch, just name the topic, and we’ll talk about it! Email Tammy with your ideas. A few topics we’ve covered in the past include:
Social Media, Book Studies, ELCA Youth Gathering, Visioning, Goal setting, Ministry evaluation and more
The ELCA Youth Ministry Network
Joining the Network lends support to you in your ministry and gives you opportunities to support others in their ministry. Supporting one another also supports the greater vision and lends a louder voice fora Youth and Family Ministries throughout the ELCA.
One resource is the 3rd Tuesday Conversations (3TC) – monthly podcasts, produced by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network.
3TC provides opportunities to:
- take a break from the daily routine of ministry and grow in our vocation
- learn from colleagues and experts in the field
- participate in conversation with peers who can reflect on ministry, based on the content discussed
3rd Tuesday Conversations are open to all.