Like to read?

If you're looking a few good reads regarding student ministry, here's a whole collection of books used by educators and youth ministers alike to help train, understand and inspire youth leaders like us.

Any books you think they left out?

34 days and counting....

Just a reminder that we're 34 days and counting away from the opening session of the 2007 SHIFT conference. Don't forget to sign-up today!

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6 Weeks and Counting...

So sorry for the slight hiatus last week. The WCA staff has begun our countdown to the opening session of the 2007 SHIFT conference, just six weeks from today! We can hardly believe that it's coming so quickly. Don't forget to sign-up if you haven't already.

Here are just a few things that we thought you might like to know about:

• MySpace is making it easier for parents to monitor their kids accounts now. In an effort to appease some governmental critics (the critics don't really stop there), they are now giving parents the ability to see how their child is representing him or herself on the site. This information isn't given secretively. The account holder will be notified that information is being shared. — Although a respectable move, I suspect that kids will venture to have a couple of accounts...one that they let their parents see and another that they "really" use. OR, they'll just find another social network site where they aren't being monitored so closely. Don't you think?

• Holistic youth ministry? Doesn't that sound like a pill you can take that makes your youth ministry...err...whole? ChristianPost recently posted an article that I think has some relevancy and the very least find interesting. The gist is, maybe what youth ministry needs is a focus on the student as a whole, not just their spirituality. This includes health, friendships, family, etc. While this sounds good and most youth leaders would agree, a recent survey found that there are serious discrepancies between the idea and the execution. — Don't you think that this is a legitimate approach?

• Finally....they say that 73% of all statistics are made up on the spot. (If you can find the stat that confirms 73% let me know). While that may be true, a recent article suggests that Evangelicals are, and I quote, "some of the worst abusers of simple descriptive statistics, which claim to represent the truth about reality..." — I bet 45% of you all know people who do this.

The 2007 predictions go on....

Along with a handful of other youth focused organizations, international youth ministry Dare 2 Share recently released their top five teen predictions to watch for in 2007. One of the more interesting and notables is that teens are increasingly living a contradictory lifestyle...they're locked up in their rooms while being involved in "community." Obviously they're pointing to MySpace.com, Facebook and others.

We have just one question to ask? Is anyone out there starting to make sense of all these predictions, studies and facts? Sign up for this years SHIFT conference. We're going to hit this kind of stuff head-on together.

A look into 2007

Trendwatching.com released their 2007 trend watch list. We should point out that this is a list that they've compiled from not only their own research, but from the masses of people out there who are making their predictions known. Relatively speaking, to-date, they've been pretty on target. Although you maybe tempted to read through this article and leave it at that, we challenge you to step back and begin asking some deeper questions.

1. If the heart of today's generation is set to become "transsumers" (defined as: An obsession with the here and now, an ever-shorter satisfaction span, and a lust to collect as many experiences and stories as possible, is undermining the perceived value (and thus status) of fixed goods and services.)...
— How does that affect the church? Does that affect the church? Should we care?

2. What is at the true heart of the social network sites? Trendwatching declares "In a post-material world, all that’s left to covet is…. other people? From networking sites to buddy lists to meetup.org to a boom in members-only clubs, social status 2.0 is all about who you connect to and who wants to connect to you, tribal-style."
— Will this change the way you are connecting and communicating with your students?

And finally, we've heard from the older generation that all you need to teach is Jesus and relevancy will line-up. On the flip-side, the younger generation seems to declare that you have to both teach Jesus and find ways to speak to the students that mean something to them. So, we ask the simple question...

Can you disregard "relevancy" and simply focus on the heart, compassion and truth of Jesus? Will that alone, reach our students?

55% of teens have created an online profile...somewhere

According to a recent poll released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 55% of all teens have created a user profile on some social networking site like MySpace or Facebook. Furthermore, it seems that the older teens, particularly girls, are most likely to use these sites; claiming that it helps them maintain their friendships. The boys, use it for real "networking" and of course, flirting. Who would have guessed?

Innovative Church List

One of our main session speakers, Efrem Smith, was on a recent panel that reviewed over 70 churches who where submitted for the first annual Innovative Church List. And the "winners?" You'll have to read the article to find out.

Millennials & the Church

The January/February 2007 issue of Outreach magazine has an article on the millennial generation, targeted towards pastors. Although it's nothing new, their perspective and approach is interesting and challenging. Inside you'll find a handful of statistics, from organizations other than Barna, that will help you understand more about the Millennials and how they think.

Webcams, drinking & eating disorders

Teens + Webcams = Trouble? - NYTimes just recently posted an article on the unrestrictive nature of sites like Stickam.com that are virtually impossible to filter content due the the real-time nature of web cams. Moreover, they're reporting that teens are beginning to flock to these sites because of the freedom it gives. Be aware and be in the know. This site, and others, are on the watch list of child safety advocates.

Teens are drinking...alot - The government just released a study revealing that of the teens polled, 45% of them admit to drinking in the past month. 64% of those were bing drinking.

Remember Pro-Ana? - Teens who read about dieting are three times more likely to try risky dieting methods related to anorexia and bulimia (FoxNews.com). Eating disorders don't always look like under-weight bodies. It often hides itself in the minds of those who look "normal." For more information on eating disorders like "constant dieting," take a look at Finding Balance, a Christian organization aimed at helping people who always feel like they need to diet.

The "SHIFT" from 2006 to 2007

By now, the church events are over, Christmas celebrations have come to a close and you're beginning to look at what does 2007 look like for you, your family and your ministry. Well, the good news is, we're right there with you. We happen to think that this year will carry the winds of change in youth ministry. No, it's not that you'll re-examine how your services are setup or that you'll get another template of success to apply. We think that at the heart, there needs to be a SHIFT in how we view our students and the culture we live in. Let me explain...

This past summer a dozen of us sat in a room to talk about the content of this year’s conference. While we mulled over stats and trends that are shaping the culture of our youth today it became quite clear that what we didn't need was another 30,000-foot perspective on ministry. We needed to dig into the SHIFTS in our culture and how we could not only respond, but also proactively use them for the churches benefit (A.K.A., redemption). It is here that we realized that the common thread between everything was the major shift from being an offline to an online generation. From online "communities," churches, entertainment, activism, to online you name it, it's all out there and it's capturing the attention of our youth. This isn't about having a podcast or a great website. It's about examining how these influences have changed the dogma of our culture, students, and ministry and how we could and should respond.

SHIFT Conference 2007 will be unlike any other conference that you’ve ever attended. But, don’t take our word for it. Join us, and thousands of others just like you, this February 28 through March 2, 2007.

SHIFT Student Ministry Leadership Conference is looking for leaders who want to leave a mark on the youth of our culture, for Jesus. Won’t you join us?

PS. Sign-up today and save $20 off our regular conference rate. This Early Bird discount ends on January 16, so act now.