Regional Training
As I've traveled around the country over the past few years, I've sensed a growing need for student ministry leaders and volunteers to gather together regionally for practical training and encouragement on reaching this generation for Christ.
We at Shift–the student ministries segment of the Willow Creek Association–have been dreaming and praying about how to meet this need, and we're so excited to invite you to our first regional training events, beginning this weekend.
Join other youth pastors and volunteer youth leaders in your area for a dynamic half day of training, designed to help you discover ways to develop a "Be With Community"–a student ministry where every leader understands and practices the value of coaching and mentoring students to become complete followers of Jesus Christ.
We'll also spend time talking about practical ways you can develop a "Be With Lifestyle"–a life centered around practical mentoring tools helping students in the spiritual formation process.
We've worked to make this training as affordable as possible, and are really pleased to offer the entire half-day of training for only $29!
The training, led by seasoned youth ministry veterans that I personally believe in from the LEAD222 network, could be just what you and your student ministry team need as you begin a new ministry season this fall.
For more info, check out the regional training section of the web site.
Posted By Bo Boshers 9/2/2008 11:00:00 AM
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Did You Know Video
Since the Shift conference, we've gotten a lot of questions about where to find the Did You Know 2.0 video from session one.
The video we showed at Shift was a shortened version of a media presentation created by educators Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod with design by XPlane.
You can now view the video, along with session highlights from the conference, by clicking here to go to the video section of the web site. There's also a high-resolution version available for download here.
The video is licensed by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and XPlane under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license. You are free to copy, distribute, remix and transmit the presentation as long as you give proper attribution to the original creators and share the resulting work under the same license. You may not use Did You Know? for commercial purposes without permission from the creators.
Posted By Shift Staff 8/15/2008 1:12:00 PM
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Med Packs Update
Back in April, many of you who attended Shift 2008 took part in Thursday night's Bright Hope Med Pack Experience. Student ministries from across the country assembled hundreds of medical supply kits for under-resourced villages in Uganda. Recently, Bright Hope announced that the Med Packs had been delivered!
Over on Bright Hope's web site, you can read all about the delivery, as well as see photos and video of an entire town lined up to receive the packs.
Thanks to all of you who served as the hands and feet of Jesus, and helped make these medical supplies available to those who so badly needed them.
Posted By Shift Staff 7/17/2008 1:50:00 PM
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Conference Podcasts
In case you didn't catch them over on Out of Ur, we've now posted the three podcasts recorded at Shift 2008 a few weeks back , including interviews with Mark Yaconelli, Mark Miller, and Drew & Jerome from Switchfoot.
Check 'em out in the Podcasts section of the site.
Posted By Shift Staff 4/29/2008 2:28:00 PM
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"Center" and Re-Centering
I’m actually typing this little blog post outside. Those of you who came to Shift traveled to Chicago a week too early - it’s 71 degrees outside right now!
Even though the weather was less than desirable last week, I felt like I was able to leave behind some of the clouds that have been hovering over my heart recently. I was able to “re-center” my soul with God and my calling as a youth-worker.
The first day of sessions were crazy intense for me. And from the vibe in the room I could tell that many of you were sitting with the weight of the work that we have ahead of us. From Brian McLaren’s opening charge to live out the kingdom of God right now in this broken world – to Mark Yaconelli’s simple, honest reflections on spiritual formation in students – to Shane Claiborne’s unashamed fire for justice ... it was enough to make even the most complacent of us sit on the edge of our seats.
That first day set the tone for the rest of our time together. I could feel it in the air. And I hope that you could feel it too. You and I have a very important calling on our lives. As we sang the song “Center” together on Friday morning ... I was struck once again with the reminder that we must re-center our lives on Christ every day. And in that moment, in those last hours, I felt that hundreds of us were united with Christ and his call to return to our communities and live a re-centered life.
I hope that your time with us was energizing and inspiring. I’m really looking forward to the days ahead. See ya next year.
[Brandon Grissom is worship leader at Elevate, Willow Creek's Junior High Ministry. brandongrissom.net]
Posted By Brandon Grissom 4/18/2008 1:31:00 PM
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Shift 2008 Recap
We had a great time, how about you?
Thanks to everybody (that’s you!) who made Shift 2008 what it was.
From main sessions to breakouts, Cups of Coffee to the Thursday Night Experiences, we feel like this year’s event would truly have been different without each and every one of you there.
If you weren’t a part of Shift, check out the rundown of the event over at Out of Ur, who covered our 2 1/2 days together from start to finish.
If you were there, we’d love to hear from you. What was a highlight? Any session, speaker, idea, artist, or experience stand out?
The Shift experience is definitely continuing beyond last week (see Bo’s previous post here). Let’s keep the conversation going...
[Thanks to Gavin for the photo. Check out his amazing Shift 2008 flickr photostream here.]
Posted By Kelly Dolan 4/15/2008 4:56:00 PM
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Online Experience
For the next 3 days, you can follow all of the happenings at the SHIFT 2008 conference over at the Out of Ur blog. April 9-11, we’ll be partnering with Out of Ur to live blog the event, post video highlights from each session, as well as a couple of podcast interviews with conference guests.
If you like the RSS sort of thing, subscribe to Out of Ur here.
Otherwise, check their blog often throughout the conference for regular updates.
Starting April 14, all things SHIFT will be back here at shiftexperience.com.
Until then, we’ll see you over at Ur...
Posted By Shift Staff 4/8/2008 3:15:00 PM
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Beyond the Conference
As you can see from the new site, SHIFT is more than just a conference. It’s an identity. It’s a movement, a way of approaching student ministry.
It’s also a commitment. We’ve spent much of the last year looking at statistics showing that the majority of today’s students will leave the church–and many of them leave their faith completely–within the next 10 years. Youth ministries’ ineffectiveness in students’ spiritual transformation must stop.
As youth workers, you’ve seen the stats, you’ve heard the stories, and you’ve probably seen students from your own ministries who’ve walked away from God, and have made this problem more real to you than just a statistic. I know it has for me.
It all begs the question: Who’s going to do something about it?
At SHIFT, we’re committed to inspiring youth leaders to literally shift the future of youth ministries and to write the next 10 years of church history as a decade when an entire generation of students discover God’s amazing love through his son Jesus, and their place in His story—and in the process, change the world.
How?
First, we’re going to help you identify the shifts taking place in today’s culture, including the barriers (inside and outside of the church) that are keeping students from following God.
Next, we’re going to host experiences that explore these shifts, helping us all discover the changes needed in our own ministries to better meet the needs of the students we serve.
We’re also going to provide resources that expose student ministry leaders to the best thinking, ideas, questions, and practices being offered by those actively shaping the future of the Church and youth ministry.
And finally, we’re going to do everything we can to foster relationships that allow student ministry leaders to learn from one another, and find leadership, mentoring and coaching from experienced veteran youth leaders.
It’s going to take all of us. Really. It’s going to take student ministry leaders, churches, and families all working together to make the shifts needed to help our students become life-long followers of Jesus Christ.
It can be done. With God’s help, together, we can shift the future of student ministry.
[Bo Boshers is the Executive Director of SHIFT / Student Ministries of WCA]
Posted By Bo Boshers 4/8/2008 3:10:00 PM
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Shifting the Future DVD
Rapid changes in culture and technology surround us. How should these changes influence our communication and ministry? How might we connect with students today and inspire them to change the world?
We are continually searching for resources to help youth leaders navigate ministry in a shifting culture. We pulled together some of the best teachings we could find and put them on one DVD to encourage and inspire you. Sessions include:
Donald Miller – Sharing the Gospel without Wierding People Out
Dan Kimball – They Like Jesus But Not the Church
Darren Whitehead – Culture: Where It Is, Where it's Going, and What We Can Do About It
Brian McLaren – Shaped by Our Stories
Louie Giglio – Awake to My Journey
Order HERE - RETAIL: $29.99 MEMBER: $23.99
Posted By Shift Staff 4/8/2008 3:07:00 PM
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Breakout Handouts
Chances are you've already received an email, or noticed the new link on the bottom left of the site, but just in case...
In an effort to "go green" this year, we've decided, for the first time, not to print paper copies of breakout handouts for the conference. While some speakers may choose to personally bring print handouts of their own for their breakouts, the only handouts the WCA will be making available will be in PDF format and are now available here.
Please check to see if a PDF is available for the breakout you plan on attending. If you desire a paper copy of the handout, please print it out ahead of time and bring it with you, as there will not be an opportunity to do so once on site at the conference.
We hope you'll appreciate our efforts to conserve paper and print resources, as well as make a number of the handouts available in a convenient digital form.
6 days and counting...
Posted By Shift Staff 4/3/2008 12:22:00 PM
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Where Do You Park?
I used to work for a church where one of the pastors would purposely park right next to the front door. Ok, that doesn't seem so abnormal, but let me continue. Separating the front door and the parking lot was a 90-foot long sidewalk that just so happened to be wide enough for a car to drive on or park. Every day ...no kidding... my pastor would drive his car on the sidewalk and park his car right next to the front door. Now, it wasn't the main entrance to the church, but quite a few people used that door and would have to walk around his car to enter the church. I just thought it was the oddest thing and I always wondered why he couldn't park his car in the parking lot with the rest of us.
Philippians 2:3-5 (Message) says..."Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself."
As I remember that parking story and dwell upon those verses in Philippians, I ask myself...Where do I park? I have been in youth ministry long enough to know that one of my major struggles is the Big H. HUMILITY. Humility has definitely been a rough road for me and I have spoken to many youth pastors who struggle with it as well. Often times, I too park too close and forget to think about others around me. This realization hit me hard. What right do I have for pointing my finger at my pastor who parked next to the front door, when I have so many things just like that in my life? I need to make sure I have examined myself and that I reflect a Philippians 2 way of life.
So where do you park? I know that too often in my experiences I have had a chip on my shoulder. I have tried to push my way to the top, and in the process have thought too highly of myself, thought poorly of others and have blown chances where I could have made a difference in someone's life. I know that I have parked MY car way too close to the door. I want to encourage you to keep reminding yourself to live a Philippians 2 way of life and to keep humble. If we do, we won't need to worry about parking too close.
[Jason Raitz is the Group Life Director for Elevate, Willow Creek's Junior High ministry. Jason will be leading Cups of Coffee discussions on both Thursday and Friday morning at SHIFT 2008.]
Posted By Jason Raitz 3/31/2008 9:18:00 PM
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Shifting to Out of Ur
If you’re coming to Shift 2008, your experience will carry beyond the day’s sessions, breakouts and activities and onto the Out of Ur Blog, who will be hosting the online component of the conference.
We feel really lucky to be partnering with Out of Ur this way, as they’re basically focusing all of their blogging efforts for three days on what’s happening here at Shift.
Throughout the conference, you can visit Out of Ur for live blogging of the event, online discussion with other attendees, video highlights of each main session, podcasts and more.
And if you’re not able to be at Shift this year, we hope the Out of Ur blog will give you a sense of the ideas, activities, and conversations taking place here in South Barrington.
See you in two weeks. (Here or online!)
Posted By Shift Staff 3/26/2008 3:22:00 PM
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