The Rev. Canon Patricia Mitchell is the Canon for Christian Formation in the Diocese of New York. She wrote a great article on intergenerational ministry on the Forma blog. As the church we need to break down the silos of ministry and allow individuals to interact, learn, teach, and minister to ...

The Rev. Martin Elfert from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, Washington says, “One of the church’s greatest sins is making youth ministry an entry-level position. Too many consider it a job that you perform until you’re good enough to become a ...

The foundation of our life together in the Church is community rooted in Jesus Christ and nourished by our sacramental life, our relationships with each other guided by our Baptismal promises and the ultimate Baptismal vision – to grow into the full stature of Christ. Popular culture and ...

The Intermediate and Jr. High Retreats are both great opportunities for youth from across the Diocese of Texas to connect with one another! The Intermediate Retreat is designed for 4th through 6th graders and takes place at Campsite 2 at Camp Allen. 6th through 8th graders can attend the Jr. High ...

Jonathan McKee and David R. Smith from The Source for Youth Ministry wrote an excellent article regarding teenagers and their texting. In the article Smith and McKee recognize the obviously increasing use of texting among teenagers but they also discuss the touble that texting ...

Many churches in our Diocese dedicate a single Sunday of the year to display the youth visibly for a “youth Sunday” service. These annual events allow the youth to serve in a new capacity, but it begs the question: why are youth not serving every Sunday? The story at your church ...

Thought #15 in Stephanie Caro’s 99 Thoughts for Smaller Church Youth Workers quotes one of her good friends, Keith White, a youth pastor in Georgia. Keith thinks back to his teenage years:   “Growing up in a small church with a small youth group, relationships were all that we ...

Over 60 of our Houston Episcopal youth and their sponsors traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado for Snowfest 2012. This ski trip has expanded over the past five years to include seven Houston Episcopal churches (St. Martin’s, Holy Spirit, Emmanuel, St. Mark’s, Christ Church Cathedral, St. ...

What would it look like for the future of the church if our strongest leaders in our youth programs could spend three days together? What if our potential leaders had the opporunity to grow in their confidence and live into their spiritual gifts?   Convergence is a leadership ...

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Mark 10:21   Oftentimes this familiar sentence from Mark’s gospel stirs up conversation focused around ...