We discuss ministry value #1 about belonging. Special guest Jackson Butman.

Jack shares a few stories about sobbing over video games, telling mom “I love you,” and kids breaking coffee mugs.

We’ve created 8 “ministry values” that we’re going through each month at Renew. In September, we discussed the first:

Ministry Value #1: “We believe the church needs to be a place where all youth are welcome and find belonging. This happens through authentic, meaningful relationships between adults and youth.”

We discuss:

-Do youth feel that they belong here (in the church)?

-Do youth outside of the church feel connected to it? How do we help that happen?

-How do youth outside the church view it? Do they think it’s about a relationship or is it just religion?

-What’s significant about relationships in the church?

We then look at the creation story in Genesis 2. God says it’s not good for man to be alone. God gives us rules (religion), but God also gives us life.

-How are relationships in the church a way that God gives us life?

-What’s more important, relationships or religion?

The challenge is to reach out and connect with others, which leads to a connection to the church beyond high school.

Email [email protected] with comments or questions. We’d love for you to join the conversation.

We discuss ministry value #1 about belonging. Special guests Amber & Brennan

Ministry Value #1: “We believe the church needs to be a place where all youth are welcome and find belonging. This happens through authentic, meaningful relationships between adults and youth.”

We discuss:

A few quick comments about Dave’s office, regarding cats and the Cubs.

In the last episode, Jack shared some thoughts on a high schooler’s perspective of the church, and we discussed God creating us to be in relationship from Genesis 2.

In this episode, we look at that a little deeper. If we believe God desires us to be in relationship in the church, then how do we get that? Is it working?

What things prevent deeper relationships? Things like the “Sunday School answer” and inauthenticity. What’s the result of a lack of relationships in the church?

Church as a classroom vs church as a community.

How do we correct the concerns? We discuss a new way to look at how we teach in the church, which is more about a relational conversation than a lecture, as well as empowering youth to use their voice.

Email [email protected] with comments or questions. We’d love for you to join the conversation.

We discuss some new plans for youth ministry this fall. Special guest Jackson Butman.

Jack tells a funny story about a community pool, patio furniture, pizza and an angry man.

We discuss a few pros and cons to middle school and high school youth meeting for youth group on the same night. What might prevent youth from attending a combo night and what might some of the benefits be?

Also, we discuss a new leadership opportunity for youth.

Email [email protected] with questions or to share ideas!

This week Zack and I continue the "Mentoring: How to Own Your Faith" conversation.

Last week in Part 1, we talked about our friendships with Cody & Caleb. There was something about our friendships that got them connected to the church.

If we want to be people who grow in our faith (and ultimately help connect others to the church), we first have to be a friend to others. After that, we have to offer something of value to our friends.

You can listen to our "What is Love?" episodes for more on the different type of friendships.

This episode, however, speaks to the idea that owning your faith is about more than just being a good friend.

I need to bring something of value to my friendships. What does that mean? It might mean that my friendship makes them better on some level.

We discuss whether or not high school youth do this and how we can improve on it.

Other related ideas we discuss:

Do things like social media and video games get in the way of adding value to other people's lives?

What if I talk about myself too much?

Are my friendships any indication of the depth of my faith?

Why do we just say "I'm good" when someone asks us how we're doing, even though we're not, and what can we do about it?

A few ideas for how to be a friend that adds value:

- Ask how they are doing.

- Remember important things about them.

- Keep doing the first two things despite difficulties.

- Do significant things together.

Doing these things can lead to owning your faith on a deeper level than just "going to church."

Email [email protected] with any thoughts or questions and we'll add them to the Renewcast.

We discuss a new mentoring series (aka How to Own Your Faith). Special guest Zack Madsen.

In this episode we discuss how we got to this series, which is important for understanding it:

September - Church 101 series. What it means to be a part of the church. If you don’t connect in high school, you might not ever.

October - The Purpose of Service. As the church, we're called to serve. New people get excited about this.

Christmas series - Baby Jesus. We serve because Jesus has called us to.

January - Faith 101. Our first podcast. As we come to understand Jesus, we naturally desire to grow in our faith.

February - What is Love? series. Another podcast. We're not good at loving others, but our faith calls us to this.

This brings us to our current mentoring series. If you look at each of the previous series, we can get caught in a cycle: Church-Service-Jesus-Faith-Love.

So what do we do? This series - How to Own Your Faith: Mentoring. There's something deeper that's needed.

Do people of faith feel like they have something significant to offer others?

We tell the story of our friends Cody and Caleb - The balance between being a friend and “fixing” them.

In these relationships, owning your faith means there’s something deeper that’s ready to be discussed. Do I recognize what that might be? Or am I content with the status quo?

Email questions or comments to [email protected]

This week we take a break from discussing our teaching topics at Renew and share a little bit about what High School Winter Camp at Big Bear entails. You'll hear some thoughts from youth while we were at camp about how this camp compares to other camps we've attended, and then Zack and I discuss why we attend this particular camp, in addition to sharing some of our own personal experiences.

What is love? series at Renew, part 2. Special guests Mckensie & Karina.

In this episode we discuss the idea that vulnerability is what's needed to have real relationships.

What does it mean to be vulnerable?

What are some ways we avoid being vulnerable?

What are some ways to be more vulnerable?

What are some challenges for those afraid to be vulnerable?

Join the conversation.

Do you have questions or thoughts to share? Email [email protected] and we'll address it on the Renewcast.

What is love? series at Renew. Special guest Elyse Gillis-Smith.

We discuss 5 points I wrote a few years ago to parents in a blog post, addressing teenagers views on the topic of dating:

1. Your teenager doesn't listen. And they don't want to talk about it. They're apathetic.

2. Furthermore, your teenager thinks the subject is funny; OK to joke about.

3. The previous may be true because your teenager thinks they already know it all.

4. Your teenager is unaware of what TV and pop culture are teaching them.

5. Your teenager is afraid to be different; to go against the norms.

Through our conversation we think about the difference between superficial relationships and deep relationships.

Do you have questions or thoughts to share? Email [email protected] and we'll address it on the Renewcast.

We discuss thoughts on what our culture needs in order to make faith relevant again. Special guest Zack Madsen.