Ryan Reed

Mission, Church, Culture, & Youth Ministry Journal

Read my writings on these topics, and respond by emailing me directly at my Contact Page.

God Has Not Forgotten Kolkata The India Project

Learn more about how to partner with me on the India Project. We must do this together. India

My Story of Redemption Biography

From a working class, single parent latchkey kid to a Pastor, read my story of redemption and reconciliation by a merciful and gracious God. Biography

5 Questions You Need to Ask to Build Parent Partnerships

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Good youth ministry is good ministry with parents.

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Every person who works with teenagers, including youth pastors, teachers, recreation leaders, coaches, and so on, must critically consider how to build bridges into parent partnerships for the sake of long-term, sustainable work with teenagers. Intentionally building these in-roads will foster trust between you and the parent, make you aware of the dynamics within the family, and ultimately, leverage the influence of the parent for the sake of your own.

Good youth ministry is good ministry with parents. 

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Parent partnerships are biblical, as set forth in the early teachings of Scripture in Deuteronomy 6, and it is a strategic approach for ministry with minors. It is time-intensive, consuming, and difficult to initiate.

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Take a Break from Your Day #OC13

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Need a break? Laugh your way through the next 2 minutes and 12 seconds.

 

Shoot Christians Say from Two Cities Church on Vimeo.

One of the major themes highlighted during the Orange Conference last week was the importance and essence of FUN in our church ministry environment – ALL ministries – from the nursery to the big room. Fun over time breeds connection. It allows for strangers to drop down the walls enough for others to peek into their lives. FUN normalizes and stabilizes strange, new environments. And it connects us to one of the visible fruits of the an active and engaged Holy Spirit in our life: Joy.

Perhaps most important, FUN draws all of us us into the wonder and imagination of God. Look for a post in the next couple of weeks on the theology of FUN!

QUESTION: How has creating a culture of FUN sparked community for your church or organization?

Get Your Students Off the Couch #OC13

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“This generation thinks that Church is about getting something.”

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Exclaimed Jamey Dickens during his session at this year’s Orange Conference in Atlanta, GA. To which he responded, “But church must be about becoming someone.”

The catch, however, is that this issue is more than a generational one. Dickens asserts that the reason why our kids sit on the couch, stay disengaged from our programs, and remain aloof from one another is because adult leaders (that’s you and me) have told them to sit down on the couch. BOOM!

Dickens offers 5 steps to begin leading through this issue and proactively responding to the great question: “How do I get my students off the couch?”

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Protect Your Investment #OC13

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slow_fade I don’t like my time wasted.

You might as well steal my money because my time means that much to me. You and I work hard to cultivate student ministry programs that serve the teenagers, families, and church community in which we lead. And like you, I want to ensure that I am investing my time in the most appropriate, impactful, and significant ways possible.

Chuck Bomar and Jared Herd presented a fantastic dialogue on the great issue facing our church: the fast and steady decline of teenagers and young adults from the mainline, evangelical Church in America.

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You Leading You #OC13

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imagesIf you desire to lead others, then you first need to lead your greatest asset: YOU.

God gave us many great gold nuggets tucked away in his Word. We find one of those in the book of Proverbs 28:2. It reads: Maintain order and become a person of knowledge.

The very first act of God in Scripture – in the very first verse of Genesis – God made order out of a chaotic, unfilled, and dark world. God is one of order and control. Doesn’t it make sense that those who chase after him do the same?

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