Stop Confirming Teenagers to Membership. Start Confirming them to Mission! Mark D. Hinds Remember when Jesus called his disciples and how he baptized them and appointed them as junior community members? Then when the disciples turned thirteen, he convened a crash...
Amidst struggles and challenges, on-going illness and exhaustion, uncertainties and longings for normalcy, the Advocate turns an eye toward kindness and neighborliness as acts of justice and change. Inspired by the marking of Mr. Rogers Day on March 20, we explore...
By: Change is a comin’. How do you deal with change? There are lots of changes coming our way and we have to adapt or not. What is new and innovative in the church in Christian education or faith formation? What is change? Is change doing things differently and...
By: It seems that at every conference I attend these days we are talking about “The 21st Century Church” and how to be the church that reflects the realities of today’s culture. Some people want to skip the theory to discover the next...
By: For many years the focus of children’s ministry has been on engaging the Bible in new and inviting ways. We’ve looked for curriculum resources that have bright engaging illustrations, multi-sensory ways of learning, and easy to follow instructions for...
By: On a regular September afternoon in Trenton, NJ, loud joyful sounds of teenagers and children filled the room of our church’s afterschool program. I methodically counted my volunteers in order to most effectively distribute my helping hands, when suddenly a...
By: There is something nice and neat about a can of Pringles. They stack so perfectly into that round can, and the taste and shape are entirely predictable. A bag of Chex Mix, however, has variety in taste, shape, texture and look. When you put your hand in that bag,...
By: Through college and seminary, I spent numerous years volunteering as a youth minister and in 2007 took a job in Bonn, Germany as the associate pastor for youth for an international congregation. This unique position afforded me the opportunity to work with some...
By: The commitment and the dedication of David Hoonjin Chai, APCE’s 2013 Educator of the Year, for development of leadership in Asian American congregations is legendary. For the past 20 years, David has been a pioneer in the field of Christian education for the...
By: Two decades ago, a friend recounted an unsettling dinnertime experience. Just as he put a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth in a busy restaurant, his 10-year-old daughter casually asked, “What’s a blow job?” My friend recalled how he had to first...
