Hey and welcome to one of the first posts from UM Youth Leaders.com. But wait! Isn’t this ministry2youth? Why the change?
First a couple of things. When I started ministry2youth many years ago I really did not have a direction. I knew I wanted to put out resources, I thought it would be great to have a podcast and I knew I wanted to share stuff, but it never felt like it had a direction or purpose. I think because of that I didn’t always have a purpose to write or reason to keep updated as much as I should.
Secondly, in that time a new website came out called ministrytoyouth.com. These guys had a purpose and did an awesome job. Seriously go check them out. They have great resources to purchase and download, but also share so many great youth programs. For me it was confusing. I began to wonder if, among the thousands of other youth ministry blogs, if my voice was needed.
Then I ran across an older article that asked: “Where are all the Methodist Youth Ministry Blogs?” And I began to look at the need, and what is already out there in this area. I then thought about all of the youth directors that I come in contact with over the year or the summer. Many of them come from smaller churches, many are bi-vocational or part-time. I also have many friends in Methodist churches who are starting out in youth ministry or serving as summer youth leaders and interns.
So this blog is for them, for you. I would say ninety percent is non-specific. There are games, and prayer stations, worship team advice, and free graphics. But there will also be articles and resources provided specifically to encourage and equip youth leaders in Methodist churches everywhere.
For a while UMYlead.com and UMYouthleaders.com will still direct to Ministry2youth. After a time we will change that directory as well.
So…
Welcome to UMY Lead.
This blog is set up to be a resource for youth leaders. We want you to spend your time in ministry with your students, so our goal is to provide anything we can think of that will help you do that. We hope this is a place where you can find whatever you are looking for to help you in your ministry. Maybe that’s one of the games we have posted here or a new prayer station idea. Maybe you find a link to one of the hundreds of great youth ministry blogs already in existence. We are not here to reinvent the wheel, but just add our voice to the conversation.
And we want you to join the conversation as well. If you have anything at all that you have learned, a website you find helpful, a game you play, a prayer station idea that worked great, then send it in. We can give you a link back to your site and a huge thanks! There are no ads, no sponsors, nothing to purchase. We are just trying to help youth leaders help youth leaders.