Peer Ministry Leadership

Leadership Training

Living Room Summit

by

Living Room Summit #4

I have intentional ways to do family ministry. I have structure and vocabulary.

These are practical, hooked to life ideas.  Not heady, ivory tower, theoretical which is were most conferences go.

My staff would not let me come back unless I came to this. Now I know why.

I am coming away with new ideas and enthusiasm. I feel I am able to bring God back to the home and the congregation.

I have am able to give names for some things we’re already doing right.

Thanks for the learning places – your homes and your congregations.

Head, Heart, Hand, and Holiness.  It changes the interactions.

Building Bridges will be a huge part of our congregation.

I have always wanted to do something with parents, Marilyn has provided a way.

I will be using the relational circles with kids to listen to their ideas.

I have personal ways to shape my family and talk to my daughter about God. I have ways to pray with my own family.

I feel this is another way of God pointing me in the right direction.

Our family ministry team has heard the research, now they will know what to do with it.

This was great parent education before I become a parent.

Another way of God pointing me in the right direction.

I will send my youth minister to the next one.

by

Living Room Summit #3

LISA – I feel hopeful that we can turn things around and have our ministry become what we want it to be for our kids.


ROCKY – We’ve heard and know this stuff.  You’ve given us a “how” to do it.  You’ve given us permission not just to do one model.  We can make it our own, to fit our congregation.

LINDA – Being able to have hope for our families that we can fill a need and make a difference.  Sometimes we forget that we are already doing many things right.

TERRI – I leave more equipped.  It affirms the things I believe.  Even though I am teaching pre-school today, it affirmed my gifts.

ARLAN – Showed me that God has already done the work through Jesus.  We just have to share the story and send kids and families out to share the story.

LORI – Home altars are the first thing I want to get going.  I didn’t realize it’s simple.  I loved the warm affirmations and good conversations.

HEIDI – I’ve been wandering around for the last couple of years, but I am coming away with direction.  I am leaving with joy – joy for ministry, permission to be who I am called to be.  I can do this!
PENNY: Thankful. All of us want to change things. I appreciate the leadership. I will decide what I want to eliminate.

EMBER: I feel affirmed in my goals, objectives and mission. I’m not just the Sunday school lady!

MELANIE: I need to just “be.” I’m taking home the “Be still and know that I am God prayer.”

BETH: Empowered. People want to pass on the faith. I want to help people celebrate their gifts.

MARIA: When I have attended other continuing education in the past, I have felt overwhelmed. It was great being able to experience Building Bridges and Parent Share. These are simple tools I can bring back to church to engage parents.

RICK: Creating sacred time and space for the congregation. I want to empower people in how they worship at home, during church council and at staff meetings.

KRISTA. I feel affirmed. Family ministry is messy and it’s OK. Family Ministry is holy chaos and roll with it. The holy chaos is sacred and holy time.

MARK  – Two things are most memorable:  Today is the most vibrant day in the life of the Church.  It’s not our job to teach parents, but to resource them.

by

LIVING ROOM SUMMIT – FULL!

Family Ministry
Learn It Where People Live It

Join us in our Minneapolis area homes
APRIL 26 – 28, 2011 FULL
OCT 4-6, 2011 People now Registering!
Eat with us. Play with us. Pray with us. Learn with us.

                 We’ve learned the language
   read the research

       studied the theology
           heard inspiring speakers
    about youth and family ministry
Now is the time
to make family ministry a reality. 

Experience ministries that you can replicate and adapt 
for your homes and congregations. 

CLICK for article on day ONE

CLICK for article on day TWO

CLICK for article on day THREE

by

Full Circle: Triple-A Training

(On THU of the LIving Room Summits you will experience the trainer of trainers for Full Circle relationships. ) 

With Lyle Griner
Gathering at one of the tables were the parents, godparents, an aunt and uncle, a couple of neighbors, and a family friend. Julia’s parents invited them as people who are already caring adults for Julia. For the next five hours, the group will discover the importance and impact they have on Julia’s faith and life. Together, they will have discussions, do activities and practice skills that will further guide them in being intentionally caring and affirming adults for Julia and other youth. For Julia, this group will be part of her cloud of witnesses. (Heb. 13:1) These people will learn practical ways to talk about faith, to affirm gifts, and to be conscious of the everyday milestones, as they are involved in Julia’s life. These are already good people, but they will come away being more intentional and having lots of tools to guide them.
“I always wanted to be a good uncle, but now I have ways I will be  intentional about it,” says one participant.
pastedGraphic.pdfFull Circle is a four session experience for adults, written by Tom Schwolert  and Lyle Griner. The idea came after a discussion about all the research, theology and lectures that point to the importance of each youth being surrounded by a circle of caring adults. Still, there seems to be little out there that practically builds up and affirms the everyday importance of faith-nurturing adults.
Speaking about youth ministry, Tom says, “It is still about the numbers. Only the numbers game has changed. Instead of being so concerned about how many youth show up for events, now I am more concerned about how many faithful adults surround each of my kids.”
Author and leading expert in youth and family ministry, Mark DeVries, suggests that the big shift for congregational youth ministers is the understanding that the “primary work [is] ensuring that each student in the ministry has multiple godly adults pouring into his or her life.” Mark calls for youth ministers to intentionally be an “architect of a constellation of relationships.”
At the Living Room Summit, Lyle Griner will lead the group through Full Circle Training, giving them practical ways to lead it in their own congregations. They may choose to lead it with:
  • congregational leaders, who desire to make faith formation a priority,
  • circles of parents and the people they invite,
  • mentors or other adults who work with youth,
  • or, most recently, as Tom is discovering, going into a family’s home, along with some of their friends, neighbors and relatives for an evening, working through the Full Circle experience. 
If I seriously believed that…  
faith is formed by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal trusted relationships
Then I would…
ensure that every kid is encircled by an abundance of faith-nurturing people.
I would want…
lots of Triple-A Adults, people who are affirming, available, and authentic.
I would do this by…
training and empowering adults with specific skills and practices for connecting faith with daily life.
I would witness these adults…
sharing a vibrant faith through  caring conversations, devotions, rituals and traditions, and service.
Adults would become intentional about…
seeking out ways and times to support and nurture the faith formation of youth and families.
pastedGraphic_1.pdf
Want to learn more? 
Two Options!
1.   Come to the Living Room Summit! 
2.   Saturate your congregation with an introduction to this ministry with Lyle or Tom. Inquire about this possibility or schedule time  by contacting Lyle at EMAIL.  
3. Begin by ordering the four session downloadable  manual. $24.95 (CLICK HERE will take you to the Vibrant Faith store.)