Youth Ministry and the Internet
Widespread internet access has revolutionized our world, changing almost every field of work.
No less dramatic have been the changes that have come to the world of youth ministry.
Free webhosting space provided by such groups as geocities and angelfire have provided youth groups with a way to put their information online. Other groups have provided free space to churches and youth groups, such as Luther95 , a Lutheran web hosting group.
Some sites are taking their ministry directly to youth, bypassing local church bodies. For example, www.christianteens.net, offers ministry directly to teens through chat rooms, discussion lists, penpals, games, and other activities.
The internet is also being used to distribute information about youth and their culture to parents and youth workers. One example of this is the website of The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, www.cpyu.org, which includes archives of the center's newletters. The newsletters deal with a host of problems that teens face and are provided in order to provide perspective on youth problems to parents or others dealing with youth. Another similar site is the website of The Search Insitute, www.search-institute.org, which is an organization which has been studying teenagers and their needs since the 1950s. It provides practical research information about what teens need in their lives.
Other internet pages are being used to offer a different kind of support to those involved in youth ministry. Youthpastor.com offers materials such as Bible studies, games, and information about printed resources to youth ministers free of charge. It also provides chat for youth ministers to trade ideas with each other real time. Another resource is EGAD! Youth Group Ideas , which also offers many ideas submitted by other youth workers about games, Bible studies, worship ideas, etc. They also offer a forum, chatroom, and an interactive calender for dates relating to youth ministry. The Youth Ministry Toolbox also offers similar materials, with Bible studies, games, and drama pieces offered on this site. Reaching the Generations for Jesus provides resources for reaching different generations, and includes such materials as youth talk ideas, games, movie reviews, Bible studies, and hot topics for discussion. These are only a few of the sites available. There are many other sites dealing with the concept of youth ministry, some of which are not free.
There are also some unique webpages that relate to youth ministry. For example, GroupSource Travel provides travel packages easily and affordably for youth groups.