Simply Insider | The Insider's view of Simply Youth Ministry

Stephanie EisMore Posts Drum Roll, Please Announcing the NEWEST SYMC Speaker…

We’ve searched high and low for this newest SYMC speaker. They’re awesome! They have the biggest heart for Jesus and youth. We can’t wait for you to meet….

WAIT A MINUTE…

I can’t tell you just yet who it is?! I have to build up a little bit of suspense…

Come back tomorrow morning and I’ll have an awesome video for you announcing who the NEWEST SYMC Key Note Speaker is…

Seriously.. Come back… You won’t want to miss this!

In the mean time, if you haven’t registered for SYMC yet do it! NOW!

Take advantage of the Advanced Registration prices!

Register here!

~Stephanie

Add Comment January 14, 2013

Stephanie EisMore Posts SYMC. Discount. 2 Days Left.

There’s ONLY 2 days left to register with the advanced registration price!

Lecrae, All Sons & Daughters, Shane & Shane, and Jordan Howerton Band will all be performing.

Register now and save!

You don’t want to miss this time to be strengthend!

Plus, over 190 hours of brand NEW training!

Take advantage of the advanced registration price now

~Stephanie

Add Comment January 14, 2013

Stephanie EisMore Posts Hurry! Only 6 Days Left!

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

There’s only 6 days left for ADVANCED REGISTRATION at SYMC in Indianapolis- and we want YOU there!

Plus, there will be over 190+ hours of new training this year!

Register here to save now!

Hope to see you there!!

~Stephanie~

Add Comment January 10, 2013

Stephanie EisMore Posts Ministering to Gay Teenagers

When it comes to ministering to gays and lesbians, far too many churches have chosen silence over service, or a reactive stance over proactive involvement. But congregations must abandon their comfort zone and minister to a group of people who need to experience the love of Jesus like never before.

With truths drawn from his own personal experiences, youth pastor Shawn Harrison seeks to equip youth workers in ministering to gay teenagers, their families, and the gay community at-large. The church must not compromise truth, he says, but it should not withhold grace either. How gay students first encounter God—personally and communally—and how Christians react to them can determine their subsequent steps.

[[Download a FREE sample here]]

Ministering to Gay Teenagers is filled with wisdom and practical advice on how to respond when a student comes out and how to help the teenager’s family through that journey, too. This book will equip you with solid answers to the questions parents ask, and it will challenge you, your youth ministry, and your church to consider how you can practically minister and serve a group of people who seek deep authenticity in love, character, truth, and presence.

Click here to learn more!!

Shawn Harrison is the founder of Six:11 Ministries, an online ministry resource that exists to proclaim God’s identity and wholeness. He specializes in training youth workers and church leaders in ministering to the gay community, and working with gay teens and their families. Shawn is a youth pastor in St. Marys, Ohio, where he lives with his wife and three kids. He blogs at six11.wordpress.com.

~Stephanie

Add Comment January 7, 2013

Stephanie EisMore Posts Rural Youth Ministry: Thrive Where You’re Planted!

yhst-95977426524948_2243_2621964 Rural youth ministry is an amazing adventure—a truly unique beast, different from serving in the inner city or the heart of suburbia. But even though our culture is becoming increasingly urban and suburban, rural youth ministry isn’t going away anytime soon.

Brent Lacy is no stranger to the realities of rural ministry—the joys, the challenges, the rewards, the heartaches. He grew up in a rural community and serves as the youth pastor at a rural church today.

Through the pages of this book, Brent examines keys to thriving in rural youth ministry, strategies for building solid relationships, tips on reaching your local schools, wisdom on surviving church politics, ideas on effectively using technology, and advice on adjusting to a new church or community. Whether you’re new to rural youth ministry or your life has been forged in a rural setting, this book will inspire you to hold firm to God’s calling. You can be successful in your ministry. You can reach your community in ways you and your church never even thought were possible. The work may be long, hard, and messy, but the rewards are amazing.

You can do it! Get help/ideas/encouragement from Brent Lacy and his Click here for a free sample!

~Stephanie

Add Comment January 4, 2013

Stephanie EisMore Posts A Life Changed.

Earlier this morning an email came in from a former Group Mission Trips attendee. His story exemplifies the faithfulness of God and His endless pursuit of our hearts. We wanted to share Trace’s story with you! So, keep reading…

“I am 42 years old now, married, and have 3 kids. I was listening to the radio when a commercial came on about the youth work camps. I went to one in 1997 or 88’, its been awhile. It was probably the most life changing and fun experience I have had. I went with my youth group from Indiana. We went to the Navajo Indian reservation in NW New Mexico. I did not want to go at first, I was an introvert, I stuttered so I did not like to meet new people or do new things away from the comforts of my normal everyday life. I was crying because I did not want to go but some how, I do not remember why but I went. My youth group of 6 people went. When we got there we were split up into groups with people from all over the U.S. We worked on 2 houses to weatherize them. I became a social butterfly, as my mom use to say. I had people in my group from Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Boston. Such a wonderful group of kids we were. The part that changed my life was my group. I figured out that people did accept my stutter and they did not care that I had trouble talking. My group became friends and on the final day I got up in front of the whole crowd, over 500 people and spoke. I told them I really didn’t want to go because I was scared and didn’t want to put myself out there. From that point forward I wasn’t scared anymore, GOD brought me there to surround me with that group of youth– to show me who I was and to not be afraid of who GOD made me to be: Imperfect and stammering. The friends I made that week I was pen pals with for years. After high school I would travel to see them because we grew so close that week and in our letters. Now, that I have kids and my oldest is 14 , I want her to experience the awesome time that I had, although she is a strong young girl who knows who she is and has a great giving heart. I feel she would just be over flowing with joy and spirituality to meet kids from all over the U.S. like I did.”

Thank you Trace for sharing how the Lord moved in your life during a Group Mission Trip!

If you’re thinking about a Missions Trip visit the Group Mission Trip (GMT) site here! There are several different missionaly minded events that your youth can participate in! Check them out!!

~Stephanie

Add Comment December 31, 2012

Stephanie EisMore Posts A Small Thanks!

Youth Ministry Friends–

We wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Remember that you are extremely loved! Enjoy a little video from Jason and Jeff! We hope this makes you smile

http://blip.tv/simply-youth-ministry/sym-thank-you-and-snow-angels-12-2012-6483332

~Steph

Add Comment December 27, 2012

Stephanie EisMore Posts Win $2,500 Worth of SYM “Stuff”!!

Thank goodness the Mayans were wrong and the world didn’t end on 12/21/12… For every $50 that you spend at simplyyouthministry.com you’ll be entered to win $2,500 worth of SYM “stuff”. So, if you spend $50 that’s one entry, if you spend $100 that’s two entries, and so on. This offer only last’s till December 31st at Midnight- SO HURRY and get some good stuff!

~Steph

Add Comment December 26, 2012

Stephanie EisMore Posts Check it out: Open Boston!

Guess who’s going to be in Boston in February 2013?!… Simply Youth Ministry is one of the sponsors of
Open Boston this February. We encourage you to check out their website and see all the good things they are doing for youth workers around the nation! Oh yeah, Jason O. and Nadim will be there, too!

**Here’s a little note from Jake Kircher and Adam McLane- Two of the guys who make Open possible**

Jake and I are really excited about this news for a lot of reasons. For me, I’m excited about adding Simply because they are such great friends of The Youth Cartel who really get what we are trying to do with Open. A few months ago Marko and I were in their offices in Colorado and I had the opportunity to share the heart behind the Open movement and the idea of flipping the typical youth ministry event on its head. When I talked about intentionally creating a place where front-line youth workers can present what they are learning, how they are innovating in their context, and exploring what may be transferable… that connected with their team right away.

For Jake, he’s been friends with Simply for a long-time, participating in a wide array of stuff with them. So having them as a sponsor at Open is natural and fun. It just makes sense.

Meet Jason & Nadim at Open Boston

Another awesome part of having Simply on board for Open Boston is that Jason Ostrander and Nadim Najm will be in Boston to hang out with us for the day and help out. So if you’ve ever wanted to get to know them, this is a great opportunity!

Registration is currently open. We hope to see you there on February 2nd.

Check it out!

Stephanie

Add Comment December 19, 2012

Stephanie EisMore Posts SIMPLE TRUTH BIBLE!!

Imagine empowering your students to spend just a few minutes each day discovering a life-shaping, thought-provoking, Jesus-centered truth that can transform them into the kind of people God crafted them to be.
Sounds like a worthwhile investment, doesn’t it?
The Simple Truth Bible features 366 daily devotionals—each one a tasty, bite-size morsel that powerfully reveals what it means to deeply love and trust God, to lead a Jesus-centered life, and to lean on Scripture for guidance and wisdom.
Teenagers will discover how to experience hope in the middle of tough times, how God deeply and passionately loves them, how to build an authentic friendship with Jesus, and how they were created to lead a life of impact in this world and for eternity.
Each devotion includes:

Thoughts on a specific passage of Scripture and how it relates to students’ lives
Insights to help teenagers turn their thoughts into prayers as they spend time with God
Ideas to follow if students want to spend more than a few minutes each day with God
Perspective on how that day’s passage fits into the big picture of the Bible

The Simple Truth Bible features contributions from some of the leading voices in youth ministry today, including Kurt Johnston, Mark Oestreicher, Tim Levert, and Greg Stier. The writers skillfully connect the dots between the ancient truths of Scripture and the issues teenagers face living in the 21st century.
Help students join a generation of teenagers committed to experiencing God’s constant, daily presence in their lives!