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Youth Leaders
Welcoming is how we show kindness, acceptance,
and hospitality to everyone - guests and members alike.
In a nation that's becoming more unchurched all the
time, we need to ensure that teen seekers encounter
in us a Christ that they want to know better.
The teen welcoming experience has been designed
to offer a teen-relevant United Methodist welcoming
experience that, in context, shares the values, inclusiveness
and living-embodiment of The United Methodist faith
community, and actively invites seeker teens to journey
into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Research-Driven, Teen-Immersed
The Igniting Youth program has been designed
to help local churches offer a teen-relevant United
Methodist welcome (see research bibliography, right).
It also offers new teen-specific training and teen-relevant
tools to encourage teen-to-teen community outreach
including:
1. a seeker online teen welcome at www.OrangeFloat.org
2. individual youth group welcomes at OrangeFloat
Village
3. a teen
welcoming handbook full of insights and tips
4. (see "Resources" for full listing)
For youth and youth leaders, these teen resources
together serve as community evangelism tools. Stepping
into your community and engaging seekers teens can
be as simple as a door hanger campaign, or a open
invitation to participate in an outreach project,
such as yard cleaning for elderly neighbors.
These youth group welcoming activities can also earn
points toward a church's overall "Welcoming Certification"
application [request
information | Welcoming
Certification].
• Staying Research-Driven, Teen-Immersed
The Igniting Youth program includes ways for
teens and adults alike to participate ongoing. Teen
Town Hall is an online advisory group working on development
issues. OrangeFloat.org needs your teen events posted,
more video profiles from your teens, and more teen
perspectives on 8 questions. OrangeFloat Village needs
your group's welcome/profile. Choose your interest,
then let
us know how you'd like to help!
• Month of Sundays Challenge
In addition to the 'Rocket
Town' videos, there is a 4-week Sunday evening
live Web trainings held in conjection with the "Month
of Sundays" Challenge. This challenge encourages
youth groups, conference-wide, to host a teen welcoming
event and is launched by our team at your annual conference
youth gatherings. It is supported by special training
and earns special certification and rewards. Our program
is very interactive with lots of easy learning for
both teens and adults. Interested?
Questions? Email us at IMYouth@umcom.org
more
teen welcoming
overview | seeker
journey | youth group
journey | resources
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