Youth Worker Academy
The Youth Workers Academy is a ministry of the Presbytery of Philadelphia dedicated to training, supporting and providing opportunities to network and connect adults working with young people. This includes youth directors, advisors, parents & stepparents, unpaid volunteers, associate pastors, Christian education committees and everyone in between. The YWA has begun with “Practical. Theological. Relational..”
Each session covers a specific topic of vital importance in youth ministry. These sessions are designed for those with limited formal training in youth ministry, although all adults who work with young people will benefit. Each session will run between 4-5 hours on a given Saturday and will include time to connect with other youth workers as well as provide training. Each session will include resources for participants to use in their own ministries and opportunities to share valuable insights and tools. Youth are not the intended participants for these events.
Cost
Youth Worker Academy has received funding through the Congregational Nuture Team to provide speakers and other needs. The NEW cost is $20/ church for unlimited attendees!!!
Hallmarks and Theology of the YWA
- Youth workers will be treated as adults and never as youth. Just because these adults work with young people does not mean they have the same tastes and needs.
- There will be good and useful resources available that participants can take away from each session. YWA leaders will assume participants can read and not read through everything with them.
- No one church will be held up as a singular model. We are all sinful and in need of God’s grace. The Holy Spirit is working in the midst all of our churches. Moreover, churches of different sizes, demographics and cultures will be considered and addressed.
- Participants will be recognized as already involved in faithful and Spirit-filled ministries. Their contributions – spoken and material – will be honored.
- Youth work can be a lonely ministry at times. Adults will be given the chance to connect with each other, share, lament and generally build up the Body of Christ.
- There will be no cheese-ball stuff. Youth ministry has enough of that already.
YWA Design Team
- Rev. Laurie Taylor Weicher
- Rev. Erika Funk
- Rev. John Weicher
- Katherine Mealor
Winter 2012 Event: Parents in Youth Ministry
What is the role of parents in youth ministry? How do we best communicate with parents? What is the best way to deal with parents in tough situations? How can we best utilize parents’ gifts in our ministries?
Please join us for dinner and a discussion led by Shelli Latham, Associate Pastor for Preaching and Outreach at Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester. Before coming to PA, she was the Associate Pastor for Youth at Davidson College Presbyterian in Davidson, NC, where she led a thriving youth program. Shelli has keynoted at Montreat Youth Conference and led numerous presbytery retreats around the country. Shelli will share with us her expertise and experiences regarding the role of parents in youth ministry. We will also have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss our own experiences.