TARGET Training

• The Call to Leadership: Knowing we are doing something God has called us to do is the foundation for effective ministry. This seminar will help you become sure of your call to youth work. (To read content covered click here)
• The Motivation for Leadership: Youth ministry is not just about what we do, but why we do it. We look at some of the wrong motivations that can so easily creep into our leadership, as well as positive motives to cultivate.
• The Responsibilities of a Leader: While leaders while likely have a job description of what they are to do, there are a number of underlying responsibilities toward young people they must remain focussed on if they are to successfully care for and disciple them.
• The Trials of Leadership: Youth leadership can be incredibly fulfilling and incredibly challenging. Here we look at some of the trials youth leaders can expect and ways to overcome them.
• Leadership and Teams: Youth leadership is most effective when done in teams yet there are obstacles that can get in the way when we try to work with others. This seminar explores the essentials of good team work.

PROGRAMMING TOPICS - Skills for Leadership

• How to Run Programmes: Effective programmes are well planned programmes but there is much more to it than that. There are a number of people-related considerations that must be followed in order to make a programme effective. (To read content covered click here).
• How to Prepare a Bible Study: Its not easy coming up with good questions to get young people talking in small groups and challenge them regarding how to topic relates to them. In this session you will learn a step by step process for writing Bible studies that have impact.
• How to lead a Bible Study: Having good questions to ask in your Bible study is not enough. In this seminar you will learn five criteria for leading effective small groups and strategies to improve in each area.
• How to Preach: Young people are not the easiest group to preach to yet being able to prepare and present a brief devotional messages that is interesting and impacts young people is a useful skill to have. This seminar will teach you how to do it.
• How to Teach: So much of what we do is teaching so learning to do this well is essential. In this seminar you will learn a five step process for putting together teaching programmes that young people will enjoy and learn from.

PLANNING TOPICS - Effective Youth Ministry

• Youth Culture: In order to work successfully with young people we need to understand their world. This seminar looks at the five key cultural characteristics of young people today and ways in which they affect the way we plan out ministry. (To read content covered click here).
• Foundations of Youth Ministry: Effective youth ministry begins with five foundational principles that shape our approach to ministry. This seminar explains these and looks at the practical implications of each.
• Programming Elements: This seminar examines five programming elements that characterised the early church and must characterise a youth ministry if it is to fulfil its purpose: Bible study, fellowship, worship, prayer and mission. Practical ideas are given for each.
• Leadership Structures: An effective youth ministry will be based on Bible principles of leadership and will involve service in five spheres. This seminar examines the roles and requirements of each sphere.
• Setting Direction: Many youth ministries never grow and develop because they lack a clear vision and specific goals to achieve this vision. This seminar is useful for kick starting a youth ministry or giving impetus to one that is becoming stagnant.

PASTORAL TOPICS - Caring for Young People

• Adolescent Development: In order to be effective in working with young people we need to understand the various developmental stages they are going through, This seminar will teach you what is "normal" along with ministry strategies.
• Adolescent Needs: Knowing young people's underlying needs helps us a great deal when it comes to providing pastoral care. In this seminar you will learn five primary adolescent needs, and how to meet them in your youth ministry.
• Listening Skills: The first step in providing effective pastoral care is learning to listen, but many of us are not naturally good at this. Here you will learn and get to practice the primary skills for pastoral care.
• Resolving Skills: Listening is the first step but it is not enough if we are to help young people resolve problems they face. The five skills taught in this seminar will show you how to help young people look to God in doing just this.
• Discipline: How do we discipline young people at youth group without it seeming like school. Here we learn practical solutions for establishing a disciplined environment and dealing with issues as they arise.