Youth Ministry Websites:

Digital Orthodoxy

Digital Orthodoxy is an Australian youth ministry website designed to resource youth workers, ministers, pastors, volunteer leaders and anyone else that is interested in ministry with young people. Full of book reviews, movie discussion sheets, reflections on popular culture, reflections on music, links to the latest research on youth ministry and much more.

Digital Orthodoxy also hosts a couple of the most incredible youth ministry resources in the Alternative Hymnal (a website focusing on popular music and Christianity) and Batteries Not included (a website with a lot of ideas for the worn out youth group leader)

Link: Digital Orthodoxy

Beyond Blue

Beyondblue is a national, independent, not-for-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related substance misuse disorders in Australia.

Beyondblue is a bipartisan initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments with a key goal of raising community awareness about depression and reducing stigma associated with the illness. beyondblue works in partnership with health services, schools, workplaces, universities, media and community organisations, as well as people living with depression, to bring together their expertise around depression.

Link: Beyond Blue

GUSH

GUSH is a national Christian youth chat forum that has been running for a number of years, with over 1000 registered members and over 160000 posts.

GUSH has recently joined the new Youth Alive Australia website.

Link: GUSH

Educating Christians

Educating Christians is a project for the Queensland Synod, Uniting Church in Australia, it’s role is to identify resources for Christian education in congregations. They are currently rolling out the results of their research into different resources, resource by resource, day by day. The site is also a space for people to ask questions, connect with those using the resources and make suggestions about further resources.

Link: Educating Christians

4 Twelve Ministries

The 4twelve ministry is a ministry for the young people in the region served by the Sydney North and Ku-ring-gai Presbyteries of the Uniting Church in Australia.

The name 4twelve comes from 1 Timothy 4:12, where Paul writes to the young leader … “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith and purity”.

We’re not aiming to make extraordinary disciples of Jesus. We’re aiming to create a culture of youth ministry where extraordinary disciples of Jesus are inevitable.

We’re looking to build an army of young disciples of Jesus who will go out from this region to turn the world around. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

Link: 4 Twelve Ministries

NSW UCA Youth Unit

• • Faith shaping and discipleship
  • Encouraging participation
  • Challenging the church
  • Expanding people’s vision
  • Mission and outreach opportunities
  • Supporting, resourcing and equipping people

The Youth Unit exists to encourage and coordinate ministry with young people within the Uniting Church in Australia NSW Synod [NSW/ACT].

Its aims include:

Link: NSW Youth Unit

Right Time - Right Place

• • information about how people (in particular young people) grieve, and how to help someone who’s grieving,
  • resources for approaching the grieving family with sensitivity and confidence,
  • resources for developing sensitive liturgies,
  • resources for dealing with the issue of suicide sensitively in sermons, homilies, eulogies and other addresses, and
  • directions to support for yourself and the people you work with.

Churches play a significant role in helping the community rebuild itself after a tragic incident like a youth suicide. More often than not, they are the place where grieving turns from a private into a public activity. Funerals are, by and large, the main setting where people are allowed and encouraged to display their emotions publicly. They attract people regardless of their connection to the deceased and often, especially in more rural and remote areas, house an entire community, present to both seek and share comfort for a brief time within a longer tribulation.

Effectively helping individuals through the grief after a suicide is one the surest ways to reduce the risk of another. It is with this in mind that this resource has been prepared. Right Place – Right Time is designed to help ministers, pastors, elders and helpers, as well as funeral directors, approach the particular issues around youth suicide and grief with sensitivity and understanding.

In this resource you will find

Link: Right Time - Right Place

Youth For Christ

YFC Australia is a part of Youth for Christ International, an inter-denominational, nonprofit organisation operating in over 80 countries.

Link: Youth For Christ