director’s report february, 2012

rev. todd buegler

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elca youth ministry network - director’s report

february, 2012

Dear friends and colleagues, Greetings! Welcome to New Orleans! I’m looking forward to a great event. Those who are traveling to New Orleans this week are both the Network’s “owners” and its “constituency.” My hope is that our Board takes this opportunity during our time in New Orleans for lots of informal, casual conversations with the members...asking lots of questions...not necessarily about the Network, but about their ministry...about their needs...about their hopes. Those conversations can be really helpful in our determining our future conversations. Table of Contents: 1. The Box Scores 2. Extravaganza 2012 3. The Practice Discipleship Project 4. Resource Staff Person 5. Faith Formation Summit this past September 6. Thinking about our pricing structures 7. Report from the SYMBOL Network 8. Considering a “Chapter Structure”? 9. Financial Report 10. Audit in 2011-2012 11. Extravaganza 2013 12. Extravaganza 2014 13. Upcoming Board Meetings 14. Thank you! 1. The Box Scores The current Network membership is at a high point, at least going back as far as our immediate records go back. I ran numbers for the Extravaganza going back to 2001. The results are interesting. Certainly the Gathering has an impact, but even more on our housing than our attendance, because of the Gathering shoulder meetings. 2. Extravaganza 2012 Extravaganza 2012 is going to be a great event. I am excited for all of the elements of the

program. I am hopeful for a great, great event. Having a “full house” will certainly raise the energy levels. I could not be any more excited about the work of the Extravaganza planning team. We have several new members this year in some key leadership positions. While there has been something of a learning-curve for them, their contributions and gifts have really added a

nice dimension to the event planning cycle. We have had some challenges with the hotel; different than we have had in the

Date: Membership:

October, 2005 676

October, 2006 562

October, 2007 647

October, 2008 716

October, 2009 603

October, 2010 551

October 2011 685

Feb., 2012 729

Year Site Attendance Room Block Actual

2001 San Diego 773 1513

2002 Houston 656 1287

2003 Atlanta* 704 1425

2004 New Orleans 522 1240

2005 Anaheim 592 1191

2006 Phoenix* 486 1210

2007 Tampa 511 1179

2008 Anaheim 556 1181

2009 New Orleans* 595 1569

2010 Charlotte 362 760

2011 Kansas City 525 1124

2012 New Orleans* 647 1795

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past. We are generally pretty conservative in our contracts (we’ve almost been burned in the past by not meeting our obligations.) We knew that 2012 would be a ‘bump’ because of the Gathering, but it is really hard to predict how big a ‘bump’ that will be. So with a nervous hand, I signed a contract guaranteeing that we would fill 1270 room nights. We soared right past that number and are hovering right around 1800 rooms right now. What we’d never experienced before, however, was that the hotel didn’t want to sell us any more rooms than the 1270 that we had contracted. (Rooms were still available, but they were selling them for between $240-$380/night to Mardi Gras tourists.) I had to work pretty hard to keep the hotel placing our people into the hotel. We believe that we got them all in. Laurie Hoium worked really hard, along with Catherine Anderson, Kathy Hunstad, Margie Fiedler, Jo Mueller and Tammy Jones West to keep the housing lists current for the hotel’s sake. Also, New Orleans is a “tier 1” convention city and the costs are generally higher. The catering costs are very expensive, and we have had to both raise our catering budget as well as work hard to keep our costs low. This year we have some extra ‘controls’ in place for spending to prevent run-away costs. We have also worked to build some new revenue streams to help offset some of the costs. Needless to say, we are watching the budget pretty closely. But all that being said, this is a great hotel in a fantastic city, and we have a wonderful program ahead of us. I’m really excited...I hope you are too! 3. The Practice Discipleship Project We are deep into partnership in creating the “Practice Discipleship Day” at the ELCA Youth Gathering. The pre-event training has been amazing. To date, 217 training events have happened or are scheduled in the next 3 months that bring good training materials to our synods, presented by 65 trained coaches. That is good for the congregations...good for the volunteers and good for the Network. We have also produced 7 webinars which have been presented in one full cycle. They have just started being repeated. Over 200 individuals have watched the webinars live, and the recordings of the webinars have been downloaded 513 times. The day at the Gathering itself will be equally exciting, as each synod will have an opportunity to work together on spiritual practices at the Practice Discipleship Day. Conversations have begun on the 2nd phase of the Practice Discipleship Project, and that this would best be ‘nested’ within the Network. More information on this can be found in the appendix of this document. 4. Resource Staff Person Last October I mentioned my intent of bringing on board another person in staff role to manage resources; not resource development as much as pointing people towards existing resources, and working to manage and further develop “MartinsList.” I am very excited that Shannon Savage Howie will be taking on this role on a very part-time basis, beginning this month. Shannon is the youth minister at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California and has a deep passion for making resources available to all those who need to connect with them. Shannon will a do a great job in this role.

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5. Faith Formation Summit Conversations I reported in October on the Faith Formation Summit that I participated in at the end of September. Sue and Linda were also both there. Conversations have continued with 5 representatives of that large group, focusing on ‘next steps’ for the conversation. “Talking points” and ideas have emerged that I have attached as an appendix to this document. The Network would likely play a key role in any new initiatives that come out of this, playing host to many of the initiatives. The timing of these conversations is good, as they may influence our conversations on the Network’s strategic planning. More conversation about this will take place at the Youth Ministry Roundtable on Saturday afternoon. 6. Thinking about Pricing Structures There are several other factors that we might want to consider when we do our strategic planning. A conversation that comes up occasionally is the question of our pricing structure. Currently, we operate under a “pay to play” model. Network members dues give them access to material in our web site that is “closed” to non-members. A question I’ve wondered about is if we ever would want to move to a “public radio” model, where all of our web content is available to everyone. “Mailed material (i.e. connect journal) would still just go to members. Please note that I am not advocating for this model, but I do think that it is worth conversation. 7. Report from the SYMBOL Network The SYMBOL Network (Synod Youth Ministry Band of Leaders) has also been in a strategic planning process. There was a retreat held earlier in January in Houston, Texas that focused on this plan. Julie Miller was present at this retreat and has asked to bring a report to the Board. 8. Considering a Chapter Model? I have had two different phone calls in the past month from individuals who represent smaller, local Networks of ELCA youth ministers. One in Indianapolis, and one in Chicago. These Networks are doing the kind of local networking that we think is important, and is in alignment with our values. As they have grown, they have considered becoming a bit more ‘formal’ in their structure. They have turned to us for assistance. We’ve had some preliminary conversations about what might be involved in considering a “chapter” format. There would be issues of liability and cost to consider. But it might be an interesting way of ‘extending our brand’ at relative low-cost and effort. 9. Financial Report As per our usual practice, I don’t include an up to date financial report with the winter Director’s Report. Any updates I give you now would be out of date before I could send this to the printer. Since the E is the majority of our budget and cash flow, it is really impossible at this point to tell you where we’re at. Suffice it to say that we have funds, and we anticipate still having funds after the dust is settled. We will have a detailed report at our April meeting. 10. Audit Status It is our practice to do a full, external audit every 3-4 years, and we are in the midst of that process right now. We hope to have a complete audit report for the Board’s review at our April Board meeting.

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11. Extravaganza 2013 We are already in the planning process for E2013. We are taking our theme from the work that has been done in some of the larger initiatives through the church. Our theme will be “Form: Faith Formation in a Missional Age.” We are excited to address questions of where formation fits into the mission of the church as we move into the future. Early feedback on this has been very, very positive. 12. Extravaganza 2014 I was recently approached by our ecumenical partners in the National Council of Churches, who were wondering about perhaps making Extravaganza 2014 an event that included our brothers and sisters from these other denominational bodies. It was a lengthy conversation, and I can fill you in more completely in person. But it is an idea that has merit. 13. Upcoming Board Meetings Our next 3 board meetings are “on the calendar.” They include:

April 29-May 1, 2012; The Lutheran Center, Chicago October 18-20, 2012; Location to be determined. January 23-24, 2013; Hyatt Regency, Anaheim, CA.

13. Thank you! I want to add my word of thanks to both Charlene and Linda for their energy and passion for the Network over the past 6 and 3 years, respectively. I have appreciated your wisdom and commitment to our shared mission. And of course, I am grateful for your friendship! In conclusion It is a good time to be the Network! There is energy and excitement. Thank you for your vision! Peace,

Rev. Todd Buegler Executive Director

Youth Ministry Leadership Development Strategy Talk Sheet 2-2012

Youth Ministry Leadership Development Initiative

Talk Sheet February 2012

Given that the landscape of ministry with, for and among youth today is shifting…and this shift

requires attention;

Given that leadership of ministry with, for and among youth today is becoming increasingly

dependent on lay, often volunteer, leadership…and these leaders come with varying expertise

and often have limited access to leadership development opportunities;

Given that the ELCA has a rich history of attending to ministry with, for and among youth…and

this history has resulted in numerous active and vibrant networks and initiatives;

Given the leadership and resources shifts that are taking place at the national and synodical

levels…and the current need to rethink existing and future work around ministry with, for and

among youth;

Might this be an opportune time to develop a national youth ministry leadership development

initiative? The initiative would begin by weaving together the current strategic initiatives of:

o SYMBOL’s “Tune-In” initiative for youth leadership in community engagement,

o the synodical coaching/communication system established through the Practice

Discipleship Project,

o ELCA Youth Ministry seminary and college/university educators and

o the ELCA Youth Ministry Network’s work around adult leadership development and

supporting ongoing networking

With the goal of creating a national youth ministry leadership strategy that would:

o Be accessible and affordable to all ELCA congregations,

o Invite leaders into a deeper conversation around children, youth and family ministry

that would inspire and equip congregation’s to address their varying ministry needs,

o Develop a library of resources for equipping leaders theologically, theoretically and

practically for children, youth and family ministry

o Engage other ministry strategic initiatives within the ELCA and beyond.

Youth Ministry Leadership Development Strategy Talk Sheet 2-2012

A Proposal – a way forward!

Building upon the work of the Practice Discipleship leadership development initiative created in

preparation for the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering, this proposal puts forth a three-year plan to extend

that leadership initiative into a Youth Ministry Leadership Development Strategy.

- Each of the three years the plan would consist of

o An annual theme – This theme would provide the content for an introduction session

addressing some larger shift that is taking place in children, youth and family ministry

and the church today.

o A series of 6 “workshops” – The annual theme would them be unpacked with a series of

6 ‘workshops” that would address sub-themes and particular ministry skills related to

the main theme. These workshops would make up the curriculum for that year and

would be available in multiple formats: webinar (live and archived,) DVD/written

curriculum for workshops to be led around the country by synodical coaches, and face-

to-face sessions offered at various existing leadership training events (i.e. synod

assemblies and the Extravaganza). The “workshops” would use the Standards and

Guidelines established by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network as a guide, with the general

format being 2 workshops bent toward theological ideas, 2 workshops addressing

theoretical ideas, and 2 focused on practical skills.

Phase 1 – Moving from the gathering to year 1 – January 2012-May 2012

Annual Theme: What is Faith Formation in a Missional Age?

Workshop Series: Theological: The Bible and its call to the world, Theoretical: Cross-cultural

engagement and servant learning, and Practical Skills: developing student leaders.

Leadership Team and housing of “iniative”: The leadership team would bring together

representatives from SYMBOL, the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, Youth Ministry Educators,

synodical coach/communicator. In addition, there would be a team leader position and a laison

from ELCA Churchwide invited to participate. The ELCA Youth Ministry Network would serve as

the “host” organization.

Timing: The timing would be similar to the Practice Discipleship leadership development roll out

this past year. The annual theme would launch in late spring 2012 with an introductory session

and workshops would follow in fall 2012. In addition, all 7 sessions would be part of the

SYMBOL/CYSLOPS event in Nov 2012. A second round of workshops would be offered in the

Spring of 2012, with all 7 sessions being part of the Extravaganza 2013. In addition,

Video/written curriculum would be made available to all ELCA congregations after this event.

Prep for Phase 2: While the Leadership Team was working on moving phase one forward,

preparation begins for Phase 2. This work would include, but not be limited to: developing the

theme for year 2, naming the workshops, developing the curriculum and extending the

Youth Ministry Leadership Development Strategy Talk Sheet 2-2012

conversation of this strategy to other potential initiative, both within the ELCA and elsewhere.

(For example, Outdoor Ministry, LACE, DEMS, Bishops, LIFT, Ministry Resource Providers, etc.)

Ministry Resource Providers: While this strategy was incubated from within particular ELCA

initiatives, it is the hope of the initial team that this work would grow beyond the partners

named above. Over the years, the youth ministry initiatives within the ELCA would not be as

robust or vibrant as it is today without the partnership of a wide-range of ministry resource

providers. And while the expertise and resources for equipping leaders for children, youth and

family ministry of ministry resources providers is invaluable, it is important to name that their

work is not tied toward resourcing any particular denomination and they are accountable to

their specific mission, vision and viability criteria. Therefore, this proposal does not set forth any

particular ideas of how ministry resource providers might participate in this strategy, but desires

that this conversation might be explored further in phase 1.

Budget: $350,000 per year or 1 million for three years

o Per year – $350,000

$45,000 for Curriculum

$260,000 for synodical coaches/coordinators

$45,000 for leadership, tech support and travel