YouthWorker Journal - 2008 Editorial Theme

YouthWorker Journal is the Professional Resource for Youth Ministry. Our mission is to help readers in the following five areas:

1) Theological Understanding

2) Knowledge of Today’s Kids

3) Cultural Literacy

4) Faith, Witness, and Action

5) Soul Care

Here are the major themes we will be focusing on in 2008, with writer deadlines.

January/February 2008: MONEY

How can youth workers gain control of their financial lives? How can they teach their kids to budget and think about what they purchase? What salaries are youth workers earning? How can young people sort through the chaos of college loans? What are some things you have done to bring sanity to your financial life?

Proposals due: 9/1/07.            Article deadline: 10/1/07.

March/April 2008: POP CULTURE

We’re swimming in it, and many of us use it in our ministry. But are we really effective in how we engage culture? And what are the best resources in music, movies, the Web?

Proposals due: 11/1/07.          Article deadline: 12/1/07.

May/June 2008: MANY MANSIONS

This overview will explore who’s doing what, what’s working, and what’s changing at many of the leading denominational and parachurch youth ministry organizations. What do you do when a kid from another church attends your group?

Proposals due: 1/1/08.            Article deadline: 2/1/08.

July/August 2008: VOLUNTEERS

How do you recruit, train, manage, and honor these Very Important People?

Proposals due: 3/1/08.            Article deadline: 4/1/08.

September/October 2008: GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS

Today’s world can be a tough place for girls and young women. How do we help them be who God wants them to be? We’ll also look at the gender and sexual issues that make it complex for young men to work with girls.

Proposals due: 5/1/08.            Article deadline: 6/1/08.

November/December 2008: RED AND YELLOW, BLACK AND WHITE

All are precious in His sight! That’s why this issue will examine the changing face of multicultural ministry. We’ll also look at trends in urban youth ministry.

Proposals due:7/1/08. Article deadline: 8/1/08.

The Proposals due deadline is the date for writers who want to pitch articles for each issue. The Article deadline is the date for submitting articles assigned by the editors. (Writers may submit complete articles as proposals if they like.)

We review all proposed articles. Articles that do not reflect our themes are more difficult to publish in the print Journal, but we publish a greater number and variety of articles on our youthworker.com site. Please let us know if you are willing to have us publish your work in our online publication.