We’ve got a lot of friends all around the country who we get to see at national events, conferences, gatherings, and the like – ministry folks, young and old, from mainline, evangelical, emerging and other parts within the mosaic we call the church. We really like hanging with ministry people and listening to their stories. (We love it when they bring us snacks as well. Just saying.)

Events are a great opportunity for us to play catch-up and talk about all the good stuff sparkhouse is doing. We talk about our new Green VBS curriculum (ReNew). We also talk about re:form, and how it uses students’ own creativity and participation to truly educate (literally “to draw out” or “to bring out” by a process of discovery) from within the community. Juxtapose this with the old model of indoctrination, where pastors have to hurriedly cram as much theology as possible into young brains, and in the process, reduces their students’ roles into passive receivers of data. We explain that re:form just isn’t like that at all: it’s been re-formed, from the ground up.

That’s when they get The Look. That glossy-eyed, hopeful, “oooOOoo-COOL-I-Can’t-Wait-To-See-This” look that tells us we’re on to something big here. We listen to our friends talk about their ministries, and ask them about how their youth ministry programs fit in to the rest of their vision. And that’s when they share that their programs are simply not working. Kids are dropping like flies. They can’t bear to go another year using the old curriculum they’ve been handed.

Leaders and kids alike are primed and ready for something completely different. Which is why we’ve been heads-down working with a brilliant team of gifted theologians, youth ministers, artists, writers and animators to create re:form. Thousands of collective hours later, we’ve emerged with a whole new model for youth ministry.

re:form trusts that your own community of faith — combined with scriptures and the active participation of the Holy Spirit — is equipped to teach, guide and direct youth without a mandated list of “this is what you have to believe”.  Think of re:form as the spiritual version of Tinkering School.

And what we came up with is causing those same youth ministry friends to get really jazzed:

We painstakingly drew and animated 40 hilarious animated short films that allow kids to encounter concepts from the historic Christian faith. These videos mash up biblical characters, pop culture, woolly mammoths, zombies, ducks (you gotta have ducks, right?), and guys in hazmat suits to get their sometimes snarky point across. See a sample.  The videos are coupled with an Anti-Workbook for every student — that’s where they do a bunch of drawing, cutting and pasting, journaling, planning, reflecting and just thinking.

Leaders get the aptly titled Leader Guide — all the tools youth ministers, teachers, pastors, parents or volunteers need to facilitate genuine conversations and help kids respond.

So our question for you is, does re:form get you jazzed? Tell us about it. We want to know what you think!

If you’re a youth minister, pastor, or educator working from within a denomination, chances are you answer to some version of a Christian Education committee, Elder Board, Church Council, Synod, Session, or Curriculum Search Committee. And when it comes to confirmation, some of these groups have some ironclad specifics that need to be handed down to the next generation.

You’ve already heard us talk about designing re:form in such a way as to have broad appeal over multiple denominations. But will re:form work with my denomination and their specifics?

Easy Answer? Yes!

Below are three examples of re:form practitioners in three different contexts.

• Susan is an associate pastor teaching a mid-sized confirmation program at a Lutheran church. Susan’s Synod required a confirmation unit on the Protestant Reformation plus a little history on Martin Luther thrown in for good measure. It turns out re:form already covers both topics really well in the sessions “Why are there so many different Christian Churches” and “Why do we say we believe in ‘the holy catholic church’ if we’re not Catholic?“

• Jeff is a Presbyterian youth pastor with 300 kids in San Diego. Jeff’s Session reviewed the curriculum and loved it. They just wanted him to offer some denominational clarification on the topic of “election.” Jeff didn’t have to modify anything in his normal re:form lesson prep: he simply added two fireside chats into the mix — re:form was a perfect springboard for these conversations, and the videos and Anti-Workbook didn’t detract from or get in the way of Jeff’s church’s request.

• Finally, Courtney is an evangelical Baptist working as a parent-volunteer in a church exploring confirmation for the first time. Courtney’s Baptist church had never done confirmation before. As the head of the curriculum search team, she was able to confidently come back to the elder board and show how re:form does a great job of helping them articulate traditional Baptist distinctives, like Biblical authority and religious freedom.

There’s a lot of ways to customize re:form. Since most churches don’t have the time to use all 40 lessons, confirmation leaders can pick and choose which lessons to use. When you want to emphasize a point, units can be expanded into multiple weeks to allow time for the group to look at the fruit of the Individual Activity pages. Plus, the Anti-Workbook is chock-full of blank Doodle pages at the end of every unit that you can commandeer for your own church’s activities. And the re:form gallery website is a perfect place to share how your group has taken a given lesson, improvised, and made it your own!

At sparkhouse we truly believe that the theological concepts that are baked into every video and every Anti-Workbook page are generous enough and substantial enough to placate even the curmudgeonliest council out there. But here’s the deal. We’re also completely fascinated with the exceptions to the rule. And we want to hear from you guys, too. We’re more than happy to field questions about the curriculum. Got a theological question to ask before you buy? Call or write to us. Want to make sure there’s a way to bring up a specific doctrinal statement? We’re here to help.

With the Art of Curating Worship event just weeks away, it’s the perfect time for another sneak peek at our three speakers.  This week’s feature: Mark Pierson, from Aucklund, New Zealand.

Mark is minister who developed the model of worship curator more than 15 years ago. Over the years, he has led seminars on worship curation all over the world, with a wide range of denominations and Christian organizations, seminaries, conferences, and festivals.  Let’s take a look at some of his work!

Photo A shows a crown of barbed wire and hanging blood red icicles as the center piece above a ton of crushed ice. It was curated at a church on Good Friday and is entitled “Dead Man Waiting” based around Peter’s denial of Jesus.

Photo B illustrates cards hanging from umbrellas curated an outdoor conference.  The question it asked was “If  you could say one word to your boss/family/God etec what would it be?”  It entitled “Lingering With Intent.”

Photo C shows communion bread on paper cloth. Mark asked participants to write and draw their prayers, asking God to intervene in a situation.

As you can see, Mark’s passion for curating spaces allows people the opportunity to engage with the trinitarian community of God in appropriate, creative, and life-giving transformative ways.

Mark’s book, The Art of Curating Worship, will be published by sparkhouse press in October 2010.

Register today for the Art of Curating Worship event!

The Art of Curating Worship is an interactive day-long event that will focus on exploring, deepening, and reimagining worship. Participants will hear from three of the most innovative and influential leaders in Christian worship today, and will have the opportunity to network with visual artists, poets, musicians, preachers, and others throughout the day’s sessions.

Join us as we learn from one another, inspire and be inspired, and participate in worship.  All those involved in planning, preparing, and leading worship are welcome!

Date: Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Time: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Location:  Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN  55408

Price: $29.95 before June 1; $49.95 after June 1; $9.95 student

Lunch will be provided.

Register online today: http://curatingworship.eventbrite.com

Looking for a hotel? We have rooms reserved at the Sheraton in Minneapolis.  Visit our group site to set aside your room today!

Featured speakers: Mark Pierson, Jodi-Renee Adams, and Eric Herron

About the speakers:

Mark Pierson, Aucklund, NZ, is a registered minister of the Baptist family of Churches in New Zealand, who developed the model of worship curator more than 15 years ago. Since then, he has led many seminars on worship curation in the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of Europe, with a wide range of denominations and Christian organizations, seminaries, conferences, and festivals.

Mark’s Master of Ministry was an analysis of how God speaks through art—specifically, contemporary Stations of the Cross. His passion is curating spaces that allow people the opportunity to engage with the trinitarian community of God in appropriate, creative, and life-giving transformative ways. He writes and speaks regularly on aspects of worship as art. His book on curating worship will be published by sparkhouse press in October 2010.  Mark will be discussing worship as an art form and the role of the worship curator.

Jodi-Renee Adams, Denver, CO is a collision of post-modern/church/evangelical culture. The unsuspecting worship pastor at one of the first emerging churches with 1000+ people, JR got on a fast track of teaching and writing about the cross-pollination of culture, art, and theology in worship. She now serves as the co-pastor of Ecclesia Denver, an urban faith community, and also works as a musician and vocalist in Denver’s burgeoning jazz and fusion scene.

As a regular contributor to various worship and faith publications, including the Creative Worship Tour social network, Jodi-Renee always finds herself getting excited to talk about ideas that promote collaboration, creativity, and a freedom from small boxes. She usually finds herself talking about this with different seminary and worship degree programs as well as churches from every denominational affiliation and size.   She will be talking about worship as narrative.

Eric Herron, Pasadena, CA spent time throughout the 1990s curating worship and producing live music at the first Gen-X church in the U.S. (NewSong Church, San Dimas, CA). Many of the innovative, wildly creative things NewSong pioneered in music, drama, and speaking would now be considered common-place at the church down the street.

Today, as a missionary and worship arts consultant with Church Resource Ministries, Eric is working on a prototype for the worship leader of the future.

With an M.A. in Worship, Theology, and the Arts from Fuller Seminary, Eric uses writing, workshops, and personal mentoring to impart a fresh vision of worship to churches and leaders in the U.S. and abroad. He is also a regular contributor to the Creative Worship Tour.

Have questions or comments about the Art of Curating Worship event?  We’d love to hear from you!  Leave a note for us here, or visit our Facebook event page.

Reform means to change to a better state. And re:form confirmation is what we consider to be a confirmation curriculum in a better state. About a year ago, we at sparkhouse decided to take a look at the confirmation programs available for youth ministries. After checking everything out, we realized that they definitely needed reform.

We wanted to create something that was engaging for teenagers, but not cheesy. (We love cheese…on crackers, not so much in our churches.) We know that youth today are fully capable of grappling with issues of faith and theology, so we wanted our curriculum to give them room for a good wrestling match. And, of course, we want to help youth leaders any way we can. That’s why we developed a curriculum that lets you lead an interactive confirmation class without a ton of extra work on your end. (You’re welcome!)

So what exactly is re:form confirmation? In three simple words, it’s a way for teens to:

• Encounter.
• Engage.
• Respond.

In more words, that are slightly less simple: re:form is a curriculum comprised of three main components:

• Two DVDs with 40 hilarious animated short films that allow kids to encounter concepts from the historic Christian faith. These videos are designed not only to make kids think, but also to make them laugh. (Yes, we encourage laughter…especially in confirmation class!) You can watch some of our preview videos for re:form confirmation here and here. Be warned: you might laugh, too.
• The Anti-Workbook, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s not a fill-in-the-blank, there’s-only-one-answer kind of workbook. In fact, it’s the opposite of that. It’s a place where kids can do activities that get them interacting with each other, and it’s a kind of journal to help them explore tough theological questions in creative ways. Whether they’re drawing, cutting and pasting, writing, or just thinking, the Anti-Workbook inspires kids to go a little deeper with their faith and theology. Check out some samples for a sneak peek inside the Anti-Workbook.
• The Leader Guide, which will make you look like a superstar by providing the tools you need to help kids respond. You’ll help facilitate conversations—genuine conversations about what they think…not what you want them to think. Instead of giving them answers (which, let’s face it, a lot of us don’t really have nailed down anyway!), they’ll explore their faith and come to understand what they believe for themselves. Take a look inside the Leader Guide, too!

So there you have it. A brief (sort of) look at re:form confirmation. Stay tuned for more insight on how it works, how you can get it for your ministry, and other tips and tools for leading your youth group.

Be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter. There’s always something interesting going on there. (Well, we definitely think it’s interesting…we hope you do, too…)

Spunk Design Machine is a graphic design boutique that helps creative agencies, companies, and non-profits create innovative design aesthetics to amplify their message.   sparkhouse was lucky enough to partner with this creative group, who assisted us in developing our brand identity system.  Recently, Spunk won an award at the AIGA Minnesota Design Show 2010 for their work on sparkhouse.   Congratulations, Spunk Design Machine!

This week marks the annual Catalyst West gathering in Irvine, California.  One of sparkhouse’s product developers, Bethany Stolle, ventured to the Golden State for the youth-oriented event, which began on Wednesday.  Catalyst provides opportunities for entrepreneurs, gifted communicators, youth leaders, and youth enthusiasts to come together and join forces for three days of passionate discussion and worship.  As their site states, “Catalyst wants to connect you to others, and watch projects, initiatives, and ideas happen.”  What a great way for collaboration and imagination to fuse!

In the past, the Catalyst main stage has been known to create some truly stimulating moments for both attendees and presenters.  Musicians, leadership experts, and fringe thinkers lead discussions on community and the Spirit of God.  We were excited to hear that Eugene Cho, one of the key speakers at Catalyst West this year, mentioned us on stage yesterday!  Eugene is the co-founder and executive director of One Day’s Wages, an international grassroots movement with the vision of inspiring people around the world to simply donate one day’s wages to the cause of ending extreme global poverty.  ODW and ReNew: The Green VBS are working together with Charity:Water, bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

Does this sound like an intriguing event? To learn more, follow Bethany on Twitter (@bethanystolle) on her adventure at Catalyst West (#catwest) or stay connected to the event itself by joining the Facebook page CATALYST.

All of us were humbled to reveal some of the work we’ve been doing with re:form to the attendees at FirstThird. Humbled on lots of levels, but mostly because of the power of collaboration. Yes, dialogue. So, thanks to everyone who’s been a part of the re:form conversation thus far. Thanks to those of you at FirstThird who provided feedback. And a “proleptic” thanks to all of you who’ll join us down the road. Truly a gift.

All of us at sparkhouse are gearing up for a truly unique event next week: FirstThird Dialogues on youth ministry. Keynoting the event will be two leading voices in the church–Andy Root and Kenda Creasy Dean–with the audacity to mix theology and youth ministry. Sparks should fly!