The Center for Youth Ministry Training

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memphis Theological Seminary

Memphis Theological Seminary is the Center for Youth Ministry Training’s primary educational partner. CYMT’s retreat-based curriculum is a program of MTS. CYMT residences are MTS students and earn graduate level credits. The M. A. degree is awarded by MTS. We are grateful for MTS’s shared vision

Mission Statement -- Memphis Theological Seminary, an ecumenical Protestant seminary serving from the Mid-South region, is committed to providing theological education for church leaders throughout the world. The seminary is an institution of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. As a Christian seminary, we seek to cultivate a love for scholarship, piety and justice. Intentionally, we foster ecumenical cooperation, support the full ministry of women and men of all races and cultures and provide resources for the church’s life and witness.

MTS Student Body -- The MTS Fall 2007 class enrollment of 306 students represents 26 denominations and religious affiliations. The largest numbers of MTS students are from Methodist, Cumberland Presbyterian and Baptist denominations.

Degrees Offered -- MTS offers Master of Arts Religion, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry Degrees.

MTS Faculty -- The members of the faculty and adjunct faculty hold degrees from Memphis Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Union Theological Seminary, Duke University, Columbia Theological Seminary, Emory University, and other educational institutions from across the country. The faculty represents United Methodist, Cumberland Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, Baptist, Jewish, Presbyterian (USA), and Roman Catholic traditions.

MTS Accreditation -- The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), and by the Commission on Colleges and Schools of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). MTS is also approved by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church as a school for theological students of the United Methodist Church.

Cohort

Residents are a part of a group of 12 peers. Together, you will learn about youth ministry and theology. You will experience community and create relationships that encourage you and become those where "iron sharpens iron." A new cohort forms each year and joins with two cohorts already in years 2 and 3 of their residency to create a community of 36 students.

Classroom

The coursework is designed to help you understand more than just what to do in youth ministry. You'll learn to think theologically about the ministry you lead and have the knowledge to design ministry programs that help students develop a deep, life-changing Christian faith. Courses are taught in a retreat format every 6 weeks, and there are weekly discussion groups and assignments.

Coaching

Receive regular one-on-one coaching from a youth ministry veteran to help you apply what you've learned and master critical ministry skills. Coaches also work directly with the local church to help the staff and congregation develop a healthy understanding of youth ministry and how to best integrate it into the life of the local church.

Church

Residents gain in-the-trenches youth ministry experience by serving 25 hours per week in a local church. Working part-time as a youth minister during your education allows you to put all the pieces together—everything you learn from the peers in your cohort, the professors in the classroom and from your coach.
Upon completion of the CYMT graduate residency program, you'll be prepared with both the education and experience needed to effectively minister to youth and their families.

Alumni Churches

Advent Lutheran Church	Murfreesboro, TN
Ashland City UMC	Ashland City, TN
Brentwood UMC	Brentwood, TN
Calvary UMC	Nashville, TN
Church of the Nativity	Greenwood, MS
Connell Memorial UMC	Goodlettsville, TN
First Presbyterian Church	Nashville, TN
First UMC	Camden, TN
First UMC	Jackson, TN
First UMC	Lebanon, TN
First UMC	Tullahoma, TN
First UMC	Winchester, TN
Good Shepherd UMC	Hendersonville, TN
Loretto UMC	Loretto, TN
Nolensville UMC	Nolensville, TN
Second Presbyterian Church	Nashville, TN
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church	Nashville, TN
Westland UMC	Lebanon, TN

Current Churches

Andrew Price Memorial UMC	Donnelson, TN
Arlington UMC	Arlington, TN
Blakemore UMC	Nashville, TN
Brenthaven CP	Brentwood, TN
Brentwood UMC	Brentwood, TN
Church of the Nativity	Greenwood, MS
Collierville UMC	Collierville, TN
Epworth UMC	Huntsville, AL
Faith Baptist Church	Mt. Juliet, TN
First Presbyterian Church	Nashville, TN
First UMC	Carthage, TN
First UMC	Covington, TN
First UMC	Manchester, TN
First UMC	West Memphis, AR
Forrest Hills UMC	Nashville, TN
Hilldale UMC	Clarksville, TN
Maples Memorial UMC	Olive Branch, MS
Mt. Carmel CP	Franklin, TN
Munford UMC	Munford, TN
Lone Oak UMC	Lone Oak, KY
Rehoboth UMC	Hendersonville, TN
Trinity UMC	Murfreesboro, TN
Trinity Church	Spring Hill, TN
White House UMC	White House, TN

 

An Interview with CYMT Student Courtney Blacksten
Courtney serves as intern for the Youth Ministries at First Presbyterian Church
in Nashville, Tennessee and is in her second year at CYMT.

What drew you to the CYMT program?
CYMT’s focus on education and practice was very alluring. Upon graduating from college with a degree in Youth Ministry, I had a great deal of knowledge about Biblical studies and Youth Ministry but lacked the confidence gained from experience to actually begin a vocation in the field. I wanted to continue my education, but I also wanted to get my feet in the water, and CYMT provided such an opportunity.

And wanting to work in Youth Ministry?
I felt the call to youth ministry while in high school and that call only got stronger during college. I firmly believe that youth are not the church of tomorrow; youth are a major part of our church today and our hope for tomorrow. I have a passion for youth and their growth in the Christian faith and place in the church.

What do you hope to get out of or learn from this experience?
From participating in the CYMT program, I hope to become a certified youth minister, obtain a Master of the Arts in Youth Ministry, and most of all to gain the confidence to go out into the world to serve as full-time youth minister who seeks to make disciple of Christ for the transformation of the world.

Tell me about your assigned church and your ministry there.
I am 1 of 8 persons on the youth staff team at the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville. My placement is quite different than that of my peers in that they are starting their youth ministry programs and I have been placed at a church with a well-established youth ministry program. The 400+ youth group of First Presbyterian can be overwhelming at times but I am quickly learning how youth ministry can be done at such a big church. The task of Sunday school is one of my biggest responsibilities – from getting teachers lined up for grade-level Sundays to planning the many limbs (writing the script, band rehearsal, getting tech cues to tech team, etc.) of our “Go Big” Sundays. I also lead a small group and last December coached the 9th grade girl’s church basketball team (even though I’m only 5 feet tall and had never played basketball a day in my life)! My favorite part of my ministry at First Presbyterian is getting to meet the youth on their turf and spend time getting to know their life stories.

What has been your biggest obstacle since starting the CYMT program?
Finding the balance between work and school and still having time for a Sabbath has been my biggest obstacle since starting the CYMT program. My biggest obstacle with the church has been getting to know the youth. There are so many of them and when I only see them once, maybe twice a week it is very difficult to establish a relationship or make a connection.

What has been the most exciting thing that has happened to you since starting the CYMT program?
Since starting the CYMT program the most exciting thing that has happened has been the relationships I have formed with the youth in my church. I beginning to make the transition from “the new staff member” to someone the youth feel comfortable talking to. After weeks of reaching out to the youth, I got a phone call from a youth asking if we could meet for coffee. It was the first time I have felt that I was making an impact on the youth and a very exciting moment.

An Interview with CYMT Student, Joey Willis

1. Tell us about your experience with CYMT thus far.
CYMT is a lot like a youth ministry for youth ministers. At our churches, we are all expected to lead and teach, troubleshoot and organize. But when we all come together for our CYMT classes, retreats, and small groups, we get the chance to be fed spiritually without the weighty pressure of being in charge. The best part of CYMT is the bonds with other youth ministers. We play together, worship together, and share our burdens with one another. It is an intimate community of budding ministers with a heart for teenagers, who share practical ideas as well as support, encourage, and challenge each other. I think the most unique thing CYMT offers is to bridge the gap between seminary and ministry. It has helped me take what the Academy gives, process it alongside my peers, and churn it into something useful for my everyday ministry with teenagers.

2. What’s happening at your church since you arrived?
When I arrived, the youth ministry here was in a state of jumbled chaos. I was the third youth minister to lead the group in eight months. As you can imagine, it has been difficult navigating ourselves into a unified identity. Some of the students liked the way minister ‘A’ had done it, some ‘B’, and some were new or favored a fresh start. I feel like God has been battling to bring us all together, united under the banner of His Love. In the year or so that I have been here I have seen us inch closer and closer to the Presence of God. We are slowly becoming a ministry and not just a group. The difference is that we do not have events where we just hang out, but we have true fellowship. We are far from where God wants us to be, I believe. But our youth are starting to leave the shallow ankle-deep waters and are starting to get their knees wet. And although they are mostly splashing around and trying to dunk each other, the moments where they pause and ponder the deep waters further out are becoming more frequent. Our ministry has started asking more of our youth. And they are starting to rise to the occasion.

3. How do you think you have grown since you first arrived at CYMT and FUMC Lebanon over a year ago?
This may sound simple, but the biggest lesson I have learned in my time here is that my ministry is about the glory of God even more than it is about teenagers. There have been seasons where I was so stressed about my role in their lives, so worried I was pushing them away or not tugging on the right strings. I looked at each youth as a safe that was my responsibility to unlock. Through CYMT, particularly my friendships and unofficial conversations with fellow students, I have really been challenged to seek the Lord and work fervently to produce programs and relationships that glorify Him and trust that He will make Himself known to the teens. I have started telling my youth that all I can do as a youth minister is put them in settings and situations in which they may encounter God, the rest is between Him and them, and then promise that whatever happens they will not go through it alone. CYMT has also helped me with the organizational part of ministry. Which is not, and never will be, my favorite, but it is a necessary part. The biggest blessing that CYMT has given me is that I know better now what kind of minister I want to be. All of the stuff we do like talking about our own hearts and our own calls, exploring ministry-models and philosophies, and seeking to understand the adolescent mindset have been essential in molding my own perception of what kind of minister I want to be.

4. As you look back on the first year of your ministry with FUMC Lebanon, what are the things that make your heart smile the most and can you give us some examples of where you have seen God at work in the youth ministry at FUMC Lebanon?
One of my greatest joys during my time here in Lebanon has been the formation of our small groups. When I got here, there was not any mid-week ministry and really there never had been one. Everyone told me that it had been tried but just never stuck. Through some perseverance and some trial-and-error, we now have mid-week small groups that are thriving and essential to our ministry. One of the things I realized after evaluating my first six months here was that we were trying to be all things to all teens on one night, Sunday night. In a room full of seventh through twelfth graders, all with varying degrees of interest in God, we were trying to give them some basic Bible knowledge, deep conversations, object lesson games, fellowship time, as well as a snack supper! So, we took a step back and were very clear and intentional about our programs and their uniquely specific aims. We used Sunday School for teaching, Sunday night for exploring, and small groups for deeper interaction with faith.

The best moment of my time here happened in a junior high lunchroom. We have a large contingent of junior high girls. And I don’t imagine it would surprise you to learn that they do not always get along. There are always at least a couple feuds going on among them. It can be hard to keep up with. The lunchroom at our junior high sits students in tables of four. Which makes for an impressively organized and well behaved school lunch room, but it presents a challenge for a visiting minister. If I am sitting at a table, only three others are allowed. I have like twenty I need to visit. I believe it was my third time visiting the school. I asked the lunchroom monitor guy if it would be possible for me to pull more than three students at a time to a table with me. I explained who I was and why I was asking this. I got the ok. I remember there were two feuds going on that were in that really awful stage where its dangerous to put them in the same room together. Anyway, as our youth started arriving for lunch, they were thrilled to hear about the breach in protocol and pilled around the table I was at. We ended up having fourteen of us crowded around the table and we laughed and had a great lunch. They never let me do that again. But it was a powerful moment because even those girls who were fighting were sitting together and laughing alongside each other. Later, some kids in the school who were not in our group (later joined) said that they had know about the two feuds and were shocked to see our merry little table sitting together and getting along. I did not realize it as it was happening, but it was a great display to the rest of the lunchroom about the unity of a youth group. We have at least two teens that have since become part of our group specifically because of that incident. They wanted to be a part of whatever it was that caused that lunchroom scene.

5. Is there a certain program or youth activity that surprised you the most?
An example of a time that really inspired me happened just a couple months after I got here. It took about 2.4 seconds for me to figure out that my group here is very comfortable, very used to getting what they want, spoiled and pampered. So, I decided that our fall retreat was going to be a Survivor theme and I was going to make them sleep outside and feed them very scarcely. The whole idea was to introduce them to sacrifice and the reality of a joyous existence that does not require a battery. We had a lot of challenges at the place we went to and I was expecting quite a fight. Some of the challenges were very difficult, especially after an awful night of sleep and a relatively empty belly. But I put the invitation out there for them to challenge themselves and be pushed beyond what they were comfortable with. Although we had a few tears and hesitations, every single one of our youth finished every single challenge set before them. Even the people at the retreat location were impressed that ALL of us did everything. I was shocked! But it was awesome because it made me realize that these youth are capable of a lot more than we give them credit for and perhaps they just need to be invited to explore God deeper.

6. What is a favorite quote or youth moment from the last year?
We keep a quote book on all of our trips. When someone says something funny or memorable, we immediately write it down in the quote book. It’s a neat way to look back on the trips. So, I have a lot, but these are a few of my favorite quotes from the youth:
“Hey, let’s yodel! You guys wanna?”
“Of course we’re not going to be on time, we’re Joey’s youth group.”
“Please no blood spilling in the van, this is a rental.”

Reflections from a Graduate of CYMT

There are several words that come to mind when I think of my first few years of youth ministry (pre-CYMT). Good words like POWERFUL, EXCITING, and INSPIRING. There, however, were also words like FRUSTRATING, EXHAUSTING, and BURNED OUT. I loved what I was doing, but the way I was doing it was wearing me down. I often felt alone and that I was spinning my wheels - that my ministry had no traction or direction. Two years later as I am finishing the Center for Youth Ministry Training a lot has changed. I still have days that are frustrating. I still feel exhausted at times, but these feeling are no longer overwhelming. CYMT has given me the skills and strengths needed to survive in the world of youth ministry. Through their help, my ministry at Calvary UMC has now developed a vision and is implementing and working on our goals to accomplish that vision. We now have a direction. When I do struggle, CYMT has also given me a peer group to lean on when I need support. These relationships will continue to grow even after our classes together have ended. I look forward to seeing my ministry continue to improve and get stronger. The Center for Youth Ministry Training has developed in me more CONFIDENCE and taught me to TRUST that all things are possible through the LORD.

Kris Lott

What struck me about the CYMT program within the first 2 months of starting is the real mix of experiences that the student is exposed to.  Between studying at Vanderbilt, ministering at your church, as well as receiving weekly pastoral guidance you are surrounded by people who want to see you grow in faith and competence.  These three components of the program are demanding, but the continual emphasis on accountability with your coach, the other students and the church keep you from feeling alone.  The CYMT program provides a supportive community within which the first two years of youth ministry can be experienced under the guidance and prayers of experienced people.
I was looking for an opportunity to work in youth ministry and study Theology at the same time and CYMT offered the most cohesive program of 'learning on the job' that I found.  I searched the UK and further afield for different options that included studying part-time at a Bible College and work simultaneously in a church.  However, CYMT provide a graduate level learning experience that is designed to complement everyday ministry experience.

Emma Loane
Class of 2010

CYMT is a program that finally understands the importance of training and equipping youth ministers before throwing them into the church without any direction. In fact, it is more than a program. It is a place where I am mentored and cared about as a God's Child. 
Thanks to CYMT, I feel I am learning skills in this two year program what takes most youth pastors 5-10 years of experience to learn.
The community at CYMT is incredible. I hang out with the other interns a couple times a week. We go bowling, play football, and other games all the time. I've all made some close friends and it's amazing to always have a close group you can depend on and pray with. 
I wanted to be a youth pastor but I didn't want to jump into the job and be left on my own to figure out how to do it. I feel this happens often for many youth pastors. I wanted an internship, but often with internships you don't get to do any real youth ministry work and you don't get paid. That's when I found CYMT. It's the best of both worlds. You are in the shoes of the youth pastor for your selected church, but you are getting trained while you are on the job.

Samantha Tidball
Class of 2010

 

"The significance taking place is that young people in ministry are entering the world of church ministry with a life preserver and a guide in the raft beside them as opposed to the majority of youth ministers who are flung into the water without the ability to navigate the unexpected currents and rapids which await them downstream." Lesleigh Carmichael, Director of Coaching

“Our partnership with CYMT has been nothing but positive.  We were fortunate to have a husband and wife team who are doing youth and children’s ministry.   Chris and Joanna Cummings have met and exceeded our expectations.  They have contributed in very significant ways to the transformation of our church. The aspect I love the most about CYMT is the “coaching” component.  I have been involved with youth ministry for many years and my experience has been that most youth workers are fairly isolated with not much visible support from anyone else.  The coaching component of CYMT provides that kind of support—a sounding board to help deal with issues and to offer encouragement.  That’s very valuable to me.
Rev. Jim Hughes
Forest Hills UMC, Brentwood, TN

After discovering the mission/purpose of our youth ministry, CYMT and their students are providing additional stability, consistency and creativity.  Our goal is to have sustainable youth ministry for generations to come!  With CYMT’s investment, we are confident that sustainability is being achieved. The dialogue between CYMT, youth volunteer leaders and the senior pastor is a strength of CYMT.  The coaching for CYMT students and local church volunteers/staff is also very helpful. We are grateful for CYMT!
Rev. John Sudduth
Maples Memorial UMC, Olive Branch, MS

In my experience, I have found the leadership of CYMT to be committed, focused, and professional.  But most importantly, they are 'sold out' to ministry to youth, and are dedicated to enabling those who want to it their life's work. I truly believe God sent CYMT our way.

Rev. David F. Moseley
First UMC, West Memphis, AR

I had the opportunity to have two different CYMT students, and as a mentoring pastor, I was blessed each time with the program, the students and the support that I received from the program. This program is one of the most valuable ways to get a great potential youth person for your church and have wonderful assistance in training and developing a program for youth in your community.
Rev. Dr. Sandy P. Shawhan
Nolensville UMC, Nolensville, TN

"Through the CYMT, our congregation, and Harry working together, God is doing some amazing things.   Harry’s faith and ability were never in question, but the CYMT has helped him develop the skills and abilities God has given him at a remarkable pace and equipped him with resources to be the minister to our youth and their families that God has called him to be."
Rev. Ed Myers
Advent Lutheran Church, Murfreesboro, TN

When was CYMT founded? 2006
The Inaugural Class graduated in 2008.

Where have students come from?
Students in our first 3 classes have come from 14 states and 2 countries.
Alabama(2), Indiana(1), Kentucky(2), Louisanna (1), Michigan(3), Minnesota (1), Mississippi (1), New Mexico(1), North Carolina(1), Oklahoma (2), Virginia(2), Tennessee(8), Texas(2), West Virginia (1), and Northern Ireland(1).

What denominational backgrounds have CYMT students come from?
The denominations our students have come from are Baptist, Church of God, Cumberland Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran, Nazarene, Non-Denominational, Presbyterian (USA), and United Methodist.

What denominations have partner churches represented?
The denominations of churches that have partnered with CYMT thus far are Cumberland Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian (USA), and United Methodist.

How many students have completed the Certificate in Youth Ministry? 20

How many students are currently enrolled in the Certificate in Youth Ministry Program? 22

What is the average age of the CYMT students? 24.5

Percentage of Male Students — 50%
Percentage of Female Students — 50%