NextGen
What is NextGen Ministry?
NextGen is anyone from birth to high school. The NextGen team at Christ United consists of staff and volunteers within the Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry partnering together to connect people to Jesus - because every age and stage of life has its own purpose and challenges, and they all matter. To be clear, we still have a Kids Ministry and a Youth Ministry. NextGen ministry is simply our way of committing to provide a consistent environment and philosophy of ministry throughout the different phases of life.
How do we do that?
- Partner with families at pivotal transitions
- Teach comprehensively from preschool through high school
- Train leaders how to work with specific age groups
- Improve dialogue and cooperation between ministries
- Resource parents to interact with kids in the home
Meet our team
Meet J
Meet Katherine
Meet Lauren
Meet Nicolet
Resources for Engaging the Conversation of Race
Parents of Kids:
- How to talk to kids about race. The Atlantic.
- How to talk to kids about racism. The Village Church.
- Use Your Kitchen Table to Teach Your Kids About Diversity. The Village Church.
- Race in America – a brief overview video by Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales, of systemic racism in our country
- God’s Dream – by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams. This is a great book for your children about forgiveness, empathy, ad God's dream for us all.
Parents of Youth:
- Oneness Embraced by Tony Evans on RightNow Media
- Emmanuel Acho's video "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man"
- Emmanuel Acho's video "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Episode 2"
- Emmanuel Acho's video "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man – Episode 3 with Chip and Joanna Gaines"
- Conversation on Race and the Church by CUMC
For the Whole Family:
- Watch the movie Zootopia. Try asking your family this starter question: What did you notice about the difference between the characters and how they were treated? (You can find Zootopia on Disney+ and Amazon.)
- Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Talking to Your Kids About Race
“because every kid matters and what you do at every phase matters”