Jimmy Higgins On Networking

For any Youth Pastor, it can be very strategic and empowering to network with other Youth Leaders in the community... Not to mention, it's also theological. When Youth pastors work together and pray together, all the petty "church-politics" and competition over attendance goes out the door. When we can set aside theological and polity related differences and simply focus on what we have in common, namely that we are all identified with Christ, then God works in wonderful ways AND we send the right message to our students and our respective church staff: that we are the Body of Christ, not just a bunch of individual/competing churches. We are all in this together, even if my church does things and think a little different from yours.

In the video below, my good friend Jimmy Higgins, Youth Pastor of the Bridge Bible Church in Bakersfield, California, talks about networking and starting a network of youth workers in a particular community.

There are always going to be differences among churches but if you start with how we're different and try to move from there you may find it much more difficult to ever meet in the middle and partner together in ministry. But if you start in the middle with what we have in common and move out from there, you will inevitably find differences but you will nevertheless be able to work together along the way. God calls us to be the Body of Christ and his is a body that never stays broken.
( http://www.nnym.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/blog.view/BlogID/131)
(National Network of Youth Ministry)