e|Merge is a box full of resources that will help youth ministers organize dynamic and spiritually enriching youth group programs. The box contains a director’s guide and DVD and two small-group leader’s guides, each with an enhanced CD. e|Merge uses a model that combines large-group teaching enhanced by digital media and small-group discussion. Weekly programs are organized by theme, and each theme includes three to six weeks of material.

Setting
e|Merge is designed for evening (usually Sunday evening) youth group programs.

Purpose
e|Merge gives youth ministers the tools they need for community building, effective teaching, and calling youth to lives of discipleship.

Components

• director’s guide: 80-page manual shows youth ministers how to implement the e|Merge programming model and gives them the information they need to lead the large-group teaching sessions


• director’s DVD: DVD features video segments and PowerPoint® presentations for use in large-group teaching sessions


• small-group leader’s guide with CD (older youth): guide for an adult volunteer who facilitates a small group of no more than 10 high school youth; includes background information and discussion questions for each session; enhanced CD features audio segments that train volunteers for their role as small-group leader and printable handouts for each session


• small-group leader’s guide with CD (younger youth): same as above, but designed for a volunteer who facilitates a small group of middle school youth

All components are included in the e|Merge box. Both small-group leader’s guides are sold separately (for churches with enough youth to divide them into more than two small groups).

Themes

e|Merge, vol. 1.0

• Glow: introduces youth to the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture reading, and daily devotional time


• Room Raiders: teaches youth about loving God, family, and self using the metaphor of rooms of a house


• The Call: challenges youth to reflect on vocation and what God calls them to do

e|Merge, vol. 2.0

• Contagious Faith: a 6-session unit on evangelism for postmodern youth


• Bling: explores stewardship—specifically, making responsible and faithful decisions about money


• Scars: a 2-session unit on pain


• Elevate: looks at the highs and lows of friendship

e|Merge, vol. 3.0

• I'm Third: deals with setting priorities by putting God first, others second, and ourselves third


• Arise: a 5-session unit on leadership that follows the story of David before he became king of Israel


• Tricked Out: looks at how a relationship with Christ transforms us and uses popular reality shows as a metaphor

Samples

Click here to view a sample video from e|Merge 1.0.
Click here to download sample lessons from the e|Merge 1.0 leaders' guides.