Month: April 2012
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Unpacking #4
Fourth, we created a consumer mentality amongst a generation that did not expect to be challenged at church in ways similar to what they face at school or on sports teams. The frightening truth is that youth ministry books and training events were teaching us to do the exact methods that have failed us. The…
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Unpacking #3
Third, we lost sight of the Great Commission, deciding instead to make converts of many and disciples of few. We concluded that strong biblical teaching and helping students embrace a robust theology was boring (or only relevant to the exceptionally keen) and proverbially shot ourselves in the foot. The great commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is our…
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Unpacking #2
Last post I addressed the idea that perhaps the shift from parachurch to church based youth ministries led to an exaggerated form of segregated youth ministry – meaning we focused so much on the needs of youth that we treated them as a distinctly other group and neglected to include them in the life of…
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Unpacking the “brief history of…”
In writing for The Gospel Coalition Blog the first in a series of articles written by several authors, I had the task given to me of providing some sort of historical overview of youth ministry as it specifically related to the series. So, I focused on a short bit of history from which I see…
