I’m not sure if my weekly list of links is going to make it up by the end of the day or not. To hold you over, here’s more from Rollie Martinson’s 1988 classic Effective Youth Ministry: A Congregational Approach:
Youth ministry flows from the gospel message and mission as worship, witness, teaching, communion, and service. When it is grounded solidly in God’s activity, youth ministry gains integrity, sustenance, and direction. The central question in youth ministry is: What is it? The central issues in this question are theological. They force us to wrestle with the fundamental understandings of our relationship with God, each other, ourselves, and the world. As these theological foundations are discovered and explored, they shape what the church does in youth ministry.
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Well…how is this different from ANY ministry (regardless of age)?
Hey Brian, you are right, and I think that’s the point. The starting point for all ministry is pretty much the same, and Martinson is saying exactly that.