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Neo-Youth Ministry

• 11.16.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Interlude
  Christianity, Neo-Youth Ministry, Theology, Youth Ministry (2)

  Sorry to interrupt the regularly-scheduled Neo-Youth Ministry Series programming, but I wanted to address something about the series. You may notice I don't talk about the Bible much in these posts. There is a reason for that. Quite simply, I'm trying to keep my posts fairly short. I want these to be able to be read easily the first time you glance at it. I could write longer posts, but then you'd need to schedule reading my blog into your calendar. I don't want that. (Nor do I think anyone would actually do that. Well, ...
  
  
• 11.15.07
  Revisiting “Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry”
  Best Youth Ministry Books, Book Reviews, Books, Christianity, Neo-Youth Ministry, Theology, Youth Ministry (0)

  Yesterday, I posted on Andrew Root's brand-new book, Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry. I spoke with pretty high regard for the book, saying, While reading the book, I came to the realization that, to my knowledge, there is no youth ministry book that is as theologically deep and rich as Root’s. Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster’s book The Godbearing Life is the only work close to Root’s in nature, but even it does not probe the depths of a particular theological subject like Root’s. In my estimation, Root’s book will be noted as being the first in a line ...
  
  
• 11.11.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Methods: Local and Contextual
  Christianity, Ecclesiology, Neo-Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry (10)

  My good friend Noah recently recounted a phone conversation he had with an Acquire the Fire representative. I had a similar conversation not too long ago. Now, my problem is not necessarily with Acquire the Fire, but I am quite skeptical of the big-event circuit in American youth ministry. Here’s the typical recipe: Large stadium (anywhere from 3,000-60,000 people) “National speakers” (whatever that means) The “hottest” Christian bands (if DCB isn’t on the docket, don’t even bother) Maybe some dramas or comedians (or both) Extremely expensive A/V systems, lights, lasers, smoke machines, etc. Events like this bother me for a few reasons: The ...
  
  
• 10.10.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Methods: The End of Bait and Switch
  Christianity, Ecclesiology, Neo-Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry (8)

  The recent Halo 3 controversy has caused quite a stir among some theologians. Go here for my post that links to other relevant discussions about the ordeal (the comment section over at The Fire and the Rose is especially intense). My current intention is not to deal with Halo 3 specifically, but it provides a context for an issue that I had planned to blog on in this Neo-Youth Ministry Series: the bait and switch. The bait and switch originated as a marketing strategy. I tend to see it often at car dealerships: they advertise some fancy car ...
  
  
• 09.28.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Methods: Education and Teaching
  Christianity, Ecclesiology, Neo-Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry (10)

  A Neo-Youth Ministry will contain significantly less traditional educational time and programs than current youth ministry practice. For some reason, we have been taught to equate depth and maturity with Bible knowledge. I would say that a lot of youth groups have about three main “programs”, each of which tend to center around Bible knowledge: Sunday School, “youth group”, and small groups. In each of these contexts the “meat” is portrayed as being the lesson, sermon, or study time. Any relational benefit is secondary. A common desire of teens (in my experience) who are ready to “take ...
  
  
• 09.22.07
  Kevin Vanhoozer on Youth Ministry
  Christianity, Neo-Youth Ministry, Theology, Youth Ministry (1)

  Okay, well, he doesn't exactly comment on youth ministry. But in an interview at The Exiled Preacher, Vanhoozer is asked about the pastor's task as theologian. I've argued elsewhere that a youth minister has a similar theological responsibility, and think there are obvious parallels. Guy Davies: In the Drama of Doctrine, you suggested that the theologian is a "dramaturge", whose task is to enable the pastor -director to understand the biblical script. But not all pastors make time read great works of theology. They are too busy preparing sermons, visiting their people, organising the church's evangelistic programme and ...
  
  
• 09.21.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Part 9: The Youth Minister as Interpreter and Synthesizer
  Christianity, Ecclesiology, Neo-Youth Ministry (1)

  Flowing out of all of the other roles of a Neo-Youth Minister (especially theologian, pastor, prophet, and spiritual director), a Neo-Youth Minister must be an interpreter. By this, I mean that the youth minister must be skilled in interpreting the following realms: Culture. A Neo-Youth Minister must be able to make sense and extract meaning out of the cultural phenomenon that drive society forward at such a rapid rate. Interpretation is needed in the following cultural areas: Technology. What is the prevalence of the iPod doing to our kid’s awareness of the world around them? How does ...
  
  
• 09.17.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Part 8: The Youth Minister as Youth Advocate
  Christianity, Ecclesiology, Neo-Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry (2)

  A Neo-Youth Minister must be an advocate for adolescents to the adults with which he or she interacts. Perhaps one of the reasons why youth ministry (not to mention youth ministers) has such a hard time dealing with the expectations of congregations, parents, and other church leadership is that they do not understand the nature of the (adolescent) beast. Many believe young people want to be isolated into their own peer groups, they need fluffy and entertaining activities, and the busier they are the less likely they will get into “trouble”. In order to counter these misconceptions, ...
  
  
• 09.12.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Part 7: The Youth Minister as Prophet
  Christianity, Ecclesiology, Neo-Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry (5)

  The role of prophet is perhaps the most important of all the roles of the Neo-Youth Minister. Though it is significantly related to his or her role as theologian, it describes the type of theologian the youth minister will be. A prophet is a theologian with feet to the pavement. A prophet is the change-agent for God’s people. I see a prophet as one who: Knows the heart of God for his people. This is where the importance of theology comes in. We must be students of the word of God and deeply cultivate our ...
  
  
• 09.07.07
  Neo-Youth Ministry Part 6: Youth Minister as Spiritual Director
  Christianity, Ecclesiology, Neo-Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry (2)

  Continuing with my series on Neo-Youth Ministry that began months ago, we now turn to yet another facet of a Neo-Youth Minister: spiritual director. Above all else, a spiritual director is one who listens. In traditional spiritual direction roles, a directee comes and shares with his or her director in a formal, one-on-one setting, similar to a counseling session. The spiritual director listens attentively, asks questions, prays, and offers gentle guidance to the directee how God might be moving in his or her life. In order to be a spiritual director, a few traits are necessary: ...
  
  

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