Engaging in Youth Ministry for the Life of the Church

In the current edition of Immerse (July/August), I wrote about the hope I have for youth pastors to embrace a broader role in the church.

There is a growing company of youth workers who are passionate about a theologically vigorous approach to youth ministry and the Christian formation of young people and who also feel vocationally called to challenge the church to be true to God’s mission in and for the world.

In the last decade, many youth workers have determined that it is essential and necessary to move out of the role of youth worker and seek more significant and influential roles in the church. They realize that the challenges of Christian formation of young people are not youth-ministry-only problems but broader ecclesiological problems. Unfortunately, many youth workers who decide to respond to this problem do so by planting churches, becoming lead pastors or choosing other, more influential roles. I believe that choice moves them further away from the role that offers the best opportunity to address these issues in the church.

The dysfunctions we wrestle with in youth ministry are not specific to youth ministry; they are broader ecclesial problems. However, youth workers who love Jesus, love people, love the church and love theology are able to profoundly impact the ecclesial conversation about what it means to truly be a community of people formed for loving God, loving others and passionately engaging in God’s mission for God’s glory.

I know we have to deal with ecclesial bureaucracies that seek to keep youth workers “in their place,” politely encouraging them to submit to those more qualified to speak about what the church should be. However, youth workers who understand and embrace the importance of deep theological reflection about issues like Christian formation, God’s mission, postures toward culture, the relationship between divine action and human action,  personhood, sexuality and identity, soteriology, evangelism, the gospel and much, much more, are perfectly positioned to nurture change and curate healthy environments within the church.

If a church is to be a dynamic community of people following God in the way of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must see the importance of the entire body—each child, each young person, young adults, adults, elderly—along with all the human roles and diversity that constitute a church body. “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16, NIV, emphasis added).

Youth workers have a wonderful opportunity to serve as curators of culture for their local churches. We cultivate space and environments for young people to, if given the freedom, speak honestly about the important theological and cultural issues that are at the nexus of the human experience and pursuit of making meaning in life. Young people are a vital part of the church body and have a great contribution to make to the wholeness of a church community. Youth workers have the privilege of helping the young people in our churches be heard and valued by their own congregations. As a result, the church will be better and truer to God’s mission.

I am passionate about youth ministry for many reasons. I love young people; I am filled with joy every time I witness transformation in a young person’s life; I love seeing young people discover who they are in Christ. I’ll complete four decades as a youth worker in a few years because I believe that it allows me the wonderful opportunity to speak into and contribute to the broader ecclesial conversation about what the church is and what the church should be about as we move deeper into the 21st century.

Comments

[Deon Kitching]

Thanks Mike. I agree 100% with you. I think we need youth pastors and youth workers for another very significant reason and that is to help the body of Christ come up with serious and legit answers to the question: "Do we (post-Google world) really need the (a) church?"
And evidently they should help our generation to establish the look and feel of this new "body". Young people are the canaries in the mine when it comes to changing culture...

[Gavin Richardson]

i never knew this was a 'thing' till a read about it years ago (i believe in 4 models of youth ministry book). my mainline context, church planting is equivalent to moving a mountain or putting toothpaste back in the tube, it just doesn't happen, so it is pretty much a moot point.

i wonder if too many youth workers get caught up in the 'on stage' part of their work and fall into an idea that being pastor feeds that favorite part (been reading a lot about narcissism lately mike). don't feel this is of ill intent, but we always do the things we feel are most worthwhile and generally easiest and those front and center stage times are very visible and can be easily construed as important. when in actuality those less visible times are the most shaping just less than visible.

[Mark Dodrill]

Hi Mike, Your comments are dead center and at the heart of my recent thought and reflection. Many of the best movements of church renewal are being birthed through youth ministry or former youth ministers, but there is an important place for those who continue in the field and deepen its roots and contributions to the church as a whole. One of the best youth ministry journals I know is published in Spain by the Salesian movement and called Misión Joven. The contributors are all involved in lifelong ministry to youth and youth leaders. A lifetime of reflection provides a lot of food for thought.

[Mike King]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your comment. Are you still in Spain. I thought about trying to contact you when I was in Barcelona recently.

Peace,

Mike

[Mark Dodrill]

Hi Mike,

Yes, I am still in Barcelona, although I am currently on sabbatical in Indianapolis until December 1. But let me know if you come by Barcelona again. You are very welcome to stop by anytime.