A New Kind of Youth Ministry

Taking a cue from my friend Andy Root, I’ve decided to give away some copies of my most recent books entitled, Story, Signs and Sacred Rhythms: A Narrative Approach to Youth Ministry and Clear: 8 Lessons on the Theological Foundations of Faith.

Anyone interested in potentially using these books as a tool in within their ministry setting is eligible to receive one.  My only request is that you commit to reviewing them as a resource as I have a limited amount to give away.

Here is a little information on each book…

Story, Signs and Sacred Rhythms is for youth workers (volunteer, paid or professional) and introduces a unique approach for a theology/philosophy of youth ministry.  The approach I offer in this book is deeply rooted in the mission of God and is designed to help you discover, explore and articulate a framework for guiding students into spiritual formation for the mission of God.  Each chapter has in-depth conversational prompts to help teams discuss, evaluate, plan, etc.

The contents of the book are born out of my experiences as a youth pastor as well as my current role as speaker, trainer and consultant to youth workers and churches throughout North America.

Clear was written with high school students in mind.  It is a book that is designed to help students develop a foundation for a lifetime of following Jesus.  It covers the major areas of doctrine you might expect — God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Church, etc. While each of these major areas are given a chapter, the intention is that the reader/user would interact with the whole narrative of God, giving an informed context to a systematic approach.

Each of the daily interactions are interactive giving the reader opportunities to journal, draw, dig into the Scriptures, write prayers and practically live out their faith.  Several churches I know are using this book as a confirmation supplement/small group curriculum.

If you would like a free copy of either or both of these books, go to the contact form HERE and I will ship one out to you.  As I mentioned above, I have a limited amount of copies to give away so this will be done on a first come first serve basis.  If you have questions about the books or ways to use the books with your ministry team or students don’t hesitate to contact me.

I typically read/purchase two types of books—theology books and business books. It’s just where I am living right now. One day I hope to get back to some fiction.

When I read most theology books, I am impressed by the intricacy, abstractness, and hidden thought and meaning…so I read more of them. I read more of them in order to be brought into a concept or idea that I am not altogether familiar with so my imagination might be fired to understand it (or at least explore it) more deeply.

When I read a book on business (strategic thinking, marketing, social media) I am often merely whelmed—not overwhelmed or underwhelmed, just whelmed. I am taught new things, no doubt; but most business books don’t inspire me with the same force as a theology book. That realism probably says more about me than the books or their authors. The people who write business books are usually nothing short of brilliant.

I read books on business because I need to learn, grow, and be stretched. The practical nature of most business books clearly helps me organize my ideas, evaluate current practices, and think about future sustainable practices. I am, however, merely whelmed by the majority of the ones I read.

I was reminded in reading Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd (a book I am totally digging) that the reason I am whelmed is simple. “Most business books are written for easy digestion. They are reductive in the same way that subway maps are reductive; the elimination of unnecessary information creates a kind of conceptual isolation that is functionally efficient to the extreme.”

Then I got to thinking about one of my main areas of life foci—youth ministry training (I’ve been working on my workshops for the National Youth Worker Conventions the last few days, so it’s on my mind, and we are launching the fall season of our $5 training this weekend in Chicago).

Youth ministry training is often like this— reductive. It can provide you with a map of sorts, a way to easily read/understand the map, and it might even provide you with a clear way to get from here to there. However, it often does so by eliminating the non-essential information. I contend, however, that what is often perceived as the non-essential information is where various layers or meaning, richness, texture, and context of a more robust understanding of a subject matter lies. Eliminating these essentials renders the training itself limiting and uninspiring, leaving its participants, in many ways, conceptually isolated.

This year, stretch yourself (and your team) and look for and participate in the types of youth ministry training offerings that go beyond the reductive, subway-map approach. Take in a training seminar or workshop that begins and leads to conversations that aren’t “functionally efficient to the extreme” and that pushes you to discover new things in a new way.

My friends Steve Argue, Lilly Lewin and Brooklyn Lyndsey have posted some interesting thoughts on consumerism and the church over at Slant33.com.  Check it out and enter into the conversation!

I met Andy a few years ago at a National Youth Worker Convention.  I had just read his book called, Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry so naturally I had tons of questions that ultimately led to great conversations. Since then Andy has become a friend and a voice in which I gladly tune my ears to.

Since meeting Andy I’ve found as many ways as possible to find ways to partner with him.  We (Barefoot/Youthfront) brought him down from MSP to KC for some youth worker training last fall and we’ll be doing it again this year.  We are also thrilled to have him as one of our contributors on Slant33.com.  I hope we find more ways to work with Andy because I truly believe that what he offers (a thoughtful, robust theological framework) is something all of our faith communities should absorb and practice.

Andy is giving away one of his recent book releases called, Unfiltered Relationships.

Here are the details from Andy:

If you’ll email me (aroot@luthersem.edu) I’ll send you a free copy of the book so you can look it over and decide if it would be of help to you and your volunteers.  If you’re interested in using it you can then go to:

http://www.zondervan.com/cultures/en-us/ministrywelcome.htm

and type in the code 980752 in the “source code” box.

Starting August 1 this will give you a 40% discount on as many books as you’d like.

And I’ll also offer this, if you do use the book with your team, I’m willing to do a select number of skype or ichat conversations with you and your team after getting through the book.

——————–

I’ve read this book.  It is a terrific book that will surely help you with one of the most important aspects of youth ministry — relationships.  If I were you, I would take advantage of this remarkable give-a-way… today!

A quick Google search indicates that youth workers are, at the very least, giving fragments of their attention to missional thought and practice. I googled missional youth ministry and was quickly introduced to some people and websites offering thoughtful insights about what it means to cultivate missional environments for young people to learn and grow.

However, I’m not having a lot of explicit, everyday missional conversation with youth workers. I would say that almost every day I talk (via blog, email, phone, Twitter, whatever) with a different youth worker in my city or around the world who has a question or two about some facet of youth ministry. Most of the time, however, it isn’t about the missional nature of youth ministry, which in my mind is the core of all ministry—the mission of God to restore the world to its intended wholeness. Typically, the questions I get are about a game, a particular resource, a training concept, a relevant SS curriculum they can use, a small group book to use, etc. Many if not most of the conversations I have about youth ministry are not about the core but about peripherals.  The peripherals are important but not primary.

This raises, for me, questions. Questions like:

• Why aren’t youth workers talking about missional youth ministry?
• Are youth workers so entrenched in doing missional youth ministry that they don’t need to talk about it?
• Do we think that missional thought and practice are for big church?
• Do youth workers not want to talk missional because that means change and hard work and a lack of clarity as to what a successful youth ministry might look like?
• Is it that each of our ministry contexts are so different that we don’t have anything in common to discuss?
• Do youth workers not have a grasp on what missional youth ministry is and therefore don’t explicitly talk about it?
• Is it that the word missional has become tied to the emergent/emerging church movement so youth workers are fearful and skeptical?
• Are youth workers ignorant about missional and, because they can’t articulate it, choose to stay away from it, as if it is a dirty word? That must be it.  Missional is a dirty word. Well, if that is the case, talk missional to me, baby!
  

Seriously, can we have a meaningful conversation about what it means to engage God’s story and mission and what it means to let it form us as we form others? Can we talk openly, honestly, and inquisitively about what missional might mean in our divergent contexts? Can we at the very least admit that missional is a life without center or circumference? A life of living like Jesus that isn’t tied to a geographic location or held in by boundaries? Can we talk about what this means for youth ministry and specifically for the faith formation of our teens?

Youth ministry needs more missional people thinking more deeply and more practically about what it means for youth ministry to shift toward a more missional (or sometimes called narrative) approach. Youth ministry needs non-missional thinkers and doers to be brought into what should be explicit, everyday conversations about life and ministry.

What do you think missional youth ministry is? In what ways would you define it? How would you articulate it to others?

My friend Marko was giving me junk in an email today for being ranked 9 out of the top 20 youth ministry blogs by Youth Specialites when I haven’t even posted since March!  So… I thought it would be a good idea to throw a post up here and get back in the game.  Thanks for the love YS!  You’ve inspired me…

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Barefoot Ministries acquired The Journal of Student Ministries (read the my post about that HERE) and that we would be launching a re-designed journal in its place called, Immerse: A Journal of Faith, Life and Youth Ministry.  We launched the beta website today at www.immersejournal.com and we are still on target to release our first issue in a couple of weeks (May/June).

We’ve put together a preview issue so you can check out what the content of the journal will be like and so that you can take advantage of a free issue offer.  Check out www.immersejournal.com and subscribe to our journal/e-journal and get our inaugural issue for free!

I’m thrilled about the advisory board that we’ve brought together as well as the authors, columnists and other contributors that we have writing in our first print issue and online.  We are adding more online columns and our advisory board isn’t quite complete yet either.  But… we are on our way!

A couple of friends (Mike King, Scot McKnight and Dave Rahn)  have started a wonderful conversation on the mission of God over at www.slant33.com.  Check it out HERE!