Ministry Journey Blog

Thoughts on Ministry

08 Oct

The State of youth Ministry Rant Episode 1

Posted in Uncategorized on 08.10.10 by Merlyn

I have decided I need to rant about youth ministry. After over 12 years working in the field I have made some observations that I want to share. I spend a lot of time talking with other youth workers, hearing their stories. The thoughts that I share in this rant come from my work in youth ministry and the stories of my fellow youth workers.

 

 

This is the first of who knows how many rants. I love youth ministry. I have given my life to it. 12 years of work in the field, 7 plus years of study, and many many stories. I am in a place of ministry where I am reflecting a lot on the state of youth ministry. I also find myself in a lot of relationships with other youth pastors in their joys and struggles. My passion is training and as I work with volunteers and interns, a whole new set of observations arise. There is nothing better than youth ministry, but there are things in youth ministry that need to be addressed, so this is my personal rant…

One of the things that is very frustrating to me in the area of youth ministry is that few paid youth workers think theologically about youth ministry at all. Youth ministry is done out of personality or skill and is based on programs or reaction to a situation or setting. We say things in our youth ministry messages that are theologically disturbing. We sing songs that have a theology that is narrow at best. We fail to think theologically. Theology, and therefore God are often an afterthought in our ministries. We must start with theology—with the source. We must have a reason, a good theological reason for doing what we do. We must think about what we doing and why we are doing it—what does it have to do with the core beliefs of the Christian faith, of the Kingdom vision? If we do not think theologically, then our ministries become about something other than God, and when that happens, we are better off not having done anything in the first place.

More later…

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