Facilitating Healing and Reconciliation with Young People Living in the Aftermath of Political and Cultural Conflict. The Challenge to the Church and its Youth Ministry

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-28
Author(s):  
Christo Thesnaar

Writing from his considerable experience as a pastoral theologian working for reconciliation and healing in post-apartheid South Africa, Dr Christo Thesnaar offers a timely and challenging article here. His. development of a consistent theological and pastoral approach to healing and reconciliation in the. aftermath of political and cultural conflict is strengthened by his pragmatic suggestions for all youth workers who may be engaged in a similar ministry.

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth A. Moser ◽  
Malan Nel

The evangelical church in North America is facing a crisis in its failure to retain young people. Research has shown that young people are dropping out of the church and they are not only leaving but also failing to return once they are older. This crisis did not appear in a vacuum; it is the result of the church’s movement towards a style of programming that has created a division between evangelism and discipleship. This style of programme not only seeks to reach those outside of the church at the expense of those youth in the church but also creates a dichotomy between who we are (our identity) and what we do (our mission). The church must seek to remove this dichotomy between identity and mission and utilise strategies that work with our identity rather than against it.Intradisciplinary and/or Interdisciplinary Implications: This article is an interaction between practical theology and pastoral practice in Christian ministry. The crisis of youth leaving evangelical churches in North America is because of the dichotomy between mission and identity. Once this dichotomy is erased, mission will be a natural outworking of identity in youth ministry.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Ruth Lukabyo

Abstract This study is a historical analysis of the education of youth ministers in the Anglican diocese of Sydney in the 1970s and 1980s. John Kidson ran the Youthworkers Course with the goal of educating professional, specialised youth ministers that could evangelise young people who were influenced by the counter-culture and increasingly disengaged from the church. Kidson used a distinctive educational model that emphasised relational outreach, transformative community, praxis, and the importance of the Bible. His goal was only partially met. He trained youth ministers that were able to communicate with and evangelise non-churched youth, but there were small numbers being trained, and few remained in youth ministry in the long-term. The Youthworkers Course and its strengths and weaknesses can be used as a case study for churches and colleges today as they consider the best way to educate youth ministers.


2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippa Strong

This article embraces the Sola Scriptura approach of the reformed theology. Firstly, the article focuses on the crisis in Youth Ministry, namely its inefficiency in leading young people to Christian maturity. It addressed one of the contributing factors to the crisis: the isolation of youth from the adult world, and particularly from their own parents and the larger church community. From the Sola Scripturaprinciple, a family-orientated approach to effective Youth Ministry is proposed where parents are expected to take responsibility for their children’s spiritual growth. The church should then support parents and families in this process. Different role players in a family-orientated Youth Ministry are identified and some new perceptions regarding their different tasks are proposed.Effektiewe Jeugbediening: Omhelsing van ’n familie-georiënteerde benadering. Hierdie artikel ondersteun die Sola Scriptura-benadering van die reformatoriese teologie. Aanvanklik fokus die artikel op die huidige krisis in Jeugbediening, naamlik dat Jeugbediening nie effektief toegepas word om jongmense tot volwasse Christenskap te lei nie. Dit bespreek een van die bydraende faktore tot hierdie krisis: die jeug se isolasie van die volwasse wêreld − spesifiek van hulle eie ouers en die groter kerkgemeenskap. Vanuit ’n Sola Scriptura-benadering word ’n familie-geörienteerde benadering tot effektiewe Jeugbediening waar dit van ouers verwag word om verantwoordelikheid vir hulle kinders se geestelike groei te neem, as uitkoms voorgestel. Die kerk behoort dan ouers en families in hierdie proses te ondersteun. Verskillende rolspelers in familie-georiënteerde Jeugbediening word geïdentifiseer en ’n paar nuwe insigte aangaande hulle verskillende take word voorgestel.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indriyani Yusuf

during the time of growth and development, youth needs a place to share their experience in family, school, church, and society. The church needs to evaluate the youth ministry that has been doing, so the church can see the effectivitas of each event they did to reach young people. Youths are called and sent to participate in every ministry in the midst of the church. Being a participatory, creative and innovative youth in the midst of the congregation, not a youth who must always be served or demand service from people around him (church). The youth service in the church can be interpreted as that youth are the church itself as individuals who have experienced the work of salvation and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, so it means that the presence of the church youth in his life is a picture of the church's presence itself, with the duties and responsibilities of the church that has been inherent automatically in him. Youth have the same duties and responsibilities as other congregations. The method used is a qualitative method.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Mark Scanlan

By outlining the origins of ‘Urban Saints’ youth ministry and through comparing this with the emerging ecclesiology of ‘New Contextual Churches’ this paper proposes that work with young people creates space into which the church can grow. The potential of a pilgrim ecclesiology is noted as way of moving towards an ecclesiological framework for this. Finally, through reflection on data from extended case studies of two current Urban Saints groups, the way in which youth ministry is still moving into new space is demonstrated. The paper concludes by suggesting that creating ecclesial space is one way of understanding the relationship between youth ministry and the church.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-72
Author(s):  
Heryanto Heryanto

Today's youth ministry is a ministry that has very different challenges and struggles than the youth ministry in the previous decade. The need for leaders in the service of young people today is needed so that youth services can be strong. Through a qualitative review of the literature using a practical theological research method that will discuss the role of church leaders in the leadership of youth ministry today. The purpose of this research is expected to open new understanding for church leaders to build and guide young people to become leaders for youth ministry. The benefit of this research is that the presence of young people in the church is well served to grow prospective young leaders who bring glory to the name of the Lord Jesus. Found several things that must be done by church leaders in building and guiding young people to be leaders in youth ministry are: First, as a spiritual guide. Second, as a pilot model followed. Third, the personal example of having the love of Jesus Christ and loving others. Fourth, inspire young people to give dedication to Jesus Christ and Fifth, to encourage spiritual growth and character. Pelayanan kaum muda pada masa kini merupakan pelayanan yang memiliki tantangan dan pergumulan yang amat berbeda dibandingkan pelayanan kaum muda dalam dekade sebelumnya. Kebutuhan terhadap para pemimpin dalam pelayanan kaum muda masa kini sangat dibutuhkan agar pelayanan anak muda dapat menjadi kuat. Melalui kajian kualitatif literatur menggunakan metode penelitian teologi praktika yang akan membahas peran pemimpin gereja dalam kepemimpinan pelayanan kaum muda masa kini. Tujuan penelitian ini diharapkan membuka pengertian baru bagi para pemimpin gereja untuk membangun dan membimbing kaum muda untuk menjadi para pemimpin bagi pelayanan kaum muda. Manfaat penelitian ini adalah agar keberadaan kaum muda di gereja terlayani dengan baik sehingga menumbuhkan calon pemimpin kaum muda yang membawa kemuliaan bagi nama Tuhan Yesus. Didapati beberapa hal yang harus dilakukan para pemimpin gereja dalam membangun dan membimbing para kaum muda menjadi pemimpin dalam pelayanan kaum muda adalah : Pertama, sebagai pembimbing rohani. Kedua, sebagai model percontohan yang diiikuti. Ketiga, contoh pribadi yang memiliki kasih Yesus Kristus dan mengasihi sesama. Keempat, menginspirasi kaum muda dalam memberi dedikasi kepada Yesus Kristus dan kelima, pendorong pertumbuhan rohani dan karakter.


2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
Kenda Creasy Dean

Surprisingly, despite the litany of crises that ushered in the twenty-first century, the rhetoric of despair that once typified the conversation about mainline Protestant youth ministry shows signs of softening. This article traces three developments that have gathered momentum in the last thirty years to set the stage for a rhetorical change of heart surrounding youth ministry. Today's conversation about ministry with young people aligns itself with practical theology as well as Christian education, claims as its context global postmodernity as well as youth culture, and interprets its curriculum as the spiritual practices of the Christian community, and not simply as youth programs. Armed with a broader purpose, a broader context, and a broader curriculum, the present discourse surrounding youth ministry suggests an emerging "rhetoric of hope" as it sets out to redefine the church as well as youth ministry itself.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bailey

Theological shorthand is expressed through the words: relationships, like Jesus, being there, and time and journey. These words articulate a complex and nuanced practice that carry and communicate the Gospel and faith of youth ministers amongst young people. When examined, the practice of youth ministers resonate with echoes of theology from the Christian tradition, yet this is not overtly expressed. The theological shorthand articulation can be seen as ‘thin’ theology, with practice based on being like Jesus and the youth minister as symbol. Current youth ministry practice can be seen to be guided by the normative voice of the literature on youth ministry. Through these, practice has the potential to be limited theologically and risks un-tethering youth ministry from the church and wider Christian tradition.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamakota Maggie Molepo ◽  
Faniswa Honest Mfidi

Mental illness is more than just the diagnosis to an individual – it also has an impact on the social functioning of the family at large. When a parent or relative has a mental illness, all other family members are affected, even the children. The purpose of the study was to provide insight into the lived experiences of young people who live with mental healthcare users and the way in which their daily coping can be maximised. A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological research was undertaken to explore and describe the lived experiences of young people who live with mental healthcare users in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Audiotaped, unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 young people who grew up and lived with a family member who is a mental healthcare user in their homes, until data saturation was reached. A content analysis was used to derive themes from the collected qualitative data. Four major themes emerged as features reflective of the young people’s daily living with mental healthcare user, namely psychological effects, added responsibilities, effects on school performances, and support systems. This study recommends that support networks for young people be established through multidisciplinary team involvement and collaboration and the provision of burden-sharing or a relief system during times of need. With the availability of healthy coping mechanisms and support systems, the daily living situations and coping of young people could be maximised, thereby improving their quality of life while living with their family members with mental illness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lufuluvhi Maria Mudimeli

This article is a reflection on the role and contribution of the church in a democratic South Africa. The involvement of the church in the struggle against apartheid is revisited briefly. The church has played a pivotal and prominent role in bringing about democracy by being a prophetic voice that could not be silenced even in the face of death. It is in this time of democracy when real transformation is needed to take its course in a realistic way, where the presence of the church has probably been latent and where it has assumed an observer status. A look is taken at the dilemmas facing the church. The church should not be bound and taken captive by any form of loyalty to any political organisation at the expense of the poor and the voiceless. A need for cooperation and partnership between the church and the state is crucial at this time. This paper strives to address the role of the church as a prophetic voice in a democratic South Africa. Radical economic transformation, inequality, corruption, and moral decadence—all these challenges hold the potential to thwart our young democracy and its ideals. Black liberation theology concepts are employed to explore how the church can become prophetically relevant in democracy. Suggestions are made about how the church and the state can best form partnerships. In avoiding taking only a critical stance, the church could fulfil its mandate “in season and out of season” and continue to be a prophetic voice on behalf of ordinary South Africans.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document