scholarly journals Effective Youth Ministry: Theology-driven in a Cultural Context

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippa Strong

Recently Youth Ministry finds itself mostly in a crisis as it is wrongly presented. In a nutshell the crisis can be described as falling short of leading young people to become mature Christian adults. Research shows that there are a variety of contributing factors to this crisis. This article focuses on two of these contributing factors. Firstly, Youth Ministry today is skill and socially driven, rather than theology or spiritually driven. The discussion commences by indicating the importance of establishing theology as the foundation of Youth Ministry. A Christ-centric theological framework as foundation for effective Youth Ministry is proposed. The article emphasises the meaning and essence of theology, with the Sola Scriptura approach being followed throughout. The second contributing factor discussed is the issue that cultural relevance is wrongly being made the heartbeat and foundation of Youth Ministry instead of theology. The article gives culture its rightful and relevant place in Youth Ministry, without it overshadowing the foundation of effective Youth Ministry, namely theology. Postmodernism and subculture also receive attention and in the conclusion the emphasis falls on a call to return to a Youth Ministry that is theology driven in a cultural context.Effektiewe Jeugbediening: Teologies-gedrewe in ’n Kulturele Konteks. Tans verkeer Jeugbediening grootliks in ’n krisis, aangesien dit verkeerd aangebied word. Kortliks behels hierdie krisis dat Jeugbediening daarin te kort skiet om jongmense tot volwasse Christenskap te lei. Navorsing toon verskeie faktore wat tot hierdie krisis bydra. Die artikel fokus op twee van hierdie bydraende faktore. Eerstens val die soeklig op die feit dat Jeugbediening tans metode- en sosiaal-gedrewe eerder as teologies- of spiritueel-gedrewe is. Die bespreking toon die belangrikheid daarvan om teologie en die behoefte daaraan as fondament in Jeugbediening te vestig. Die aanbeveling is dat daar ’n Christelik-teologiese raamwerk as fondament vir effektiewe Jeugbediening moet wees. Die fokus is op die betekenis en essensie van teologie met die Sola Scriptura benadering as deurgaans sentraal. Die tweede bydraende faktor tot die krisis is die feit dat kulturele relevansie in plaas van teologie verkeerdelik die hartklop en fondament van Jeugbediening gemaak word. Die artikel bied aan kultuur sy regverdige en relevante plek in Jeugbediening gebied sonder dat dit die fondament van Jeugbediening, naamlik teologie oorskadu. Postmodernisme en subkultuur geniet ook aandag. Ten slotte word die waarde van die artikel uitgelig deur die oproep tot die terugkeer na Jeugbediening wat teologies vanuit ’n kulturele konteks gedryf word.

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.


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

In this article a fresh approach is proposed pertaining the contents and focus of the biblical message being taught in Youth Ministry: a Christocentric message in effective Youth Ministry is proposed as foundation to build on considering the Sola Scriptura approach. This is done to address one of the contributing factors to the current crisis in Youth Ministry, namely the use of behavioural modification techniques to transform the youth instead of spiritual transformation. The crisis in Youth Ministry can be described as not being effective in leading young people into mature Christian adulthood. Only through believing the Christocentric message of grace and allowing the sanctification of Holy Spirit in one’s life genuine spiritual transformation will take place. This article took a stance against behavioural modification techniques or preaching the Law, which may produce outward moralisation without the inward genuine transformation by Holy Spirit. Instead, it proposed four facets of a Christocentric message to be focused on in effective Youth Ministry: firstly, the grace of God as gift, secondly, the Christian’s status in Christ, thirdly, the message of the Kingdom of God, and lastly, the importance of cultivating a personal relationship with God.Alleenlik Christus ... Die herstel van Jeugbediening. In hierdie artikel word ’n vars benadering aangaande die inhoud en fokus van die Bybelse boodskap wat in Jeugbediening oorgedra word, voorgestel. ’n Christosentriese boodskap, gebou op ’n Sola Scriptura-benadering, moet as fondament in effektiewe Jeugbediening dien. Dit word gedoen om die aandag op een van die bydraende faktore tot die huidige krisis in Jeugbediening te vestig, naamlik dat gedragsveranderingstegnieke gebruik word om te poog om geestelike groei by die jeug te bevorder. Só word jongmense egter nie tot geestelike volwassenheid gelei nie. Geestelike transformasie kan slegs plaasvind deur geloof in die Christosentriese boodskap van genade en die werking van Heilige Gees in ’n mens se lewe. Hierdie artikel neem standpunt in teen die moralisasie van jongmense deur gedragsveranderingstegnieke of die verkondiging van die Wet sonder die transformerende werk van die Gees van God. Vier fasette van ’n Christosentriese boodskap om in effektiewe Jeugbediening op te fokus, word voorgestel: eerstens, die genade van God as geskenk, tweedens, die Christen se status in Christus, derdens, die boodskap van die Koninkryk van God, en laastens, die belangrikheid daarvan om aan ’n persoonlike verhouding met God te bou.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽  
Ingrid Schoon

A series of six papers on “Youth Development in Europe: Transitions and Identities” has now been published in the European Psychologist throughout 2008 and 2009. The papers aim to make a conceptual contribution to the increasingly important area of productive youth development by focusing on variations and changes in the transition to adulthood and emerging identities. The papers address different aspects of an integrative framework for the study of reciprocal multiple person-environment interactions shaping the pathways to adulthood in the contexts of the family, the school, and social relationships with peers and significant others. Interactions between these key players are shaped by their embeddedness in varied neighborhoods and communities, institutional regulations, and social policies, which in turn are influenced by the wider sociohistorical and cultural context. Young people are active agents, and their development is shaped through reciprocal interactions with these contexts; thus, the developing individual both influences and is influenced by those contexts. Relationship quality and engagement in interactions appears to be a fruitful avenue for a better understanding of how young people adjust to and tackle development to productive adulthood.


Sociologija ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 245-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dusan Mojic

Educational and work resources as well as orientations have been analyzed in the paper in the wider context of education-to-work transitions of young people in Serbia during the period of unblocked postsocialist transformation. By using the theoretical approach of social biographies and results of the research on transitional regimes the intention has been to point to social and cultural context and their influence on youth resources and orientations in creation of education-to-work social biographies. Hypothesis about the existence of elements of sub-protective and postsocialist transitional regime has been confirmed, since the results showed that the scarcity of system resources and possession of family resources to a large extent shape the individual pathways of young people in education-to-work sphere.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 298-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Setty

Abstract Educational interventions on youth sexting often focus on individual sexters or would-be sexters, and are driven by the aim of encouraging young people to abstain from producing and sharing personal sexual images. This approach has been criticised for failing to engage with the complex sociocultural context to youth sexting. Drawing upon qualitative group and one-to-one interviews with 41 young people aged 14 to 18 living in a county in south-east England, I explore young people’s perceptions and practices surrounding sexting. By taking a grounded theory approach to the research, I reveal how young people’s shaming of digitally mediated sexual self-expression shaped and was shaped by a denial of rights to bodily and sexual autonomy and integrity. This denial of rights underpinned harmful sexting practices, including violations of privacy and consent, victim blaming, and bullying. I conclude that responses to youth sexting should attend to this broader youth cultural context, emphasise the roles and responsibilities of bystanders, and encourage a collectivist digital sexual ethics based upon rights to one’s body and freedom from harm (Albury, New Media and Society 19(5):713–725, 2017; Dobson and Ringrose, Sex Education 16(1):8–21, 2015).


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-75
Author(s):  
Abdulhadi Almuammar

AbstractIntroduction:Delays in the diagnosis of cancer were found to be a worldwide matter, and the early cancer detection has been targeted as a way to improve survival. Quantitative studies from Saudi Arabia reported a high number of cancer cases presenting at cancer centres for the first time with more advanced stages of the disease progression compared to Western countries without exploring the reasons for this phenomenon. Worldwide research identified several factors that contribute to delay in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer which were attributed to both patient and healthcare system. However, it was argued that variation in the operation of health systems and the socio-cultural context across countries makes it difficult to generalise findings beyond individuals’ countries. This necessitates country specific research to investigate why patients in Saudi Arabia present to cancer centres with late/advanced stages of their diseases.Research aim and objectives:The aim of this study is to identify and explore the factors that contribute to late-stage presentation of common cancers in Saudi Arabia. The main objective of this study is to understand the help seeking journey taken by patients with cancer from the time they discovered or felt their symptoms until the time they have their treatment initiated.Methods:Qualitative interviewing was used to collect data from 20 patients and 15 health professionals. The interviews were transcribed and then were subjected to the thematic analysis using a framework approach developed by Ritchie and Spencer (1994).Results:While some findings support what previous studies found as contributing factors responsible for delayed presentation of common cancers, this study identified several factors, which are believed to be country-specific. The ‘role of General Practitioner (GP)’, ‘challenges facing GPs’ and ‘ambiguity of the referral system’ were found to be factors that contribute to delay in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Saudi Arabia.Conclusion:This research identified several factors that need to be investigated in the future using quantitative methods. There is a need to investigate the extent of using alternative medicine and its possible association with late presentation of cancer.


2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer White

Suicidal behaviours in young people are among the most challenging issues faced by educators, policy makers, and practitioners. A small number of youth suicide prevention programs have been identified as promising. At the same time, many contemporary approaches to youth suicide prevention take insufficient account of the social or cultural context and privilege the expertise of adults and researchers. In large part, this is a consequence of how scientific knowledge is constructed. By engaging young people as knowledgeable collaborators and by paying attention to broader socio-political and cultural contexts in understanding sources of suffering, a more flexible and enriched approach to youth suicide prevention research and practice is envisioned.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 7-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos de Kock ◽  
Ronelle Sonnenberg

The concept of embodiment has increasingly been in the foreground of recent debates within youth ministry and religious learning. Human experience and learning are rooted in flesh-and-blood bodies, which means that the focus of youth ministry should not only be on cognitive processes but also on concrete experiences, acts and rituals. This article aims to clarify the meaning and relevance of embodiment for religious learning in youth ministry. For this purpose, the paper reviews two lines of reflection: first, reflections based on educational learning theory and religious pedagogical theory; second, reflections based on socialization theory. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion on the consequences these two lines of reflections have for current empirical research regarding the religious learning of young people.


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