scholarly journals The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth A. Moser ◽  
Malan Nel
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Young People ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
Evangelical Church ◽  
Evangelical Churches ◽  
American Churches ◽  
The Church ◽  
Pastoral Practice

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.

The New Rhetoric of Youth Ministry

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
Kenda Creasy Dean
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Christian Education ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Youth Culture ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
First Century ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
New Rhetoric ◽  
The Church

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.

scholarly journals Beyond post-Christendom discipleship of the Evangelical Church in the United Kingdom: A study of the Gospel of Matthew in the transformissional and holistic perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Henry ◽  
Max F. Swart
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Spiritual Formation ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Gospel Of Matthew ◽  
Evangelical Church ◽  
Holistic Perspective ◽  
Evangelical Churches ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Church

Discipleship has been, and continues to be, integral to the church’s strategy to simultaneously contribute towards the spiritual formation of its members and also fulfilling its mission. From the very outset of the church, Jesus demonstrated the centrality of discipleship through what he taught and practiced. However, as the United Kingdom moved into the post-Christendom era, the Evangelical Church has grappled with being effective in discipleship. Through a study in the Gospel of Matthew in the transformissional and holistic perspective, the article seeks to aid this vital part of the church’s strategy by suggesting a paradigm shift and reprioritisation of the discipleship emphasis.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article will suggest a paradigm shift to the traditional discipleship discourse of post-Christendom era evangelical churches in the United Kingdom. The research will review Scripture, practical theology and interdisciplinary fields such as the influence of Christianity on health and family to establish a more holistically focussed and transformissional discipleship perspective.

scholarly journals Kościół ewangelicki przyczółkiem opozycji wschodnioniemeickiej

2018 ◽  
pp. 101-114
Author(s):  
Jakub Michalak
Keyword(s):  
Evangelical Church ◽  
Lutheran Church ◽  
Evangelical Churches ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Church

Evangelical Church had an important role in the GDR as far as the activities of opposition at the beginning of 1970s and 1980s are concerned. Indeed, it was outside the institution of the Unity Party. Within the vicinity of the church, people were to create a feeling of solidarity between those aggrieved by the system and the first grassroots activists. During 1989 and 1990 Lutheran church became the starting point for mass demonstrations and a peaceful revolution. In addition, the invitation of the party and the opposition to committees’ meeting on Dec. 7, 1989 was published on behalf of the Association of Evangelical Churches.

scholarly journals Revisiting the practice of Bible-translation: The need to engage ordinary believers when translating the Psalms

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
June F. Dickie
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Basic Training ◽  
Biblical Poetry ◽  
Church Ministry ◽  
Bible Translation ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Church

Many young isiZulu speakers find the 1959 Bible translation difficult to read and understand. However, they are interested in getting inside the black box of Bible translation, and being participants in the process. Moreover, they have a culture of composing and performing poetry, which lends itself to their involvement in the translation and performance of biblical poetry. An experimental study sought to see if Zulu youth could compose translations of some praise psalms and perform them such that the community would accept them as ‘biblical material’, and relevant and engaging for young people. The methodology was to invite interested persons to participate in workshops that provided basic training in Bible translation, features of oral communication and performance, Zulu and biblical poetry and Zulu music. The participants then made their own translations of some short psalms, and performed them as songs, rap or spoken poetry items. The results suggest several benefits that could be replicated in other situations and with other language groups. These include new, vibrant ways to share Scripture, and a means for individuals to engage with the Scriptures and ‘own’ the translation. In conclusion, there is an open door for ‘ordinary’ members of the community (especially those interested in poetry and music) to contribute significantly to poetically-beautiful and rhetorically-powerful translations of biblical psalms. Moreover, the experience they gain will not only support the discipleship ministry of the church, but also its outreach to other young people, drawing them in by engaging and relevant performances of the biblical message.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This study challenges the traditional perspectives of Bible translation and Practical Theology, suggesting that ‘ordinary’ members of the community can enrich the translation of biblical poetry, and their engagement in the process can have many positive outcomes in terms of church ministry.

Educating youth ministers in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney; John Kidson and the Youthworkers Course

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Ruth Lukabyo
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Educational Model ◽  
Youth Ministers ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Counter Culture ◽  
The Church

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.

scholarly journals Effective Youth Ministry: Embracing a family-orientated approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippa Strong
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Church Community ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Adult World ◽  
Role Players ◽  
Christian Maturity ◽  
The Church

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.

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
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Cultural Conflict ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Pastoral Theologian ◽  
The Church ◽  
Considerable Experience

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.

The Arrest and Freeing of the Protestant Bishops of Württeberg and Bavaria, September–October 1934

1969 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst C. Helmreich
Keyword(s):  
Hot Water ◽  
Evangelical Church ◽  
Evangelical Churches ◽  
Confessing Church ◽  
The Church ◽  
Church Government

Ludwig Müller, former naval chaplain and confidant of Hitler, had managed in September 1933 to get himself elected bishop of the newly organized German Evangelical Church, which was intended to bring all the Evangelical churches under one head. His election had caused great controversy, and the conflict (Kirchenkampf) which soon developed led to the establishment of the Confessing Church (Bekennende Kirche) in opposition to the church government headed by Bishop Müller. This disorder in the church delayed Müller's formal installation, but it finally took place with great pomp on September 23, 1934, in the Berlin Cathedral, despite the deliberate absence of many churchmen as well as important political officials. Müller could not have been a particularly happy man on that day, although he had long sought this formal ecclesiastical blessing. He was definitely in hot water, and many sought his removal from office.

scholarly journals Hospitalitas Kristen dalam Pelayanan Kategorial Pemuda Kristen

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indriyani Yusuf
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Youth Service ◽  
Church Youth ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
The Church ◽  
Demand Service

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.

Youth Ministry Creating Ecclesial Space

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Mark Scanlan
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
New Space ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

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.

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