Youth Ministry in a Multifaith Society


Book Description

How do we ground our young people in the faith while encouraging their relationships with friends of other faiths? Veteran youth minister and researcher Len Kageler digs into the data surrounding this exciting multifaith era and offers surprising confidence that our kids can be guided into mature Christian faith while simultaneously learning to love their neighbors of other religions.




Youth Ministry Across the Continents


Book Description

Youth pastors in other countries have things they can teach us. It can also help open our eyes to see how God is working in other nations. This second edition of Youth Ministry Across the Continents now features local church youth pastors from all six continents, a compilation of stories and insights from youth workers who have been ministering to young people for many years. New contributors include people from Japan, Chile, and a large church in Ohio, USA that has grown as a home group-based ministry for more than 30 years. Readers can compare and contrast the advice of seasoned youth pastors across the globe on the same youth ministry topics. Some of the differences in approach and style reflect personality, and some reflect culture; others are to do with the church or denomination the youth worker belongs to, be it Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Anglican, Baptist, Independent Evangelical, or Assemblies of God. Core issues covered include how to look after your own soul, evangelism, schools work, parents, and the youth pastor's vital relationship with their supervisor, often the senior pastor, minister or associate pastor. In addition to being organised by topic and not contributor, end-of-chapter discussion questions better enable readers to personally reflect, or share their thoughts with others, on the key issues. Read alongside a book like Operation World by Jason Mandryk and Patrick Johnstone, youth workers can also consider what God is doing in each of the countries they are reading about. The book would make informative compulsory or additional reading for a youth ministry or missions class, helping to expand the students' view of the world. It offers wonderful nuggets of wisdom and supplies a broad range of perspectives while reinforcing principles common to youth work across the globe. Inspiring, practical and educational, this book provides readers with ideas and situations they may have never considered. As veteran youth worker and professor, Len Kageler, writes in the foreword, "I had several 'I never thought of that' moments as I read along." So, grab yourself 150 years' worth of international youth work experience - all in one book!




Christian Youth Work in Theory and Practice


Book Description

Churches today face unique challenges as they seek to help young people engage with the Christian faith and youth workers, whether employed or volunteer, play a key role in supporting this process. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Christian youth work, drawing together practice, theory and theology in a format which is both engaging and informative.




The Five Questions


Book Description

Research in youth ministry has excelled and developed rapidly over the last four decades. Youth ministry is not just a church practice, but has become an emerging academic discipline, with a variety of methodological, theoretical, and contextual approaches. This academic handbook offers an assessment of contemporary youth ministry research to assist students doing bachelor, master, and doctoral research, and youth ministry scholars, in their studies of youth ministry. By examining youth ministry research through the lens of the following five fundamental questions, the reader is challenged to engage with state-of-the-art theory, methods, and findings from current youth ministry research: • Who are the youth in youth ministry? • Where is God in youth ministry? • What is the purpose of youth ministry? • Who is the youth minister in youth ministry? • How to research practices in youth ministry? The academic handbook is a must-read for everyone who is interested in systematic reflection on youth ministry and youth ministry research.




Wide-Awake in God's World


Book Description

In an expressivist culture, effective engagement must acknowledge teenagers’ freedom to choose their own spiritual path. Yet, in an evangelical theology, faithful formation must hold on to biblical authority. As we seek to engage young people with the Bible, key questions need to be explored. Such questions include: how can pedagogical freedom be affirmed without undermining theological authority; and how can authority be asserted without diminishing personal freedom? This study explores a freedom–authority dialectic in theological dialogue with the educational philosophy of Maxine Greene. Greene’s reflection on the arts and the imagination are brought into conversation with insights from Charles Taylor, Garret Green, and Nicholas Wolterstorff. As a work of practical theology, the book concludes with a framework to shape the purpose, content, and values for Bible engagement in contemporary youth ministry.




What Good Is Jesus?


Book Description

When children are sold into slavery-what good is Jesus? When wretched disease takes a loved one's life-what good is Jesus? When marriages crumble and jobs disappoint-what good is Jesus? Many know of Jesus, but few actually know Him. The real entity of Jesus has been tainted by how His followers have portrayed His image in their lives. The institution of religion has overtaken the beauty of relationship, and many Christians are walking away with a bitter taste. Faced with declining opportunities, a war-torn globe, and seemingly-insurmountable crises, many millennials are asking the sincere question: what good is Jesus? Pastor Marv Nelson doesn't avoid tough questions; instead, he tackles issues head-on with love and wisdom. Examining sexuality, politics, racial tensions, suffering, and more, Nelson addresses these problems through a relational rather than religious approach and shows us just what good Jesus really is.




Models and Methods for Youth and Young Adult Ministry


Book Description

Models and Methods for Youth and Young Adult Ministry is a rare book on young adult and youth ministry in that it weaves sound theology and solid pastoral practice. It invites pastoral practitioners, scholars in the field, and university-ministry students to envision various models and methods for doing youth and young adult ministry in a collaborative and ecumenical way. Through rich, concrete examples and strategies, the reader will grasp the significance of each model and the various methods to integrate and implement these robust approaches. The result is this book will empower readers toward a more meaningful understanding of youth and young adult ministry, which will in turn engage the young church of Christ.




Young People and Mission


Book Description

A challenging and provocative look at how youth workers can do effective mission, both within and beyond the church walls. Encourages readers to think creatively and move outside the typical youthwork boundaries.




Youth Work and Islam


Book Description

Youth Work and Islam provides an eclectic focus, reflecting it duel inspirations of its title. It considers how youth work can be informed by Islam but at the same time looks at how practice can be pertinent to young Muslims, their community and relationship with wider society. In this book Sadek Hamid and Brian Belton bring together a range of thinkers and practitioners who exemplify and analyse this situation. This not only produces much more than a straightforward view of informed practice, it also presents a broad and humane understanding of the character and possibilities of youth work over a broad perspective. Centrally, while the work demonstrates how Islam and Muslims have contributed to the development of youth work, it also puts forward ideas and standpoints that demonstrate how Islam can continue to inform practice, add to its humanitarian ethos and even make our work with young people in general more effective. As such, Youth Work and Islam is an essential part of any youth worker’s reading, working within and beyond Muslim contexts. It is also a useful and readable text for social workers, teachers, police officers, clerics, medical professional and anyone wanting a more informed understanding of how faith perspectives can inform and refresh attitudes, approaches and enhance work with individuals, groups and communities.




Mission-shaped Youth


Book Description

Tim Sudworth presents an overview of innovative and dynamic ways of reaching out to young people. The book includes examples of work with schools, youth congregations, engaging young people in more traditional services and outreach projects.