emerging youth ministry

I've been witnessing a shift in youth ministry lately. nearly every youth pastor/worker that I've talked to claims that something is different. what worked 5, 10, or 15 years ago just isn't working anymore. it's interesting to watch youth pastors, who have been working with youth for years and years, suddenly realize that their ministries are almost entirely irrelevant to youth culture.

Some of them question their own abilities and calling, while others just get bitter at this new generation of youth who won't get on board with the program. All of that just leads to confusion and lack of direction.

I've found myself at all ends of the spectrum, but I'm discovering that the challenge that exists is causing me to rethink traditional youth ministry (which is actually a pretty young 'profession') and to rediscover what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the midst of it all.

I've watched as some ministries scramble to increase attendance, and others try to tweak what they've been doing to recapture some of the glory days of youth ministry (most of which took place in the late 80's and 90's). The problem is, those days aren't coming back. The youth culture is different today. We have to be savvy about what issues today's teens are facing, and their views on issues of faith and how their culture is influencing them. Modern, Post-Modern - call it what you will, the old 'big event' style of youth ministry is losing its effectiveness. Maybe it's a good thing, because honestly the results of those youth ministries has generally been disappointing.

Maybe it's time to re-imagine what it looks like for teens to live out the kingdom of God. Maybe it's time for people to take priority over programs. Nobody says that they use people to build their programs, but I think if you take an objective look at churches and youth groups it's pretty obvious that most things are done for the sake of the program.

I am not anti-program, as long as the programs are fluid and designed solely for the purpose of serving people, not the other way around. The old measuring stick of, "how many youth are in your group?" needs to be replaced with "how can we work together for the kingdom of God in our community?"

I feel that I'm at the very beginning of this journey, and I have so much more to learn. But, something is different and I can't go back to the old style of ministry. I can't in good conscience try to build my own empire (though having my own Death Star would be pretty cool). Anything less than truly making disciples - not just converts and numbers added to the group - is not what Jesus commanded us to do.