I am in the process of reading through several books dealing with structures of ministry and how we are to apply them into our various contexts. As a Youth Director at a Presbyterian Church, I am finding that some of the staff that is out there fits our context really well and others require a bit of stretching. Here are the big questions that I have going through my head as a result of these readings:
Is Youth Ministry becoming more about equipping and partnering with parents? Should the Youth Pastor title be changed to "Pastor to Parents and Students?
What role does Campus Ministry play in the everyday and big picture planning aspect of Youth Ministry? Students are on campus far more than they are with us in church, so should we be going to them consistently?
What does multicultural ministry look like for small denominational churches?
Can networked/community Youth Groups work? Are we witnessing the end of the denominational church in Youth Ministry?
As you can see, these questions are not exactly small and are not going to be answered right away, but I hope we make headway on some of them soon. Feel free to jump in and add your thoughts...
Wow Wes, where to begin? These are big questions. Just to chime in on one issue you bought up. Campus ministry is huge! But it's not solely in the hands of the youth worker. We have to be wanted on campus. In Ramona, we're just not allowed on campus much. I think, in that regard, teachers have a bigger opportunity to minister to students than do Youth Pastors. Then again, for how often students are on campus, how much of that time is really spent outside of class where we could build relationships? Just cause we can't get on campus at lunch doesn't mean we can't be part of their lives... going to their sporting events, etc.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the nitty gritty of youth ministry isn't in being on campus and giving face time to a hundred students (although that's important for what it is) but it's investing intimately into the lives of five or six students and empowering others to invest in five or six students. All the other stuff--youth group, campus ministry, outreach events--are movements toward intimate/discipleship ministry.
Well, I'm sorta rambling... you got me thinking...