In response to “Is Youth Ministry Killing the Church” Laura Darling asks what should we do if we don’t do youth ministry. From Confirm Not Conform:
A post from 2010 has been making the rounds again, and justifiably so because it deserves to be known. Entitled Is Youth Ministry Killing the Church, Kate Murphy reflects on her time in youth ministry and wonders “if we’re ministering them right out of the church.” …if youth ministry is killing the church, then what should we put in its place? I think the time is ripe for a rethink of what youth ministry means.
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What the church has to offer that’s different is an opportunity to get out of their own age group. It’s still one of the few places out there where people of all ages meet together. Why not take advantage of that unique property so that youth ministry is all about interacting with adults and learning to navigate that world, both in the church and in society?
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All of this, I think, is based on a new understanding of youth ministry not as something we do for youth, but as a form of mutual ministry: youth and adults working together, each with something to offer the other. As many people have learned in any form of charitable endeavor, any “helping” that doesn’t come from a feeling of mutuality, an understanding that the person we are helping also has agency, voice, and gifts, will ultimately do more harm than good.
Read it all here.