Review – A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry

Earlier this year I received a Facebook notification pointing me to a review of A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry by MikeMcGarry. I read the review and bought the book. Now I wish I could buy a bundle more to give to others. Here are five reasons you should read this book if you are in pastoral ministry (not just if you’re a youth leader).

1.       It teaches us what the Old Testament has to say about young people in the faith community

To appreciate what we find about ministry to youth in the Bible has a whole, we need to step back from our current understanding of youth ministry. This is particularly so when we read the Old Testament. McGarry writes, “There is no verse that explicitly commands youth ministry, but the family and the community’s mandate to raise up the next generation in the fear and obedience of the Lord is overwhelming.” (p19)

This chapter leads us through some history and some texts that make clear what happens when the faith isn’t passed on to the next generation, and the Biblical imperatives to make sure it is. And when we as parents feel overwhelmed in this task, he reminds us that the task belongs to the whole community of faith.

“Parents are consistently affirmed as the primary disciple-makers of their children, but the Psalmist’s example clearly shows the commitment of the community to the young.” (p30,31) You can read Psalm 71:18 and 78:1-8 to see what he means.

2.       It teaches us what the New Testament has to say about young people in the faith community

  

McGarry picks up the theme of discipleship in this section. In no way does he contradict what he sees in the OT as the role of the family and community in teaching the beliefs and standards of faith. Instead he tightens the focus a little recognising that this is now the other side of the crucifixion and resurrection and now all Christians have a Messiah to follow. So we are to be disciples of Jesus no matter who our human teacher might be.

One interesting aspect McGarry raises is the age of the disciples. Perhaps they were young adults who Jesus trained and through them he has changed the world. How much do you expect of young adults today?

The place of children and youth in the life of the early church is also raised here, and that’s important today because of the place – or lack of place – that this age group has in the faith community. Paul wrote letters to churches and clearly believed the children would hear what he had written. This means that these age groups would be together. (But I’m jumping ahead of myself here.)

“Rather than viewing children and youth as ‘members in waiting,’ the biblical witness consistently affirms their value and reflects a shared commitment by the community of faith toward the next generation. Pastors and Christian leaders today who overlook the young are in blatant disregard of the biblical pattern of ministry.” (p56)

3.       It shows the place of youth in the faith community

Following from the previous point, have a look at Titus 2:2-6

2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.

See the different age groups mentioned there? Older men; older women; younger women; young men. You can also look at Ephesians 5:22-6:9 and see the age groups listed there and realise that when the letter was read to the church, all these age groups were together. Is your church like this?

McGarry doesn’t have to work hard to show what the Bible is teaching about the place of youth in the faith community – it’s where they belong.

“Christians are the people of God, and there is no age restriction mentioned.” (p87)

“When each member is serving the head of the Church with their individual gifts, the members are united together through the bond of Christian fellowship as the body of Christ works in harmony.” (p89)

How are the youth of your community of faith using their gifts?

4.       It shows the importance of the community in the faith of youth

McGarry quotes Wayne Rice, co-founder of Youth Specialties. It’s uncomfortable, but worth hearing:

“I have all the respect in the world for youth workers in the church, but I’ve become more and more convinced over the years that God never gave t youth workers the responsibility for making disciples of other people’s kids. . . What we have today is not really a youth ministry problem. It’s a church problem. Truth is – it has always been a church problem.” (p73. Emphasis his)

It’s really easy for me to complain about the youth in our church, or to blame the parents when the youth leave. But in reality, that’s just a cop out. If I’m part of that church, then I’m invested in the spiritual life of that child. If that teenager leaves, do I even notice? Do I know his name? Do I know what she is doing at uni? Or have I assumed that’s the youth leader’s job.

The biblical model of church life doesn’t put the young people in one room while the adults are in another room. Instead the biblical model of church life is an inter-generational one with all ages sharing life and worship together. McGarry comments, “ . . . the entire church shares a commitment to nurture the faith of the next generation while seeking opportunities to involve them in the rhythms of the church.’ (p88)

(I’m not suggesting that the age groups can’t have time on their own. That’s valuable. But don’t let that be all they do.)

5.       It encourages me to see the catechism in a very different light

I’ve been involved in promoting the catechism for a few years now, but reading this book has challenged me to see it in a completely different light. You see I’ve always understood that the purpose of the catechism was for parents, and particularly the father, to use this list of questions and answers to teach the children. I expect I’m not alone in this thought. McGarry points back to Luther and comments that in the catechism Luther provided a resource whereby the parents received doctrinal instruction even as they taught their children. (p62)

I nearly dropped the book when I read this. One of my concerns about using the catechism is that it expects parents to understand the doctrines of Christian faith, and maybe they don’t. But now I can see it is possible that in using the catechism consistently, both the parents and the children are being instructed in faith. Brilliant!

He also comments on the place of the church to support and equip parents in this task.

“Parents were the primary disciplers of their children, but the church leaders were the primary spiritual leaders of the family.” (p63)

I wish I’d written this book.

Some years ago a bloke I know held up a book and said to me, “This is the book I wish I had written.” I feel much the same about McGarry’s work. A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry will be a great encouragement to those involved in youth ministry, it’s true. But more importantly, I think it’s a book that should be read by elders and pastors as they take the responsibilities given to them.

At 164 pages, it’s not a long book. Get it and read it.

Review: Keep Christianity Weird

I was standing at Koorong (bookshop) with a handful of books and saw this near the counter. I'd recently read an article by Michael Frost that I liked, so I thought I'd grab the book while I was there. I'm glad I did, but I'm not sure I would have mattered much if I hadn't.

His underlying thesis is a solid one. Christianity has become so mainstream now that we don't stand out anymore. And even though our society might be taking a dim view of Christianity, we still seem much the same as the rest of the world around us. So, let's keep Christianity weird. I like his thinking, and I like his warning

I don't want it to be misconstrued as a call for the church to be zany or wacky. I think our world is tiring of stupid stunts and religious mania. And Christians have been more than willing to look like maniacs. p150

The examples that he lists here are ridiculous and, if I'm honest, a little disturbing. So it's not that type of weirdness that he is promoting. What he is promoting is this -

First, we're weird because our identity is found in God, not our own egos. Second, we're weird because, in following Christ, we embrace an entirely unconventional ethic at odds with the values of this world. And third, we're weird because we believe some crazy supernatural stuff. p154

But this is near the end of the book. There's a bit to get through before we end up here.

The opening chapter, "Here's to the crazy ones" was a great encouragement. Here I am reminded that some of those who have had the greatest impact are those who were just a bit out of the ordinary, the square pegs who don't fit in the round hole, but who do the job anyway. These are the stories that encourage me to be a bit weird.

In chapter three we read about Jesus and some of the weird things he did. This isn't a list of miracles, but rather some of the things he did that were counter-cultural. Chapter four lists some examples from church history that highlights some seemingly weird things Christians have done, while chapter five shows what may have helped to kill the weird. Then in chapter six we are encouraged to see things in a different light.

In a world where beating up your enemies or pushing and shoving those who get in your way is normal and acceptable, praying earnestly for the defenseless is weird. In a world where you only ever speak up for yourself or your own rights, giving voice to the voiceless is strange. In a world of busyness, hustle, bustle, and social media, kneeling in a circle with brothers and sisters and focusing a whole day on worship and prayer and reflection is utterly bizarre. p138

Was it worth reading the book? Absolutely. But it's strength might also be its weakness. You see, I think that those Christians who have a deep interest in social justice will read this and be greatly affirmed in what they think. That's not a bad thing, but I don't know that this will challenge them to think deeper about where salvation can only be found. On the other hand, those who have a deep commitment to theology and doctrine will probably only see this as another call to live better rather than anything about serving and trusting Jesus. (Which is a shame, because they are probably the people who most need to read this book.)

Is it possible that we could be interested in both? "When in doubt, follow Jesus." 149

At 170 pages, it's not a long book to read, and Frost has written in a style that makes it easy to keep reading. In that he has done well. You certainly won't lose anything by reading it, and some of your thinking might well be challenged. So get it, read it, and learn from it.

If you're in Australia, you can probably skip chapter two. It's interesting, but too specific to USA.

Praying or Preying? What will you be remembered for?

My title comes from reading an article in the Houston Chronicle titled "Preying on Teens". It is subtitled, "More than 100 southern Baptist youth pastors convicted or charged in sex crimes."

In the article, I was introduced to Chad who was hired and ordained to be a youth pastor. Chad had a good message for his youth group about abstinence, but he also preyed on some of the girls under his leadership which made abstinence impossible. Not surprisingly, Chad was fired by the church - though perhaps not for this.

What is surprising is that these church leaders who fired Chad didn't say anything to the next church who hired Chad to be their youth leader. You'll never guess what happened next.

Actually, you probably will.

I encourage you to read the article. It can be a little confronting, but such is the reality of our world.

Read it and learn two things.

This is why screening is important. 

When someone wants to be a leader with PYV (Presbyterian Youth Victoria) we ask them for some referees that we can talk to, and we ask which church they previously belonged to. In talking to referees we are able to learn about the character of the person who is applying for a leadership role. This is important. I might only know this person as an acquaintance. Maybe we've met at a camp or two and I have an impression that they are interested, and growing in godliness.

When I call their pastor, or youth worker, or an AFES leader, I get to talk to someone who works with them much more consistently. If those people have some concerns, then they will carry more weight than my initial impression. And that is as it should be.

We ask about a previous church so we can call someone from that church to determine if there were any circumstances that are important for us to be aware of. In Chad's case, if the second church had called the first church, and the first church had been honest, at least one girl would not have been abused. And if we can protect that one girl, we will.

In Victoria, we are required to have a screening program in place for anyone involved in ministry to youth or children. We will take that seriously.

What not to do if you're attracted to someone in your youth group?

I'd like to think that any youth leader would know how to answer this, but apparently not. And we can't say, "Well, they're just immature adults in a sexualised society" as though that makes it all ok. This article refers to Chad, who was 30 when he was doing this, and Gary, who was nearly 40 when he started cultivating his victim. She was 13.

There are reasons we tell youth leaders not to have one to one phone or messenger conversations with teenagers. There are reasons we tell youth leaders not to be alone in a room with a teenager.

Ensure your relationship to each of the young people under your leadership is above board.

You will destroy your reputation, the lives of the people involved, their families, and possibly the church community if you mess this up.

We are in a time now where such sins will not be covered up, where church leaders cannot cover it up without facing significant consequences themselves, and this is absolutely as it should be. May we never return to times when such cover-ups happened.


Another thing to note:

Are teenagers safe to disclose abuse in your church?

Do teenagers in your church community know that they can talk to someone if they are asked to do something they're not comfortable with? Or if they think their leaders are acting in ways they shouldn't?

You will probably say to me, "Of course. We always let them know they can talk to us if they have any concerns."

That's great. But I'd challenge you to be specific. Talk about sexting. Use the right terminology (you might need to find out what the current terms are). And if parents tell you they don't want their young teenagers dealing with this, get them to read this article. You see, if the 13 year old girl knew that what her youth pastor was doing was wrong, maybe she wouldn't have waited until she was 16 before she did raise the issue.


Friends, let's do all we can to help people grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And let's do all we can to keep these people safe.



Photo Credits:
Phone - Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
Couple - Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

I want to be like this when I'm old.

This morning I read Psalm 71. I think this is a Psalm that relates to all of life as it speaks about birth (v6), youth (v5,17) and aged (v9,18). It was verse 18 that caught my attention though:

Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

Wouldn't it be great to have older Christians sharing their experience of life as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Of course, this assumes that there are older people who are disciples of Jesus Christ. I know there are because I have met some.

It also assumes that these people have something worth sharing. If you have been a worshipper of God through a life time, as the author of this Psalm clearly was, then you should have a lot of stories to share. So share them.

This verse also assumes that youth will listen.

So here is my prayer:
that youth will look to the older people of the church for wisdom
that youth will listen to that wisdom and learn from it
that older people will share their stories
that friendships between the generations will grow.

Then, when I am old and grey - though some might think I'm already there - I hope I will be able to continue to speak to youth about the glory of God.