- Home
- Article Topics
- Hot Topics
- Threads of Thinking
Threads of Thinking
- By Chris Folmsbee
- Published 05/12/2008
- Hot Topics
- Unrated
Chris Folmsbee
Chris Folmsbee is president of Sonlife, a youth ministry training organization. He is the author of A New Kind of Youth Ministry and an upcoming book for students called Clear: Bringing God’s Truths into Focus. He’s also an advisory board member for The Journal of Student Ministries.
Exploring four primary ways youth workers typically approach ministry
I see four primary threads of thinking regarding youth ministry these days, and I believe understanding these threads of thinking can help us better understand one another as the youth ministry conversation begins to flatten.
[For more about the “flattening” of youth ministry, see the January/February 2008 “Re-Culturing Youth Ministry” column.]
Identifying these threads (and other threads I’m sure I’ve missed) can help us imaginatively and prophetically look at our vocation and mission in ministry with young people.
These threads are all unraveling from the same spool (or core purpose/mission). At its core, this spool is about one thing: Pointing adolescents to God—i.e., encouraging kids to encounter, experience, and engage in lives of worshiping God. Each thread has its place, and none of them should be thought of as right or wrong; some work better than others in certain situations, and all have attributes that can inform the others.
Volunteer: Relational
These youth workers are motivated to point students to God for one main reason—they love kids! Volunteer: relational thinkers typically had a great youth group experience growing up, and now they desire to create an environment that brings the same experience to their own kids.
Most often, volunteer-led youth ministries are found in smaller churches that can’t afford to pay a full-time, professional youth worker. Most of the time volunteers have one (or two at the most) opportunities to spiritually impact kids’ lives during a week, and when they think about what it takes to provide that opportunity, they’re typically driven by relationships.
Programs, methods, theology, etc., are important, but principally within the context of relationships. If the volunteer-led youth ministry never gets around to the flashy program, the “new” learning methods, or the dissemination of theological truth, that’s okay as long as one thing (the most important thing) comes across—a love for kids.
Emerging: Methodological
These youth workers are motivated to point students to God by the creative use of programs and technique. They understand the importance of relational youth work and are passionate about it—or they wouldn’t be rubbing nickels together at the end of each month saying something like, “I won’t get rich doing this, but at least I can provide the space for students to know God more deeply.”
Much of the emerging: methodological youth workers’ time is spent brainstorming the next best way to get kids interested in God. By and large, they’re passionate about passing on theological truths in relationships but believe the best way there is the provision of—and the reliance upon—ongoing experiences anytime students gather.
Emerging: Theological
These youth workers are driven to point students to God much like the latter two groups—through relationships and programming. But their real passion is finding ways to use youth ministry fundamentals to shape the theological conversations of the larger church.
When evaluating the effectiveness of youth ministry as a whole, they can usually be heard saying something like, “Youth ministry isn’t working because church isn’t working. Church isn’t working because our theology is trapped in a modern mindset. If we want to change the church, we have to reshape the theology of the church for a postmodern mindset. I do that through my platform, which is influencing kids in my youth group.”
The emerging: theological thinker moves throughout her day thinking first about how she not only might point adolescents to God but also how she might help teenagers be critical in their pursuit of theological accuracy.
Non-Emerging: Traditional
Like the other threads of thinking, the non-emerging: traditional thinker loves relationships, is very committed to excellent programming methods, and is sincerely theological. However, at the end of the day, he’s motivated to point students to God by sticking to what’s always been. It isn’t arrogance or ignorance that drives him toward the status quo; it’s simply a commitment to what “works.”
For some non-emerging: traditional thinkers it’s about doing better and doing more. Also, for most, it’s about resisting the urge to tamper with lasting methods just for the sake of tampering. Therefore, the non-emerging: traditional thinker remains faithful to ideas and concepts that have been around for five or six decades of youth ministry.
When evaluating the effectiveness of youth ministry as a whole he can usually be heard saying something like, “I don’t know why there’s all this conversation about youth ministry being broken or needing to change. We just need to stick to what’s always worked and remain consistent in our efforts.”
The Big Picture
Seeing the bigger picture of the state of youth ministry allows youth workers to find their places; and not just their places in regard to gifting, but also where and how they might become more valuable to students, volunteers, parents, and ultimately, of course, to the mission of God. Please log on to www.threadsofthinking.wordpress.com and share your thoughts on these youth ministry threads of thinking.
[For more about the “flattening” of youth ministry, see the January/February 2008 “Re-Culturing Youth Ministry” column.]
Identifying these threads (and other threads I’m sure I’ve missed) can help us imaginatively and prophetically look at our vocation and mission in ministry with young people.
These threads are all unraveling from the same spool (or core purpose/mission). At its core, this spool is about one thing: Pointing adolescents to God—i.e., encouraging kids to encounter, experience, and engage in lives of worshiping God. Each thread has its place, and none of them should be thought of as right or wrong; some work better than others in certain situations, and all have attributes that can inform the others.
Volunteer: Relational
These youth workers are motivated to point students to God for one main reason—they love kids! Volunteer: relational thinkers typically had a great youth group experience growing up, and now they desire to create an environment that brings the same experience to their own kids.
Most often, volunteer-led youth ministries are found in smaller churches that can’t afford to pay a full-time, professional youth worker. Most of the time volunteers have one (or two at the most) opportunities to spiritually impact kids’ lives during a week, and when they think about what it takes to provide that opportunity, they’re typically driven by relationships.
Programs, methods, theology, etc., are important, but principally within the context of relationships. If the volunteer-led youth ministry never gets around to the flashy program, the “new” learning methods, or the dissemination of theological truth, that’s okay as long as one thing (the most important thing) comes across—a love for kids.
Emerging: Methodological
These youth workers are motivated to point students to God by the creative use of programs and technique. They understand the importance of relational youth work and are passionate about it—or they wouldn’t be rubbing nickels together at the end of each month saying something like, “I won’t get rich doing this, but at least I can provide the space for students to know God more deeply.”
Much of the emerging: methodological youth workers’ time is spent brainstorming the next best way to get kids interested in God. By and large, they’re passionate about passing on theological truths in relationships but believe the best way there is the provision of—and the reliance upon—ongoing experiences anytime students gather.
Emerging: Theological
These youth workers are driven to point students to God much like the latter two groups—through relationships and programming. But their real passion is finding ways to use youth ministry fundamentals to shape the theological conversations of the larger church.
When evaluating the effectiveness of youth ministry as a whole, they can usually be heard saying something like, “Youth ministry isn’t working because church isn’t working. Church isn’t working because our theology is trapped in a modern mindset. If we want to change the church, we have to reshape the theology of the church for a postmodern mindset. I do that through my platform, which is influencing kids in my youth group.”
The emerging: theological thinker moves throughout her day thinking first about how she not only might point adolescents to God but also how she might help teenagers be critical in their pursuit of theological accuracy.
Non-Emerging: Traditional
Like the other threads of thinking, the non-emerging: traditional thinker loves relationships, is very committed to excellent programming methods, and is sincerely theological. However, at the end of the day, he’s motivated to point students to God by sticking to what’s always been. It isn’t arrogance or ignorance that drives him toward the status quo; it’s simply a commitment to what “works.”
For some non-emerging: traditional thinkers it’s about doing better and doing more. Also, for most, it’s about resisting the urge to tamper with lasting methods just for the sake of tampering. Therefore, the non-emerging: traditional thinker remains faithful to ideas and concepts that have been around for five or six decades of youth ministry.
When evaluating the effectiveness of youth ministry as a whole he can usually be heard saying something like, “I don’t know why there’s all this conversation about youth ministry being broken or needing to change. We just need to stick to what’s always worked and remain consistent in our efforts.”
The Big Picture
Seeing the bigger picture of the state of youth ministry allows youth workers to find their places; and not just their places in regard to gifting, but also where and how they might become more valuable to students, volunteers, parents, and ultimately, of course, to the mission of God. Please log on to www.threadsofthinking.wordpress.com and share your thoughts on these youth ministry threads of thinking.
