It has been some time since I've read a book geared specifically to youth ministry. I have to confess the last few I did read left me with a sugar coating but not much substance. They either tout 400 "New" ways to minister to students or end up just deconstructing youth ministry into something that isn't recognizable. It serves to remind me that if all we do is deconstruct we'll be left with nothing but a pile or rubble.
It was with this mind set that I picked up Huston Heflin's book "Youth Pastor." The cover has what looks to have an iPhone on it which immediately pushed it into the realm of hip-ness and some red flags went up in my mind.
Ever since I was young I was told not to judge a book by it's cover and this book is no different. Heflin does an excellent job of acknowledging the short comings of youth ministry while weaving a rich theology through out his book. He speaks from experience while each chapter is littered with not only scripture but also footnotes and in text citations. Huston goes to such lengths to cite his work that if one is not used to reading academic literature then it can be a little distracting. That point alone should raise some eyebrows because it is not at all the norm in this genera.
Huston sees the role of a youth minister divided up into five sections. Then in each section he provided two extremes of those roles. For example every youth pastor has to have some approach to education (this is unit 1. ) So the two sides of the pendulum are the "Evangelistic Missionary" and the "Disciplining Teacher." One is focused on going out boldly proclaiming the Gospel while the other is focused on building up to maturity. What Heflin aims to do is to say that we have preferences on one side or the other but in no way are we only that type. He makes the strong point that only Jesus was both the perfect evangelistic missionary and disciplining teacher. Only in Christ do we find all things to all men.
Each chapter has a host of follow up questions to apply the contents to your specific ministry. For me it's provided some challenge to see blind spots in my ministry. Here are some notes I took while spending time in this book. (I'm sorry that wasn't supposed to rhyme.)
Youth Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry (Houston Heflin)- Highlight Loc. 124-27 | Added on Friday, April 30, 2010, 12:58 PM
However, it is hardly feasible for any one person to become all things to all people all the time. Contextualization is key. When youth workers consider their identity in a specific context, they may get a clearer picture of their mission and a renewed enthusiasm for their work. Then they will bask in the blessings of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:23) and, by God's power, accomplish the audacious hope of youth ministry.
==========Youth Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry (Houston Heflin)- Highlight Loc. 153-55 | Added on Friday, April 30, 2010, 01:03 PM
The fundamental difference between these two approaches is the difference between teaching to make disciples (conversion) and teaching to mature disciples (nurture). The former helps those who are lost find salvation (justification), whilethe latter helps those who have been justified become more like Christ (sanctification).
==========Youth Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry (Houston Heflin)- Highlight Loc. 171-72 | Added on Friday, April 30, 2010, 04:51 PM
"ministry to youth is a form of cross cultural evangelism. [Youth] have a unique system of processing theology, a unique set of developmental needs, and a peculiar code of behavior" (Jackson 2000, 40).
==========Youth Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry (Houston Heflin)- Highlight Loc. 179-81 | Added on Friday, April 30, 2010, 04:52 PM
The first requirement for effective mission work is to understand Scripture. It is by the light of God's Word that we see God, know ourselves, and understand the world around us. More importantly, the Bible communicates the message of a God who pursues us with sacrificial love. As missionaries we carry that message to the world.
==========Youth Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry (Houston Heflin)- Highlight Loc. 993-95 | Added on Saturday, May 15, 2010, 03:09 PM
To spend time solely with youth may send a message to the rest of the congregation that the youth pastor is the hired hand, or worse, surrogate parent, whose job is to take care of the teens in the church. Multiple adults, who have been recruited and equipped to serve with youth in ministry, are needed to build up the youth in the body of Christ. A youth minister who invests in adults by teaching them to minister to teens, will multiply his ministry.
2 comments:
So many books, so little time! I was very much influenced by Lawrence Richard's book, I think it was called Toward a Theology of Children's Ministry, which left me with two main ideas - that lessons need to lean toward the experiential in order to connect with the "whole child" and that the best place for Biblical teaching is in the home.
Youth Ministry, like so many other ministries is trying to have the most impact with limited resources. Each youth pastor is going to have to consider a mix of 1) her personal gifts, 2) the situation of the church, 3) the constitution of the group at this moment (youth group personalities change in 4 year cycles).
Thanks Phil you're right on the money.
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