The End of Youth Ministry?

What is youth ministry for? What is its purpose? Some say it is for helping young people not waste their lives, to learn to be good people. Others say it is for God. Still, others, especially parents would want them to learn something good for the soul, on top of other priority activities. Still there are those who think that youths need their own space. So they carve out a ministry for young people and call it youth ministry. Does it work? According to Andrew Root, he thinks that times have changed. The youth ministries we have known in the past are now dwindling fast. Not only is it difficult to sustain the model of the past, it is impossible to see it growing in the future. Rather than to immerse ourselves into some archaic dying model, we are challenged to rise above these things of old to embrace the central motivation for ministry: Joy. Author and professor of youth and young adult ministry, Andrew Root has seen many signs of the "somewhat directionless" youth ministry. The title of the book is essentially a challenge for all to re-examine the implications of such a shift in the ministry. The purpose of such a ministry is clear: To reach out to the young for Jesus. Yet, the methods and strategies need to be adapted in order to meet the needs of changing times. By understanding the reasons behind the cultural changes, it is hoped that not only will we refresh our outreach to this generation, we will also learn about what it means to live a good life. The central concern of this book is two-fold: First, it is to refresh our understanding of the purpose of youth ministry. Second, it is to tie together parents' vision of a good life and how such a vision influences and impacts their children. Root's central thesis is that any such ministry must be led by joy and to progress toward true joy. This whole book is thus an "ode to joy."


The first step is simply to try to fill in the blanks in: "Youth Ministry is for _________." If it is for fun, then all the plans and activities are there in provide for fun. If it is for learning, then we will plan for curriculum and Bible syllabus. One youth minister told the author that Youth Ministry is for not wasting their lives. Others say that it is for God. Eventually, Root puts it as a ministry to help youths live a good life and to flourish. This cannot be separated from parents' desires and hopes for their children. Sometimes, parents' desires need to be guided as well. Some wants their kids to simply stay out of trouble while others hope that youth ministry can inject some good sense into their kids. By analyzing the evolution of youth ministries, Root finds out that in the past couple of decades, there is a pattern of parents concerned about kids growing too fast toward adulthood. They felt that the children ought to be adequately prepared before unleashing them to the world. Slow them down so that sufficient good could be imparted into them before they become adults. Thus, Youth ministries become the go-to place for parents to put their kids in, to "slow" them down. Yet, there is a shift right now, that kids are growing way too slow. Will it help to slow youths down when they are already slow? Root asks three parents. The first say that youth ministry is to help one figure out his or her identity and sense of belonging. The second say that youth ministry is for "knowing and belonging." The third say that they want their kids to find their purpose in life. In all of these interviews, they all had a common goal: They want their kids to be happy and to know their identity.

Root takes us through a 9-months journey of discovery as he interviews parents, speaks with youth ministers, pastors, and young people, and comes to a surprising conclusion as to what youths need: Friendship.

My Thoughts
There is a sense that youth ministry is changing rapidly. Despite these changes, there is still a sizeable portion of churches and ministers to do youth ministries according to old ways. One will know the motivations simply by asking the question: What is youth ministry for? Theologically, many will say to know God. Socially, it means to hang out with friends in a safe environment. Morally, it is to learn how to make good decisions as they grow into adulthood. Mentally, it is about learning what it means to be good people under adult supervision. Root cuts through all these mass of motivations to identify the importance of friendship. True joy comes about when one has strong and honest friendships with one another. This is called "joy in friendship." This makes sense as friends help one another to discover their identity; to know their calling; and to do things together. Youth ministry is essentially about friends and relationships in the journey to joy.

I suppose just saying that there is a need for friendship does not mark the end of youth ministries as suggested in the book title. Instead, it is a good time to ensure that while still executing the existing youth ministries as they are, gradually sharpen our focus on what it takes to cultivate deeper friendships. Once this is identified, it makes for better planning, resource getting, and enrichment of other associated activities.

I was thinking: Wow. It takes such a long road just to identify the new paradigm of friendship making. I suppose when the answer appears so simple, readers would need to be convinced. Root does this by inviting us along in his journey of discovery. He asks the same kinds of questions that we would naturally ask. He interacts brilliantly with those with vested interest in youths, and sheds light on the future of youth ministries. I believe that youth ministry is here to stay. There will always be young people and their need for belonging. Perhaps, we should try to integrate them more into the mainstream church environment rather than to segregate them according to their age groups. After all, if Church is for all, then all should be willing to interact widely and to cultivate friendships across all generations. To do so might bring some initial discomfort. Not to do so would impoverish everyone of us. There is much to learn by all. May we take the subject of friendship and broaden it beyond simply youth ministry, but all ministries. After all, we need friends.

Dr Andrew Root is the Olson Baalson Associate Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in Minnesota. He is a co-recipient of a Templeton grant that invites conversations into "Science for Youth Ministry." Check it out here.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

What is youth ministry even for? What is its goal? In a culture that has drastically changed since youth ministry really took off, Andrew Root tries to discern the answer to these questions and does it quite well.

Root takes a very unique approach (but necessary to his overall goal) of working to reveal the answer to these questions through a story that revolves around a youth minister who changed the way she did her ministry, interviews with parents, 80's cinema, Gilmore Girls, and Orlando, FL theme parks. What more could you want from a book?

Roots main idea is that the West has changed since the 80's when youth ministry really began. At that point youth were growing up quickly and often on their own and so youth ministry served as a way to slow that down and give the youth a safe and godly place to have fun and learn about God in the process. A place safe from a lot of the evil out there they might wander into. But things have changed and young people are growing up much more slowly. Parents are much more involved in the lives of their kids to not only slow them down, but also to help guide them into "finding their thing" and ultimately pursuing happiness.

This is where Root's critique comes into view. While explaining the history behind this shift into a consumer society driven to find happiness above all else, he ties in why this is not sustainable and more importantly a Christian perspective of how to approach this concern.

I'll go ahead and spoil the book a bit as I believe it's worth having and reading regardless of knowing the "outcome," but Root ultimately decides that youth ministry is for joy, specifically joy in friendship. This book is a story to interpret centered around interpreting stories with one another to see how God is alive and at work in our church communities. Happiness is more self-centered, while joy finds its place in community, even when it is tied to events such as loss, grief, and failure. Rather than just living moment to moment, what is the story we inhabit? And is our story one that lasts and has real meaning?

I am rather new to the youth ministry game, but I do believe this book is one that should be on the shelves of not just every youth minister, but every parent as well as it hit home for me in that area too.

This was an excellent read on the issues facing youth ministry today. So many youth ministry books today focus simply on strategy and method - which are of course important - but Andrew Root goes much deeper to address the actual WHY of youth ministry. This is a high-level read- he addresses concepts like worldview, highest good, joy vs. happiness and identity. Charles Taylor's work is largely engaged with and consulted - so this isn't a skim read, you have to pay attention. But, it is so worth it. This book is profound, makes so much sense and I found myself highlighting and sharing the insights with my husband on almost every page. I highly recommend this read that challenges current models of youth ministry and presents a convincing argument that youth ministry is for joy.

Root's "The End of Youth Ministry" does a superb job describing how secularization has changed the shape of gospel ministry, and specifically ministry to youth. Root's insights into youth ministry (that it is for joy), cultural critique, and identity formation make this a must-read, not just for those working in youth ministry but everyone working in ministry, as the undercurrents of Root describes will eventually surface in broader ministry contexts. In this sense, this book as a prophetic edge to it that ought to be carefully listened to. In terms of methodology, the book's autoethnographic structure is one of the better examples of this method in contemporary practical theology literature. I highly recommended this book.