I wrote a blog post today that is up over at the Youth Cartel’s website. I really like those guys a ton. They are doing a lot of thinking about Youth Ministry and how it is shifting and changing. I’m going to post a bit of my article here but then I want to tease you to go over to their site and read the whole thing. The bullet points on the bottom are all fleshed out if you click the link to the full blog. A lot has been said in recent years about the future of youth ministry. Some great books have been written and much has been mused about what the likely direction things will go. I have read most of the books and to a large extent I agree with what many of the writers are saying. If I had to summarize what I think are the three major trends and shifts in the direction of future youth ministry I would say they are: Intergenerational, Family focused and containing a more robust theological reflection.
If I’m honest though I should admit that I care less about the direction we “think” it will go and more about my continual place within it. I decided to make a list of things that are a part of my present call to youth ministry and how I believe they will continue into my future because it’s what I’m passionate about. This list is in no particular order it’s just things that I think I want to keep focusing on that get me excited to keep doing youth/family ministry after 20+ years. Many of these things line up with what others are saying the future will look like which is great because it shows maybe I’m not completely off base on what I value and think I should focus on.
Here’s my hope is that you do the same thing for yourself. What makes you tick? What gets you up in the morning and excited to do your job? What are the things that you feel are non-negotiable things that you want to hang on to for a long time. Find them and do them and your future in Youth Ministry will be so much brighter and longer.
-Mentoring younger leaders
-More connection to parents/families
-Encouraging two-way dialogue between the academy and the church
-A network of influence
-An Advocate for children/youth/parents/families
-Push the Intergenerational Envelope
