the-story-vol-8

THE STORY
SPECIAL EDITION
THEOLOGY OF YOUTH MINISTRY
WHY? P.3
WHO? P.4
WHERE? P.5
TWEET-SIZED
THEOLOGICAL
PROVOCATIONS
FOR YOUTH
MINISTRY
P.6–7
youthscape.co.uk/research
2018
VOL. 4

WELCOME TO
THE STORY
For this special edition we are drawing
back to reflect on the role of theology
for youth ministry. Beyond the research
findings, stats and trends, theology
makes sense of what we do and
provokes us to deeper expressions of
God’s life and love. Our four contributors
look at youth ministry theology from
different angles, each of which invites us
to respond.
They encourage us – that relationships
with young people are not a means to
an end because Christ is already present
there, working in their lives. They
bring vision – when we build on solid
theological foundations we can resist
anxiety and despair about young people
or youth work and look to God. They
give us practices – like ‘reflexivity’ so we
see how our theology grows out of the
soil of our lives, and we can be open to
other perspectives, grown from different
soil. And they bring challenge – that
the Gospel young people encounter is
carried in the way we do things, and that
we need to broaden these experiences
to reflect the fullness of God.
Enjoy working out how to respond!
Dr Lucie Shuker
Head of research, Youthscape
To sign up for future editions of
THE STORY, and to receive printed
versions, visit youthscape.co.uk/
research
IN THIS ISSUE:
WHY?
Phoebe Hill
WHO?
Mark Scanlan
WHERE?
Sally Nash
TWEET-SIZED PROVOCATIONS
FOR YOUTH MINISTRY
Pete Ward
YOUTH WORK DIAGRAMS
PULL-OUT POSTER
Micah Purnell
IN THE
PREVIOUS
ISSUE
P.3
P.4
P.5
P.6–7
P.8
REVERSE
We included the latest research from
Prayer Spaces in Schools. To view
the full research report for yourself,
visit prayerspacesinschools.com/
research2017
WHY?
A few years ago, I had reached the end of my
tether with my youth group. Nothing seemed
to be ‘working’ with the young people who
were attending, and worse still they seemed
to resent being there, having been made to
attend by their parents.
I became overwhelmed by this idea that the
youth group was not ‘working’. I felt like I was
responsible, and that it was up to me to fix it,
but I had no answers. I felt like I was failing the
young people in my church, and every week
was a painful reminder of this fact. I started to
resent going to youth group because I felt bad
and I felt responsible. I kept thinking to myself:
‘For goodness sake, I have a professional youth
work role as my day job and I can’t even run
a youth group successfully!’ My prayer times
became strategy meetings with God where I
would plead for a ‘solution’ to the ‘problem’
of my group. I began to run the youth group
from this place of anxiety and desperation and
resentment.
My experience is a microcosm of the anxiety
and desperation we might feel on a national
level when we think about young people
and the Church in the UK. Reports on church
attendance (including our own research, Losing
Heart) confirm the low numbers of young
people in churches up and down the country.
Fewer and fewer attendees at youth ministry
training colleges suggest declining numbers of
those going into church-based youth ministry
in the first place. These pressures can make us
fearful. We can start to operate our ministries
from a ‘deficit’ mindset, of plugging a gap, of
channelling resources to where they are most
needed. We begin operating out of fear, not out
of faith; out of lack, not out of love. We fall into
the trap of ‘economising’ or ‘technologising’ in
youth ministry, focusing only on what ‘works’,
on the most impactful or effective way of
working, and on numbers over individual people.
Out of desperation, we start looking anywhere,
everywhere, for the answers, clinging on to the
latest ‘silver bullet’ which might just provide the
solution. We can even end up removing God
from the picture entirely.
Root and Dean identify a ‘rhetoric of despair’
and an absence of theological thinking in youth
ministry. They argue that youth ministry must
be rescued from ‘decades of foster care in
the social sciences in order to return it to its
theological home’ 1 . Root and Dean explain that,
‘We must begin to see ourselves not primarily
as youth ministry directors but as theologians
who do constructive theology in the context
of ministry with the adolescent population’ 1 .
Thinking theologically about our youth ministry
helps us to orient ourselves to God’s perspective.
Thinking theologically about our youth ministry
helps us to operate and evaluate our ministries
through a theological lens, focusing on how
God sees them and what his priorities are,
and ultimately remembering that he is actively
involved in them.
Thankfully, my youth group turned a corner.
After months of feeling like we were getting
nowhere, young people began to encounter God
for themselves, and everything changed. Things
started to click into place. Young people seemed
to want to be there. Hey, I even wanted to be
there again! By God’s grace, he hadn’t removed
himself from the picture, even if I had. As we
look to the future of our own ministries, and think
about what it is that we want to achieve, our
hopes and dreams for the young people present
and our vision for the group, how can we think
theologically about our ministries, and remember
God’s active presence in them?
Phoebe Hill Is a researcher at Youthscape and
a doctoral student at King’s College London.
1. Root, A. and K.C. Dean, The theological turn in youth ministry. 2011, Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Books.
P.2
P.3

WHO?
It is not uncommon to talk about theology for
or of youth ministry, though the question of
who does this theology is rarely asked. It is my
contention that Christian youth workers need
to see their role as facilitating the theological
expression of young people and helping them
to name, nurture and nourish that expression.
This means that the ‘who’ of theology in youth
ministry is the young people in conversation
with us and the wider Christian community
past and present.
One of my favourite moments in the Old
Testament is in 1 Samuel 3. Samuel is a boy
under the tutelage of the elderly priest Eli.
God has been silent and distant when, in the
middle of the night, Samuel hears a voice and
assumes Eli is calling him. Three times he gets
up and twice he is sent back to bed before, on
the third occasion, Eli realises what is going on
and directs Samuel to say ‘speak Lord for your
servant is listening’.
Theology is about discerning who God is and
how God is at work in the world. Consequently,
any theology for youth ministry needs to
engage with these questions in relation to
the lives of young people. It follows then that
theology is not simply something given, to be
passed on and held dear. Rather it is something
to be discovered and to participate in together,
in order that we become aware of the activity
and character of God 1 . Andrew Root draws on
the work of practical theologian Ray Anderson
in framing this approach to theology as being
about discerning ‘Christopraxis’ 2 . This is defined
as the ongoing ministry of Christ through his
Spirit and involves a rich understanding of
God’s actions through the earthly ministry of
Christ, alongside being open to the Spirit of
God in the present.
As with Samuel, the young people might not
be able to articulate what they experience as
the activity or voice of God so they need some
guidance in developing their understanding.
This does not mean that we tell them what God
is doing or saying, but rather that we help them
to discern these things and then we listen. In
this way theology operates as conversation.
By embracing theology as conversation we
embrace a rhythm to theology that recognises
that our understanding of God is provisional and
relational 3 . This does not mean that anything
goes. Rather, as Samuel and Eli remind us, this
conversation needs both openness to God
moving in new ways and deep knowledge of God
that stems from a life of devotion.
The image of conversation in theology is helpful
as the best conversations are not when you
come to my understanding or vice versa, but
rather as ‘you and I come to an understanding
together’ 4 . The exciting outcome of this approach
to theology when working with young people
is that, as in these best conversations, we grow
together in our awareness of what God is doing.
And if Root is right in challenging us to see
relationships in youth ministry as the place in
which Christ is present rather than as a means of
influencing young people 5 then theology flows
from these relationships in which both young
people and leaders are engaged in the process
of discernment.
So who does the theology in youth ministry? We
all do. And we do it humbly in community, aware
of our own provisional understanding of God.
And we do it with a keen desire to set free the
theological expression of young people.
Dr Mark Scanlan Is the Lecturer in Theology
and Youth Ministry at St Mellitus College.
1. See Paul S. Fiddes, Participating in God: A Pastoral Doctrine of the Trinity
(Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 2000); “Ecclesiology and Ethnography: Two
Discipline, Two Worlds,” in Perspectives on Ecclesiology and Ethnography,
ed. Pete Ward (Cambridge, UK: William B Eerdmans, 2012). 2. Andrew Root,
Christopraxis: A Practical Theology of the Cross (Fortress Press, 2014);
Ray S Anderson, The Shape of Practical Theology: Empowering Ministry
with Theological Praxis (IVP Academic, 2001). 3. See N. T. Wright, The New
Testament and the People of God: Christian Origins and the Question of God
V. 1 (SPCK Publishing, 1992), 136. 4. Terry A. Veling, Practical Theology: “On
Earth as It Is in Heaven” (New York: Orbis Books, 2005), 61. 5. Andrew Root,
Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry (Downers Grove, Il.: InterVarsity Press,
2007).
WHERE?
When God asked Adam ‘Where are you?’
(Genesis 3.9) I think God already knew the
answer. I wonder, however, if Adam and Eve
did in anything other than a very literal way.
There are many different ways to answer
the question ‘where are you?’ and this has
implications for the way that we do theology
around youth ministry. Adam and Eve were
ashamed of their nakedness, which was the
reason that they were hiding (implied by
Genesis 2.25). Their context had changed,
they had eaten from the tree of knowledge of
good and evil (Genesis 3.6), and consequently
their behaviour had changed. Our ‘where’,
our context, impacts the way we do theology
around youth ministry.
We often use the word ‘contextual’ when
talking about ‘where’, realising that such
things as our geographical, socio-political
and ecclesiological settings (corporately) and
gender, ethnicity, sexuality, (dis)ability, and
social class (individually) all have an impact on
our theological thinking. Jesus was incarnate
in a particular geographical, historical and
social context, was male, and a jew, all of which
impacted the way that he lived, ministered and
died. How does our context – historically as
well as now – impact the way we do theology in
youth ministry?
I would encourage the asking of the question
‘where am I?’ in thinking about theology in
youth ministry. The technical term that we use
(particularly in research) in relation to this is
‘reflexivity’. This asks the question of how who I
am (holistically) impacts my understanding and
the way that I work. When we think, talk or write
about youth ministry we do not do so in a value
neutral way. It is shaped by our experiences,
our beliefs, and our values, and it is important
that we understand them so that we see any
bias or assumptions that we are bringing to our
theology of youth ministry. It is also good if we
understand where others are coming from when
we explore their theology of youth ministry.
My teenage years were formative in shaping
my theology; where I attended church made a
difference. I started going to a Baptist church
with a school friend where I heard the Gospel
communicated in a different way to my childhood
Sunday School experiences. My youth group
leaders talked about evangelism and took us
out door to door. We were encouraged to think
about the importance of Christians being active
in society, the responsibility of voting, being
involved in social action, as well as the need to
spend time daily with God. Most of this came as
a consequence of regular group Bible study. I
can still see the outworking of those things in my
life now. I have never missed voting in any local
or national election and my aim is still to spend
time daily with God in something recognizable to
my teenage self as a quiet time. Where I grew up
shaped me, my theology and my practice. Where
are you?
Rev Dr Sally Nash Is the Director of the
Midlands Institute for Children Youth and
Mission.
P.4 P.5

TWEET-SIZED
THEOLOGICAL
PROVOCATIONS
FOR YOUTH
MINISTRY
The Gospel takes cultural
form in the things that we do
in youth ministry. By grace
Jesus is present through the
Spirit in the cultural forms of
expression youth ministers
have created. Cultural forms
of expression however are
always limited even as and
while the Spirit is present and
active.
Youth ministry should be
shaped by the Gospel.
Problem is in our cultural
forms of expression this
connection has been almost
forgotten. The Gospel has
become a set of ideas that
we present at conversion.
When that is over and done
with what we actually do
comes from somewhere else.
The actual Gospel we
present is not seen in the
doctrine we say but in the
way we habitually lead young
people to encounter Christ in
and through cultural forms of
expression.
Youth Ministry has
stalled and ceased to be
theologically and culturally
creative because the cultural
forms that we celebrate and
inhabit have become the only
way we can see God working
in young people’s lives.
We have been told that
worship is the main event.
Jesus through the Spirit has
blessed so many of us in this
way. But even as we meet
with Jesus, are we being
called elsewhere?
Promoting our stuff and
being excited about what
God is doing in and through
our stuff should not prevent
us from an on-going critical
and theological evaluation
of our practice. If something
new is going to develop
then this becomes an urgent
necessity.
Is Church really the answer
to mission? When growing
and planting church has
become the key priority,
youth ministry has adapted
to largely serve this agenda.
TBH it’s not really working.
Large events disguise the
withering of groups at a
congregational level.
Relational youth ministry got
it right in starting with young
people outside of the Church.
It does however struggle
to disciple. The key is to
link missional outreach to
ongoing Church community.
So Church is the answer but
only if we get things in the
right order of priority. When
worship is the main event this
is hard to imagine.
The legacy of Soul Survivor
is immense. We have seen
amazing life poured out on
young people and the Church
through Soul Survivor and
everyone else influenced by
Wimber and the charismatic
Movement. As plans are
laid to generate a new thing
we need to honestly ask
ourselves: what has been the
down-side, and how are we
being called to do something
that is better? How can we
prioritise genuine mission?
Cultural forms include:
Organisations, events,
worship songs, social media,
what we wear, what we
preach, how we pray, how
we lead. Each of these carry
a take on how we see God
working and hence they
reveal what the Gospel is for
us in practice.
The cultural forms we
inhabit have us in a grip that
is both a blessing and curse.
It is way easier to do the
Christian groups and worship
events thing than to do
relational and mission-based
outreach. The fact is that the
rest of the Church doesn’t
really want anything else.
Church assumes we start
with Christian young people.
This is why mission-based
relational youth ministry has
been quietly dropped. In
the current climate, mission
outside the Church is off
the agenda, whatever the
rhetoric.
Dr Pete Ward Is professor of Practical
Theology at Durham University.
P.6 P.7

NATIONAL YOUTH MINISTRY WEEKEND BINGO
A speaker
in a denim
shirt
Gratuitous
use of Greek
“Let’s move
into a time
of…”
A resource
with a hashtag
on it
A National Youth
Ministry Weekend
T-shirt
Technical
issues
‘And I’ll close with
this…’ (cue 10
more minutes)
Awkward
conversation at an
exhibition stand
A speaker who
‘We’re trending!’ ‘Lord I JUST pray…’
goes over time
A Bible
Standing room
only
Someone who didn’t
intend to be in a
seminar (but now
can’t leave)
A large group
of Hungarians
Someone wearing
last year’s goodie
bag
For more #youthworkdiagrams follow us on Twitter @YWresearch
Bute Mills, 74 Bute Street,
Luton, LU1 2EY
TWITTER POLL
In this issue’s Twitter
poll we decided to ask a
genuine research question!
We asked youth workers*:
‘What’s been the most
useful resource for
your youth ministry
this year?’
hello@youthscape.co.uk
01582 877220
Registered charity no. 1081754.
Registered company no. 3939801
registered in England, a company
limited by guarantee.
43%
A BOOK
26% A VIDEO
7% A PODCAST
24%
A DOWNLOAD (e.g. PDF)
*Based on 58 responses.
P.8