Presence-Centered Youth Ministry – Pt. 2

This is part two of a look at Presence-Centered Youth Ministry by Mike King. A team of folks at LifeBridge is taking a look at this book in the context of discussing the future of student ministry in our community.

In part one we looked at chapters one and two.

Presence-Centered Youth Ministry

Chapter Three – A Convergence of Fronts
Mike says we are experiencing a convergence of fronts that will unsettle and reorient how we do youth ministry going forward.

• Epistemological – We are in the last throws of Enlightenment-birthed modern rationalism that sought to comprehend all of reality with certainty. Modernism has eaten its young (my metaphor ) and led to a secular skepticism that says that which cannot be known exhaustively cannot be known at all. We now move into a time of post-modernism which may provide opportunities for ways of knowing that are valid without being certain (a proper confidence, Newbigin would say).
• Ecclessiological – We are experiencing shifts in how churches organize themselves – away from boundary-defending denominationalism to missional networks and mission-shaped organizations.
• Theological - We are moving from a modern pragmatism and static theology to a theologically-driven faith.
• Philosophical/Scientific – Quantum physics has challenged and reframed age old questions like “What is the purpose of life?” and “What is the future of the cosmos?” We have moved from a time (just 20 years ago) when scientists thought they had everything pretty close to nailed down to new thought that has blown the lid off old models of reality and has blurred the lines between science and faith.
• Sociological – Youth workers trained to relate to Gen-Xr’s are finding that the ‘Millenial’ generation is radically different.

Mike clearly sees Postmodernism as an opportunity to be seized and not a threat to be feared.

pg. 46 Mike lists some of the most common beliefs of young people:

• God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
• The central goal of like is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
• God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life expcept when God is needed to resolve a problem.
• Good people go to heaven when they die.

Mike ends the chapter by calling for a turn from a domesticated gospel-in-our-image to the radical message of an un-safe Jesus, claiming that this would be a welcome and compelling message for young people in our culture.

Chapter Four – A New Kind of Youth Worker
I personally think Mike names something extremely important with the opening paragraph of this chapter. “Fear…is a major factor affecting how we engage in youth ministry today. The fear that keeps us from creating loving environments…is the same fear that is a major factor in the actual departure of kids from the church.” pg. 49

“All this fear leads us to engage in youth ministry based on behavioral modification techniques and poisons the environment of genuine transformation, which comes only through the work of the Holy Spirit.” pg. 49

(I want to quote this entire section – but instead, you should go get a copy and read it.)

Mike writes a great section here on what it means to be called by God into a vocation. I like that he recovers the language of ‘calling’ and ‘vocation’ that honors all of life being lived out under God – not just ‘ministry’.

Mike then addresses some of the overly simplistic responses (like ‘you just need more faith’) to some of the deeply complex questions young people have (like ‘I’m not sure I believe all the things my church believes’).

He then defines presence-centered youth ministry as “creating an environment where we and those around us are able to come face to face with god. We’re allowed to spend time in God’s presence. The story of Jesus (Lk 10:38-42) acknowledging our primary need to sit at his feet to learn, to worship and to be is a seminal verse for me and this book.”

pg. 54 – great quote from Robert Webber that ends “There is a new seriousness about young people, millennial people. They don’t want to be entertained. They want to be challenged. They want a faith that is challenging as opposed to a Christianity that is entertaining.”

Mike further defines presence-centered youth ministry as being narrative-driven, deeply connected to Scripture, bathed in prayer and encountering God the Spirit as the transformative agent in formation.

pg. 58 – Mike quotes Collen Carroll’s The New Faithful in describing what young adults (late adolescents) are like today:

• They get identity from religious beliefs.
• They are attracted to worldviews that challenge dominant secular culture.
• They embrace challenging faith commitments.
• They adhere to sacrificial religious devotion.
• They yearn for mystery and make decisions intuitively.
• The seek guidance from legitimate authorities.
• They strive for personal holiness, authenticity and integration (and are repelled by complacency, hypocrisy and pandering).
• Their beliefs and practices defy expectations or categorization of current church leaders.
• They are concerned with engaging the larger culture.