A New Kind of Youth Ministry

For a couple of years now I have been developing the framework for a narrative/missional (missio dei) approach to youth ministry.  We’ve been articulating this approach in our one-day training experience called, Enroute all over North America.

The framework (shown below) is not only the root of the training experience but it also provides the basis for much of the content in my forthcoming book called, Story, Signs and Sacred Rhythms (YS/Zondervan).

Story, Signs and Sacred Rhythms draws from the work of notables such as David Bosch, Arthur Glasser, Leslie Newbigin, Scot McKnight, Darell Guder, Craig Van Gelder, Chris Wright, Michael Frost and a bunch of others.  While the book is steeped in narrative theology, I intend for it to be very practical knowing that generally speaking, theory without practice is void of substance, influence and ultimately impact on the lives of people.

I am geared up to teach some of the content and elements of Story, Signs and Sacred Rhythms at YS’s National Youth Workers Conventions this fall.  Next week at this time I’ll be in Sacramento and then on to Pittsburgh, Nashville and Toronto (CYWC) later this fall/winter.  Perhaps some of you will pop into my seminar and exchange ideas and thoughts with the others and me.  The actual title of the seminar is “Exploring a Missional Approach to Nurturing Adolescents.”  You can read the description HERE.

BTW – If you are interested in digging into the framework above, you can contact Matt Wilks our director of youth worker initiatives at Youthfront and find out where there might be a training experience near you.  We do about 50 or so of them a year so you are most likely to find one within driving distance.  You can reach Matt at mwilks@youthfront.com or just go to http://www.youthfront.com/enroute to learn more.