"Faith Beyond Youth Group" (Kara Powell, Jen Bradbury, and Brad M. Griffin)

TITLE: Faith Beyond Youth Group: Five Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship
AUTHOR: Kara Powell, Jen Bradbury, and Brad M. Griffin
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2023, (224 pages).
 

What about the rest of the week? Is there more the faith than the weekly meetings? In recent times, there have been questions about what Church-goers do beyond Sundays. In marketplace ministries, this concern comes in the form of Faith beyond Sundays. Paul Stevens coins this as "The Other Six Days." Laura Nash and Scott McLellan write about this in "Work on Monday, Church on Sunday." Several other authors such as Wayne Jacobsen, Maurice Johnson, and Tony Carvalho word prefer to describe such emphases as "Beyond Sundays." All of these authors want to encourage believers to practice their faith not just on Sundays but every day of the week. What these authors have done, Kara Powell, Jen Bradbury, and Brad M. Griffin want to do the same for youths. Faith should not be limited to a mere once-every-weekend or regular once-a-week youth group meetings. It should be daily, or as often as possible. When interviewing youth ministry leaders, Powell et al note a common occurrence, that after a while, the enthusiasm loses steam. The "We agree it's not working" feedback is sending alarm bells across churches with conventional youth program models. Factor in the high burn-out rate of youth workers, perhaps, it is a good time for leaders to look at some of the more specific areas of concern beyond the mere rest of the week question. Questions such as:

• Are the lives of teenagers improved because of their time at youth groups?
• How is their faith strengthened?
• Are they becoming a positive force for the gospel? 
• Have they become more engaged in the spiritual disciplines in their personal time?
• How do we engage kids in such a way to form their faith in Jesus?
• ........

While statistics are pointing to lower levels of depression and drug use as well as improved academic performance, there are troubling numbers about parental relationships. The authors peel off the outer layer of youth group ministry to uncover the struggles of ministry with youths. An important purpose is to discover ways to instill faith in them. They look at the need for character development. They help us ponder the differences between character formation vs our culture's version of "good kids." They point out three reasons why "character gaps" exist and the need to ask three big questions: "Who am I?" "Where do I fit?" "What difference can I make?" They also take notice of cultural changes and how we need to adapt the way we approach the ministry. This includes a deeper sensitivity toward mental health concerns. Another concern is about how past strategies, even those well-intentioned ones (from predominantly white cultures) have unwittingly harmed marginalized communities. We read about the five-point compass to build character, and the need to incorporate trust through consistency and closeness. In looking at modeling growth, they show us the four barriers to modeling growth and propose some navigational tools to model growth for youths. 

Chapter Six shows us the limits of conventional models of Youth ministries. People increasingly do not want to accept the formula of: "Game+Worship+20min Talk+Small Groups = Success." This is due to a misplaced mental model as well as a gradual decline in trusting authority figures. If one shifts more toward critical thinking instead of conformity-type strategies, youths will be more receptive. Even the conventional ways of urging Bible reading and prayer can fall on dull ears and uninspired hearts. The chapters on "Practicing Together" give us ways in which we can go beyond mere instruction into inspired practices. One effective way is to share our struggles so that youths will identify with our stories. Another way is to work on making meaning in the activities we do. Finally, the authors help us to map our own life of faith. 

My Thoughts

Let me offer three thoughts about this book. First, every generation has its own set of challenges. We should not downplay or embellish the problems of any one generation. When it comes to youth ministry work, I have often heard the comment that "Youth ministry nowadays is harder than before." That is at most only partially true. Working with youths has always been challenging. More accurately, youth ministry is essentially about adaptation. The better and faster we understand the uniqueness of each generation, the better we can equip ourselves to work with new generational thinking. This is what this book is trying to teach us, about the unique changes that are occurring in the minds and hearts of Gen Z folks and beyond. One key strength the authors have consistently done is the compare and contrast past strategies and to chart out the way forward. I find that particularly helpful because they are familiar anchoring points so that we can see the differences for ourselves. By first acknowledging where we are, we can then navigate to where we want to go.

Second, the need to establish trust is more important than ever. Past strategies often deal with assumptions that the programs and activities automatically attract people. Faith development is assumed rather than actively engaged with. If the hard skills are the programs and techniques of youth ministry, then the soft skills are the relational aspect. Cultivating trust is an essential soft skill we all need to do. With a deepening loss of trust in authority and the cultural disdain over leaders in general, cultivating trust should be key, and all planned activities need to have this focus. Modeling growth is part of that trust strategy. Using the bank account metaphor, Church perception generally begins with a deficit of trust. We need to make deposits to bring the balance back to a healthy level. 

Finally, how effective will this book be for the future of youth ministry? That depends on several factors. Are leaders willing to acknowledge changes happening in the youths of today and tomorrow? What about the willingness to let go of outdated investments and start afresh with new ones? How quickly can we educate Church boards (especially those majority seniors-led) to change? Where are the role models of today? How do we develop new models that would appeal to the younger folks? We need to make a distinction between keeping timeless principles and accommodating changing trends. For instance, Bible study is a timeless principle for spiritual growth. How we approach it can be adapted according to the questions young people raise. Do not be afraid to deal with these questions head-on. By showing young people that we genuinely care about their faith, they will open up and help us in the youth ministry. We need to move away from the "sage-by-the-stage" to become the "guide-by-the-side" model.

Tough challenges remain for anyone who refuses to adapt. Eventually, I believe we all need to apply the questions of trust to ourselves. If we have not learned to trust God, why should anyone else learn of us? Youth ministry is tough when we do it on our strengths and resources. When the Spirit of God blows, we need to raise our sails to go along. Thanks to Powell, Bradbury, and Griffin, we have a new necessary resource to help us do just that.

Kara Powell, PhD, is the chief of leadership formation and executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) at Fuller Theological Seminary (see FullerYouthInstitute.org). Named by Christianity Today as one of "50 Women to Watch," Kara serves as a youth and family strategist for Orange and speaks regularly at parenting and leadership conferences. Kara has authored or co-authored numerous books, including 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, Growing With, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family and the entire Sticky Faith series. Kara and her husband, Dave, are regularly inspired by the learning and laughter that comes from their three teenage and young adult children. You can find Kara at KaraPowell.com.

Jen Bradbury serves as content director for the Fuller Youth Institute and a volunteer youth pastor at her local Episcopal church. With more than twenty years of experience in youth ministry, she's the author of several books, including The Jesus Gap, The Real Jesus, Called: A Novel About Youth Ministry Transitions,and What Do I Believe About What I Believe? Jen and her husband, Doug, live in the Chicagoland area where they can regularly be found adventuring with their two young daughters. You can find Jen at YMJen.com.

Brad M. Griffin is the senior director of content and research for the Fuller Youth Institute, where he develops research-based training for youth ministry leaders and families. A speaker, writer, and volunteer pastor, Brad is the coauthor of over fifteen books, including 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, Growing Young, and several Sticky Faith books. Brad and his wife, Missy, live in Southern California and share life with their three teenage and young adult children. You can find Brad on Instagram at @BGriffinFYI.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.

conrade

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