Perhaps we need to rethink dating.
In the late 1990s, a Christian book titled I Kissed Dating Goodbye (by Joshua Harris) came out and caused a stir in some regions of the Christian subculture. It created a change in how youth dated in my part of the world and I don’t think it was always a helpful step. We kissed dating goodbye and I think it created even more pressure on some young people.
I work to raise awareness of missions and global youth and global issues among Christian youth workers. It’s a daunting task at times in the States where we’re doing all we can just to work with the youth in our own context. Still, the church is called to GO and global issues once thought of as “over there” now sit on our doorsteps.
Cultural competency and global awareness are becoming non-negotiables for youth workers committed preparing youth for the 21st century. The old insulated ways, where youth ministry protects kids from the world or just keeps teens active, won’t cut it for a faith that sticks as it is confronted by the problems of the world.
This morning I am speaking at the International Conference on Missions in Indianapolis before flying to Dallas for the National Youth Workers Convention. Aaron Arnold of Youth Hope is leading a preconference session on global youth ministry and asked me to come in and share some reflections about it after editing the book Global Youth Ministry: Reaching Adolescents Around the World (YS Academic)
I’ve been thinking about what to share regarding global youth ministry. Here are my main challenges to those who attend today: read more…
I had the privilege of co-coordinating a brand new book, GLOBAL YOUTH MINISTRY (Zondervan/YS, 2011), that serves one of the faster-growing areas of youth ministry. International youth ministry, once relegated to a one-hour session at a youth ministry conferences (and only 15 people showed up) has now become a vocational focus for thousands of youth workers. Some colleges and seminaries have developed new courses on global youth ministry while others have modified their courses to include units related to this area. We begin the book by stating:
“The growth of Christian youth ministry around the world has been nothing short of phenomenal. In regions where strategic ministry to youth barely existed 15 years ago, you’ll now discover well-organized ministries with established histories of effectiveness. Where none existed five years ago, a fledgling group of adults works to establish a regular presence among the young people in a community.”
It’s a bit awkward to post reviews of a book you wrote (or in this case, edited), but we’re thrilled by all of the positive responses for the book Global Youth Ministry: Reaching Adolescents Around the World (YS Academic)
“The world is full of young people, and the church is ministering to them. In Global Youth Ministry: Reaching Adolescents Around the World (YS Academic), Terry Linhart and David Livermore have assembled an incredible array of experts in youth ministry from various cultures. The authors of the various chapters are youth workers who know the culture and needs of the young people in their contexts, giving the reader an idea of what youth ministry looks like throughout the world – in places like Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe.” – Dennis Poulette, Youth Ministry International (Mexico).
From Socialnomics.net:
This Friday across America, most communities will be hosting a high school football game and a significant portion of the youth in that community will be in attendance. But how many youth workers will be there?
Before school a group of students will stand next to cars near the high school, smoking, talking, and trying to psyche each other up to endure the teachers’ glares for the day. They may even share a story or two about how a cop followed them around the night before. How many of these students are known by name and preferences by a local youth worker?
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