The Church of England has a bold vision to grow younger, with a specific target of doubling the number of children and young active disciples by 2030. Whilst this is a strategic goal that must be owned by the whole church, from incumbent Priests to volunteers and families, recent research by the Church has shown that specialist workers in this area make a big difference: over 80% of churches growing in the area of children and young people’s work rate employing a specialist as very important in bringing about this growth.
However, whilst this statistic makes a good case for churches employing youth workers, I want to take it a step further and suggest that the biggest impact will come not just from employing someone but from developing theologically trained and imaginative Christian youth workers. After all youth ministry is first and foremost a theological task. All the big questions that young people of emerging generations are wrestling with are fundamentally theological – questions of identity, purpose, creation care, injustice, community, and relationships all lead us to deep reflection on scripture and culture to discern where God is at work and how He might be calling us to respond. As Andrew Root has written in The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry, ‘seeing youth ministry as a theological task moves youth ministry beyond utilitarianism and demands that we do real reflection on the practice of ministry and the young people to whom and with whom we minister’.
A couple of year’s ago I had the pleasure of partnering with the Youthscape Centre for Research in a project exploring theological reflection in youth ministry. One of the fascinating findings was that those working in youth ministry felt there is greater urgency in the theological task when working with young people than there is for those in other forms of ministry and Christian leadership. Why is this? Because young people are in the process of identity formation; those asking questions from the sharp end of popular culture with an urgency that comes from seeing the world as one trying to find a place in it. Christian youth workers can therefore be faced with more complex issues than the wider Church has yet addressed. This is why we are passionately committed to training for youth ministry that prioritises theological depth and creativity.
After all youth ministry is first and foremost a theological task. All the big questions that young people of emerging generations are wrestling with are fundamentally theological – questions of identity, purpose, creation care, injustice, community, and relationships.
In 2 Timothy 1:6, St Paul famously commends his young apprentice Timothy to ‘fan into flame the gift of God which is in [him]’, suggesting that by the Spirit this gift can be used with power, love, and self-discipline. Where are the younger leaders that have a heart to see emerging generations encounter the good news of Jesus? Whose gift might God be wanting to fan into flame through the theological study, worshipping community and personal formation of St Mellitus College? We are excited to relaunch our youth ministry training because we believe wholeheartedly that through theological study the Spirit can fan into flame the gifts of those called to serve in this vital area.
Dr Mark Scanlan
Mark is Tutor in Theology and Youth Ministry and Lead Undergraduate Tutor
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