Establishing and developing youth work in a post-modern context

1. Establishing and developing youth work in a post-modern context “The Emerging Journey” Church on the edge Models?? You have to think for yourself Developing Critical dialogue& analysis Cultural differences in the New Testament church

2. What is Your Start point? • What is Youth Work? • What is the Gospel? • How do you view Jesus? • Do you approach faith as a journey?

3. Informing Themes • Is youth work about Social or Spiritual change? • Is Youth Ministry more linked to social control or social change? • Youth and/or Community? • Orthodoxy and Orthopraxis • Do you have any holy cows? Eg Church

4. Back to our roots The Emerging Journey

5. The Overview Relational Expressions Cultural Plants Youth Worship Alternative Worship Missiological Youth Work Emerging Church Mission Shaped Church Fresh Expressions Church Planting Evangelical Youth Work Youth Congregations

6. Missiological Youth Work • Incarnational in nature • Wholistic • Concern for the margins • Kingdom centred • Counter Cultural • Parallel approach

7. Church Planting (verb) • The transfer of part of a congregation into an area of need with the evangelistic expectation that new people will find faith and the renewal of their spiritual lives…. (Archbishop George Carey 1988/1991) • Creating new communities of faith as part of the mission of God to express His Kingdom in every geographic and cultural context. (Bob Hopkins)

8. Evangelical Youth Work • Your thoughts • Well resourced • Creative • Attractional • Proselytising • Sub cultural

9. From Missiological Youth Work to Relational Expressions of church • Same values pervaded • Drawing from BEC’s, and local theology • Arising from effective work and efforts to remain parallel. • Failure of church planting in UPA • Examples include fast game, road, relational meetings

10. From Church Planting to Cultural plants • Several successful churches established • Part of the response to decade of evangelism • Most successful where planted into similar culture • Failure of church planting in UPA • Examples in most denominations in UK

11. Evangelical Youth Work to Youth Worship • Attractional in nature • Pre soul survivor Watford, event rather than church focussed • Often linked to large MC church • Global village influenced • Chorus and song always key part of EYW • Examples inc SS, The Mix, The Path

13. The Overview Relational Expressions Cultural Plants Youth Worship Alternative Worship Missiological Youth Work Emerging Church Mission Shaped Church Fresh Expressions Church Planting Evangelical Youth Work Youth Congregations

14. 3 Approaches to Church • Attractional Church = COME! • Engaged Church = GO! and invite to COME! • Emerging Church = GO! and stay … see what ARISES

15. Emerging Church • A world wide conversation about the future or church in a post modern paradigm. • Local communities, learning, living and contextualising and conceptualising the gospel, geographically, culturally, socially. • Missionally holistic, with a robust humility • Christ and Kingdom centred

16. Emerging Church • Pro church • Pro culture • Pro participation • Generous Orthodoxy

17. Mission Shaped Church • A missionary church is ….. - Focussed on God the Trinity - Incarnational - Transformational - Makes Disciples - Relational Mission shaped Church p81-82

18. Fresh Expressions (noun) • Institutional ordering of the conversation and missionary impetus • Language without the commitment • Lack of openness • Some Positive structural changes • Important advocates • Resourcing and communication to existing and traditional structures creates space

19. What is church? • Your thoughts • “Community of Jesus’ disciples mandated by God to reproduce and fill the earth towards the return of Christ.” (George Lings) • “I suppose that wherever the presence of the risen Jesus takes on community form… I’d have to call that church.” (Rowen Williams when in Wales) • “Church is what happens when people encounter the risen Jesus and commit themselves to sustaining and deepening that encounter in their encounter with each other.” (Rowen Williams Mission Shaped Church p vii) • “A Jesus community of disciple-making disciples.” (Bob Hopkins)

20. What can we learn from this history? • In front not out from • Church is less fixed • Youth work and church are linked but in a different way

21. Next Session

22. Models???? – An introduction to and reflection on church and missions centered models of youth ministry.

23. What is Youth Ministry?

24. Church Centred Models • Inside Out • Outside In

25. Church Centred Models • Semi Formal • Non Formal

26. Church centred Models (semi formal) • Willow Creek • hello

27. Church centred Models (semi formal) • Purpose Driven Youth Ministry • fundamental purposes YM • Evangelism • Discipleship • Fellowship • Ministry • Worship

28. Church centred (non formal) • The Message Trust • World wide message tribe • Eden

29. Church Centred Models • What impact does post modernity have on these models? • Suspicion of meta-narrative • Mistrust of institutions • Bricolage and Intertextuality • Truth is less fixed

30. Mission Centred Models • Youth work rooted approaches • Relational rooted approaches ‘In working with young people, do not try to call them back to where they were, and do not try to call them to where you are, as beautiful as that place may seem to you. You must have the courage to go with them to a place that neither you nor they have ever been before’ Donovan, Vincent Christianity Rediscovered: An epistle from the Masai SCM Press 1982

31. Relational Centred approach Christian relational care (Pete Ward) Mission Centred Models

32. Youth Work Rooted Approach Empowerment Informal Education Participation Equality of Opportunity Mission Centred Models

33. Detached youth work is the process of building mutual relationships with young people on the streets, in the park, or other areas of the community where young people are, in their free time. This process offers a distinct context where relationships are free from traditional notions of adult power, offering a unique environment and opportunity to engage in long term holistic youth work underpinned by the values of informal education, empowerment, participation, equal opportunities and a theology characterised by humility and orthopraxis. Mission Centred Models (youth work rooted)

34. Mission Centred Models (youth work rooted)

35. Mission Centred Models • What impact does post modernity have on these models? • Suspicion of meta-narrative • Mistrust of institution • Bricolage and Intertextuality • Truth is less fixed

36. Next Session

37. Developing Critical Dialogue and Analysisin a post modern landscape • Deconstructive eg Derrida and Foucault • Constructive eg Stiver • a critique of modernism • a paradigm shift • a ‘sketch of the future’

38. The Bible Tradition The Culture Developing Critical Dialogue and Analysis Spirit led As other The Pattern Within community

39. Developing Critical Dialogue and Analysis The Bible Spirit led Tradition The Culture Local Belief Mosaic

40. Developing Critical Dialogue and Analysis The Bible Cultural Creators Engenders meaning Tradition The Culture Critical and Constructive

41. The Bible as theology’s norming norm Tradition The Culture theology’s hermeneutical context theology’s particular and historical context Developing Critical Dialogue and Analysis

42. The Bible Tradition The Culture Developing Critical Dialogue and Analysisin a post modern landscape • Conclusions • 3D use of framework • Local Balance • Truth is less fixed

43. Context Text Christian Tradition The event Learning from the Context Learning about God Theological critique How will you now address the issue? What broader lessons can be learnt? Developing Critical Dialogue and Analysis • Theological reflection as model for dialogue

44. Next Session

45. New Testament Church Role Play

46. Next Session

47. You Have to think for Yourself! • An Introduction to Youth Ministry and Contextualisation

48. You Have to think for YourselfYouth Ministry and Contextualisation 1. Sex before marriage is wrong 1 2 3 4 5 2. Youth workers should hand out condoms 1 2 3 4 5 3. Soft drugs should be legalised 1 2 3 4 5 4. All drugs are bad 1 2 3 4 5 5. You should allow young people to verbally abuse you 1 2 3 4 5 6. The Gospel is always good news 1 2 3 4 5 7. Violence can be used in a healthy way 1 2 3 4 5 8. Swearing and offensive language offends you 1 2 3 4 5 9. It is wrong to be homosexual 1 2 3 4 5 10. I would receive stolen goods as a thank you present 1 2 3 4 5 11. Censorship on films and videos is outdated 1 2 3 4 5 All sins are the same in God's eyes 1 2 3 4 5 1 Agree with stand on chair with hands high 5 Disagree Crouch low with hands on floor

49. Philosophy of Youth Ministry • In working with young people do not try to call back to where they were and do call them to where you are as beautiful a place as that may seem to you. You must have the courage to go with them to a place that neither you nor they have ever been before. Vincent Donovan Christianity Rediscovered

50. Youth Ministry • Responding to the Needs and Interests of young people • Underlying values • Educative • Designed to promote equality of opportunity • Participative • Empowering • Incarnational