Toward a Prophetic Youth Ministry
Theory and Praxis in Urban Context
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press)
- Published: 2008
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Publisher's Description
Youth ministries in an urban context are too often left to their own devices. The resources available to them are overwhelmingly conceived, tested andproduced exclusively in the suburbs, and bring little to bear on the realities ofurban youth culture. As a consequence, youth ministries in large cities havetended to settle onto one of three paths--a traditional paradigm thatjealously guards the spiritual formation of its young people, a liberalparadigm that concentrates exclusively on personalgrowth, and an activistparadigm that galvanizes youth around the social concerns surroundingthem. While each of these emphases is important, too often they arepursued to the neglect of the others, and the urban church suffers. Fernando Arzola Jr. proposes a fourth way, a prophetic paradigm thatintegrates the three and cultivates young people who are spiritually rooted,emotionally mature and responsive to the needs of their community. In thispace-setting book he draws on various disciplines--frombiology tosociology, from psychology to theology--to guide urban youth workers intoan effective and transformational ministry to youth.
Endorsements (5)
“Finally! A comprehensive analysis of current urban youth ministry models, with a clear presentation of developing a balanced approach for reaching young people in the city.”
“Fernando Arzola Jr.'s seminal work is essential reading for all those committed to transformative and prophetic youth ministry both within and outside of cities globally. This is a well-researched volume with wide-ranging theoretical and practical implications for those called to equip youth as prophets for the Christian church and wider society.”
“An excellent analysis moving our attention away from the merely programmatic concerns of youth ministry to more foundational ones. Sound theology accompanies thoughtful illustration and evidence of thinking outside the box. Arzola's model descriptions and his thoughtful illustration of what a 'prophetic youth ministry' is, as a paradigm for engaging the rapid, multidimensional and multicultural growth in the urban context, challenges youth ministers and those concerned with youth in general to discern what is vital and essential in their youth ministry leadership in order to contribute meaningfully and constructively to the new communities being formed. While it is a book that is connected to those in urban areas, Arzola clearly articulates a future that will demand greater moral imagination and prophetic will if we are to respect the dignity of every young person that God allows us to impact. I found it to be a pragmatic assessment that actually is quite hopeful. A must-have book in every pastoral library.”
“A timely, truly interdisciplinary study that tackles one of the most pressing issues of our times. When urban centers attract the largest segments of our population, and when our youth--urban or otherwise-- counts less with their parents' presence (taken away by an insatiable time-swallowing labor market, in order to make ends meet), or with public resources (sucked away by a frenzy of lowering taxes and privatization), the life-saving role of the churches is back at the center of social life. Arzola's book provides a compass for our churches to face the challenges posed by such a novel predicament of our urban youth--and he does it with both the contributions of his predecessors in mind and a diverse, multiethnic, changing youth and readership in the horizon.”
“Finally! Something new to the field of youth ministry. A must-read for anyone who wants to deal with young people in a comprehensive and holistic manner.”
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