When God Shows Up ()

H. Senter Mark

Description

For more than two centuries, youth ministries have either strengthened teenagers after a special encounter with God or tried to retain them until such a moment when God shows up. Here veteran youth ministry expert Mark Senter provides the first substantial history of the phenomenon of American Protestant youth ministry. More than a history, this book highlights the evolution of adolescence and adolescent spirituality, outlines three distinct cycles in the history of youth ministry, describes the major shapers of youth ministry over the last century, and helps readers understand trends and changes in youth ministry and their connections to broader church life.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• USA
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441207685
• Langue: English

Extrait

“Weaving together stories of youth ministry pioneers and their organizations, Senter provides an intriguing historical perspective on the church’s concern for its young people. Drawing on the lessons from history, Senter provides insight into this frustrating area of ministry and the challenges the church must address in order to spiritually engage young people. When God Shows Up is required reading for anyone remotely concerned with the future of the church’s ministry to young people.”
Darwin Glassford , associate professor of church education, Calvin Theological Seminary; book reviews editor, The Journal of Youth Ministry
“Like a wise docent, Senter generously guides us through the archives of the history of youth ministry. Embracing a cyclical description of the evolution of youth ministry in America, Senter insightfully presents a well-researched, creative engagement with youth ministry in the Protestant church. Faithfully reporting the stories of our past, the text concludes with current observations and questions regarding our future direction. Comprehensive, accessible, and vital a one-of-a-kind book that needs to be savored by every youth ministry professional!”
Cheryl A. Crawford , assistant professor of practical theology, Azusa Pacific University
“Every family, every organization, and every movement has a history that informs, explains, and inspires. Mark Senter has done a wonderful job of providing historical context for American Protestant youth ministry, which is a family, an organization, and a movement all in one. A thorough understanding of the contents of this book will help those who care about youth ministry to appreciate its roots and to be awed and inspired by youth ministry leaders from the past.”
Dan Lambert , professor of youth ministries, John Brown University
“This is not merely a history book; it is a compelling story of young lives thousands of lives transformed by the surprising grace of God. As a keen historian and reflective theologian, Senter provides a fresh perspective on the past that illuminates the future. When God Shows Up encourages those who care about young people to understand their past and challenges them to maintain the historic core conviction of helping young people encounter God.”
Mark W. Cannister , professor of Christian ministries, Gordon College
“This book establishes Mark Senter as today’s foremost youth ministry historian. When God Shows Up is a seminal work providing a historical analysis of Protestant youth ministry in America. Yet Senter goes beyond a historical survey to provide a sociological and theological exegesis of youth ministry from 1824 to 2010. When God Shows Up is a significant contribution to both the field of youth ministry education and modern American church history.”
Fernando Arzola Jr. , associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Nyack College; author, Toward a Prophetic Youth Ministry: Theory and Praxis in Urban Context
Youth, Family, and Culture Series
Chap Clark, series editor
The Youth, Family, and Culture series examines the broad categories involved in studying and caring for the needs of the young and is dedicated to the preparation and vocational strengthening of those who are committed to the spiritual development of adolescents.

© 2010 by Mark H. Senter III
Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-0768-5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
To my grandchildren, Elijah Houston Senter, Emmy Ruth YeYe Susanka, and Aubrey Olivia Senter, with the prayer that God shows up in their lives.
Contents
Series Preface
Preface: God Shows Up
Acknowledgments
Part 1 Birth of Youth Ministry Jazz: The Context
1. Newsies : A Survey of the Diverse Experiences of Youth in America
2. Rebel Without a Cause : The Rise and Fall of Adolescence in America
3. Bruce Almighty : A History of Spirituality in Youth Ministry
4. Whatever Goes Around Comes Around: The Concept of Cycles in History
Part 2 Youth Ministry Jazz: The Period of Associations (1824–75)
5. Tom Sawyer and the British Invasion: The Period of Associations (1824–75)
6. Cadets of Temperance: Structuring Youth Societies
7. Gangs of New York : The Setting for Modern Youth Ministry
Part 3 Sheet Music Jazz: The Period of Youth Societies (1881–1925)
8. Trouble in River City: The Period of Youth Societies (1881–1925)
9. Saturday Night in River City: Denominational Youth Societies (1889–1935)
Part 4 Modern Jazz: The Period of the Relational Outreach (1933–89)
10. The Great Gatsby : Youth Fellowships in Mainline Denominational Youth Ministry (1936–65)
11. Grease : Parachurch Club Programs (1933–89)
12. Pleasantville : The Evangelical Church Discovers Teenagers (1933–89)
13. Friday Night Lights : The Youth Rally Era (1938–67)
Part 5 Jazz Fusion: Combining Old and New (1990 and Beyond)
14. Into the Woods : Reinventing Youth Ministry
15. Mr. Holland’s Opus : The Legacy of Youth Ministry
Epilogue
Notes
Select Bibliography
Series Preface
I n many ways, youth ministry has come of age. No longer seen as “a stepping-stone to real ministry in the church,” especially in North America, youth ministry is now seen as a viable career option. Over the last few decades a wide range of professional resources, conferences, periodicals, and books have been developed on this topic. Most Christian colleges and seminaries now offer a variety of courses if not degree programs in youth ministry. Youth ministry has all it needs to continue to push the church to care about and serve the needs of the young in God’s name, except for one thing: we have a long way to go to develop a rich, broad, and diverse conversation that frames, defines, and grounds our missional call.
There is good news, of course. There is a professional organization, Association of Youth Ministry Educators, that sponsors an annual conference and publishes a solid emerging journal. Several thoughtful books have helped to shape the discipline’s future. There are also now two major publishers who have academic lines dedicated to furthering the field of youth ministry. We have made great progress, but we must all work together to continue deepening our understanding of what youth ministry should be.
The purpose of Baker Academic’s Youth, Family, and Culture series is to raise the level of dialogue concerning how we think about, teach, and live out youth ministry. As a branch of practical theology, academic youth ministry must move beyond a primarily skills-based focus to a theologically driven expression of a contextualized commitment of the local church to a targeted population. James Fowler defines practical theology as “theological reflection and construction arising out of and giving guidance to a community of faith in the praxis of its mission. Practical theology is critical and constructive reflection leading to ongoing modification and development of the ways the church shapes its life to be in partnership with God’s work in the world. 1 And as Scott Cormode reminds us, we must not shirk our calling, but “must strive to nurture leaders that are faithful. . . . Schools must prepare leaders to translate this faithfulness into effective action.” 2 This is precisely what those of us who are called to engage the church in theological reflection of contemporary youth and family issues must do develop a practical theology that takes seriously the reality of the context we are in, regardless of how and where it takes us. This is the future of youth and family ministry in the church.
Mark Senter’s When God Shows Up is the third book in the Youth, Family, and Culture series. A long-time leader of youth ministry thinking and writing, Dr. Senter brings a fresh perspective on where we have been and how we need to think about youth ministry as we move forward. The book offers a historical, cultural, and ecclesiological angle for those who serve the young and their families in the name of Christ, and therefore brings a helpful addition to the Youth, Family, and Culture academic series on youth ministry issues. As is the mark of this series, this volume once again is framed in a practical theology of youth and family ministry.
Chap Clark Fuller Theological Seminary August 2009
Preface
God Shows Up
P rotestant youth ministry in America expected God to show up. Prayer meetings, camps, revivals, youth rallies, mission trips, service projects, and even the weekly meeting served as contexts where God demonstrated his presence in the lives of Protestant young people. Youth programming served as prologue. Activities retained the attention and loyalty of youth until such time as Jesus Christ became reincarnated in their lives either individually or in a group experience.
This history of Protestant youth ministry in America is the story of a search for Christian spirituality in young people. While not defined in terms of the classical writings of the desert fathers or medieval mystics, the desire was much the same. Prayer served as a central discipline, and faith communities provided support and accountability. The Bible provided a portal for youth to establish and maintain a personal relationship with God.
Approaches varied at different times and in different contexts. Some used their minds