"There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God." --Psalm 46:4
- Mark Sumpter
- Serving God with His people at Faith OPC has been a great joy and blessing. When I grow up, I want to umpire Little League Baseball. I will revel on that day when I can say to a 10-year-old boy after four pitched balls, "Take a walk in the sunshine." My wife of 30+ years, Peggy, consistently demonstrates the love of Christ and remains my very best friend. Our six children, our four lovely, sweetie-pie daughters-in-law, and our four grandchildren serve as resident theologians.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Movements and Youth Ministry
I think it was George Marsden in his Fundmentalism and American Culture who wrote of the intellectually well-grounded men of Fundamentalism who lived with a seeming paradox between their pessimism from the reality of seeing the loosening of the grip of the gospel in the church and American culture, and with that loosening grip, being tempted to give in and give up after seeing things getting worse and worse, and yet on the other hand, the radical, visible and ardent devotion of giving themselves with sweat, tears, time and money to the forward-looking, long-haul, multi-generational establishment of institutions, e.g. the Bible Institute and Bible College movement.
Why did these Christian fathers of the 19-teens and 20s, 30s and 40s live this way? These men gave themselves in spite of all the ecclesiastical and cultural discouragements and they did so in earnest because it typified the movement mentality that churchman so easily fall into.
When the church marginalizes herself with a neglect of faithful worship and preaching, she starts to grow arms as voluntary associations, groups and movements. If the church will not be who she is supposed to be, and if she will not do what she's supposed to do, then groups surface to the top. Something has to get done!
The movement mentality sports an episodic look. Movements come and go based on episodes in church and cultural life. Cultural episodes dictate the rising and falling of movements.
Youth ministry often falls right into step with movements; it is comfortable being an arm of the church. It's a group attached to the church, but not very church-like. As an arm, youth ministry becomes a cross-cultural ministry. She targets an age group and a language-group.
The paradox found in Fundamentalism plays itself out in youth work in the church. If the church has lost its grip on faithful worship, the gospel and discipleship, she starts to grow arms and she starts to forge ahead with institutions. It's a movement that gets fueled and fired up. In this case, the movement of youth ministry built the institution of a youth group. Youth groups have their wholesome and rightful place but they need to be church-like.
G. Mark Sumpter
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1 comment:
How completely true. There is so much pressure from the main stream to simply allow your church to get caught up in culture meanwhile, youth who are seeking the structure and support of a church are left floundering as they seek a church through an arm called youth ministry.
It's amazing how successful youth ministries that follow the true church model can be. It is almost as if God knows what He is doing!
Great post, I really enjoy reading your blog.
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