A History of YTH Ministry
If you want to see where YTH ministry is going, you must look at where YTH ministry began.
The Moderation of Re-invention boasts that some things need very little change. At their DNA, there are some things that do not need to go through a reinvention or a radical change. For instance, the rules of sport, the pencil, and the wheel are all things that need very little change. this is the idea behind The Moderation of Re-invention. Especially in YTH ministry. Here is an interesting thought. That one of the earliest catalysts to YTH ministry would be one of the world’s most significant spiritual happenings. In the DNA of YTH ministry is Awakenings. We cannot lose the importance of that thought.
The Influence of Awakenings
Coming off the 1st Great Awakening in the mid to late 1700's was the 2nd Great Awakening in the early- to mid- 1800’s. Led by Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, and a handful of others, the 2nd Great Awakening shaped not only the church but also society and education in America. From the eastern shores of the United States came a wave of prayer and intercession through preachers who called the church and the nation to repentance. It was about 60 years of fire. When America was lit as we say today. So much has been written on the influence of the 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings on the landscape of our nation.
Without the aid of social media or the information and technology age, it is undeniable that YTH ministry was influenced so greatly by these movements because so many young people were coming into the kingdom of God and the church.
The church was greatly influenced by the influx of the younger population into the church during the Awakenings. Do you understand the importance of these early beginnings? Born into the DNA of our work is an Awakening. A revolution of undeniable influence that shaped not only the church, but also, a nation.
What specifically were the characteristic traits of these early Awakenings? Here are a few of the markers of the Awakenings that were so influential in the early life of YTH ministry:
Repentance
Evangelism
Discipleship
Prayer
Missionary fervor
Our prayer today is the same, “God, do it again.”
ythology: The Study of Youth
One of the main reasons for writing the book was to bring YTH leaders back to the ‘why’ of our work. In an age where many YTH leaders change for change sake, this work is a call to see the enduring strength and influence of the beginnings of YTH ministry.
Hopefully this will give you some historical background as a YTH leader into what we do and why we do it. Trying to keep the original ingredients of YTH ministry are essential. We get into this more in the chapter on theology and will cover that next week. But, I believe these conversations about the history of YTH ministry would be great discussion with our students.
You can see the importance of beginnings in any movement or organization. Hopefully you have seen the importance of the moderation of re-invention in this post. Some things need very little change at the core of their makeup. This is the concept we will detail greater in the chapter on trends. Too often, I think this concept is overlooked in our culture of change. Some people simply change for change sake and not for the need of it.
Finally
As we have said, and hopefully you will agree, there are some things that need very little change – such as the wheel, the pencil, the basic rules of sport, and YTH ministry. Take a look into the beginnings of our work as YTH leaders and see the importance of the characteristics of Awakenings. And make it a discipline to bring these traits back into our work.