A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry

In A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry Mike McGarry raises honest questions that many youth workers have but are sometimes too afraid to ask. Questions like "Is youth ministry biblical?" or "Have we been doing youth ministry in a way that has produced short-term 'results' but, in the long-term, feeds into the dropout rate?" (p 3). So much of the literature on Youth Ministry has been focused on the How, but this book helpfully focuses on the What and Why of ministry to teenagers.In the beginning chapters of the book, McGarry takes his readers through the Biblical theme of passing on the faith to the next generation, from Deuteronomy 6 to the New Testament epistles, and even into church history, showing that their is both Biblical warrant and historical precedent for intentional youth ministry in the church.That however does not give us license to rubber stamp anything and everything that has passed for ministry in the evangelical world over the past seventy-years. A Biblical youth ministry is one that is centered on the gospel, and involves families, and even the whole congregation. The final chapters of the book focus on what this could look like in our context.The only real short-coming of the book might be that precious little practical advice is given for how to go about doing some of these things. This however is not a totally fair criticism since this is outside the scope of what the author intended to accomplish in this book. Thankfully McGarry has since written another book (Lead Them to Jesus) which does cover the practical aspects of starting and leading a gospel-centered youth ministry.

In A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry: Teenagers in the Life of the Church, Dr. Michael McGarry presents the foundation behind effective student ministry from the Bible and the importance of ministering to the next generation in a theologically thoughtful way. McGarry begins by acknowledging the temporary nature of youth ministry. For youth ministry to be more than a fun teenage experience, it must be connected to the nuclear family, the church family, and the long-term spiritual growth of the student.Seeking to ground youth ministry within the biblical narrative, McGarry presents a case for ministry to teenagers from the Old and New Testaments as well as church history. In exploring youth ministry in the Old Testament, we see the community of faith coming together to raise up the next generation in the faith. The family of faith begins with the nuclear family, but it is also clearly expanded to the religious community as well.In the context of the New Testament, McGarry reminds his readers that Jesus’ disciples would have been most likely teenagers to guys in their mid-twenties so Jesus serves as a Rabbi leading the next generation of disciples. McGarry also points to the communal nature of faith as presented in Ephesians 2 to point to the importance of the community of faith coming alongside the nuclear family in raising up the next generation.Throughout church history, the process of catechesis shows the intention with which those who came before us approached discipling the next generation. In many modern church contexts that would push back on the idea of a formal catechesis, McGarry notes that “catechesis does not depend upon a rigid commitment to written catechisms; it rests upon a faithful commitment to evangelism and discipleship where the catechist (or, youth minister, in this case) methodically and intentionally teaches Christian doctrine and Christian living to those who have expressed the desire to learn” (p. 75).After addressing the biblical and historical foundations, McGarry addresses today’s application of youth ministry by exploring ecclesiology, the family, the gospel, and youth ministry as a bridge between the church and the home. In addressing ecclesiology, McGarry remarks “youth ministry is for adolescence. The family is for life. The church is for eternity. Therefore, a biblical theology of youth ministry must be primarily anchored in the Church, for this is the true family to which all Christians eternally belong” (p. 79). Youth ministry must never be divorced or siloed from the local church body.In addressing the family’s role in discipleship, McGarry notes “the biblical sense of family means that family discipleship is a community project” (p. 104). The balance between the role of the family and the church in discipleship of the next generation is a heated discussion. McGarry explores the tension by writing “it is unfortunate and unbiblical to set the disciple-making mission of the family aside for building a large youth ministry. It is also unbiblical to prioritize family-discipleship to the point that the family of faith has nothing to contribute to children and adolescent’s spiritual development. Both the Church and the family were created by God to multiply faithful worshippers - may this become an increasingly shared mission” (p. 113).At the center of discipling the next generation stands the message of the gospel. McGarry comments “the gospel has increasingly become an evangelistic tool that is treated as the entryway into the family of God (initial salvation) and as the exit (final salvation into glory), but the gospel has not shaped youth worker’s daily understanding of what it means to be a Christian: an adopted and beloved child of God (regardless of his/her worthiness)” (p. 127-128). He goes on to state “the gospel is not a doorway into and out of the Christian life, but the lifeblood itself” (p. 128). For a youth ministry to be gospel-centered, “the gospel is on the main stage at all times” (p. 131).In concluding A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry, McGarry turns to the youth ministry as a bridge between the church and the home. He concludes “a well-run and exciting youth group is never the point of youth ministry. The goal of youth ministry is not even to produce teenage Christians. Instead, the purpose of youth ministry is to produce adult disciples whose faith took root and was nourished throughout their teen years” (p. 141).A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry is a great gift and resource to those seeking to impact the next generation. With biblical and historical clarity paired with practical and thoughtful application, Michael McGarry has blessed the church with a book that will hopefully shape youth ministry for generations to come.

Michael McGarry has successfully provided a unique resource for those interested in youth ministry. To my knowledge, there have been few attempts to truly outline the biblical, theological, and historical foundations for youth ministry; however, this book stands as a biblically deep, theologically rich, and relevantly practical resource for today.McGarry provides a perspective that identifies the inadequacy of many contemporary youth ministry models without "throwing the baby out with the bath water." He labors to give a biblical, theological, and historical foundation for the efforts of youth ministry while addressing contemporary issues and struggles with Gen Z in light of scripture.Particularly helpful is his discussion on the development of youth ministry across church history (ch. 4), which provides insight on the importance of teaching through catechisms (a practice all but forgotten, yet fundamental for the historical church). In addition, his discussion on Ecclesiology and Youth Ministry (ch. 5) is timely. Many books emphasize the importance of involving youth in the local church without providing biblical and practical ways to do this. McGarry does just this. His discussion on baptism and church membership is particularly important. Finally, in contrast to contemporary movements that seek to remove youth ministry altogether, the author outlines the biblical understanding of family that emphasizes importance of the parents while also providing a rich understanding of the church as the spiritual family that is responsible (along with parents) to disciple the next generation together. Perhaps this is the most important contribution of the book.Overall, this is a helpful contribution to the study of youth ministry that remains immensely biblical as well as practical. In the youth ministry I lead, I intend to utilize this book in our internship program as a must-read. I would highly encourage it for any one interested in, serving in, supporting, or leading youth ministry."It is both unbiblical and foolish to divorce youth ministry from the Bride of Christ. The Church, not Israel and not the family, is the central means through which God has chosen to continue His work until Christ's return. May these biblical and theological foundations for youth ministry serve as reminders to be a bridge, connecting the church and home while building lifelong disciples whose faith is firmly planted in the Church." (ps. 97-98)

McGarry’s Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry is an excellent piece of work. All the concerns I had about D6/Family Ministry approach were allayed here. McGarry covers the Landscape of Modern Youth Ministry, Old and New Testament teachings, approaches from church history and, crucially ecclesiology in Youth Ministry, before finishing with the family, the gospel and the bridging nature of youth ministry. There are some very helpful turns of phrase throughout, such as the repeated ‘Youth ministry is for adolescence. The family is for life. The church is for eternity.’ But the real strength is where McGarry walks the tension between church and family. Too often family ministry approaches have been rooted in 20th century nuclear family ideals and have ignored the inherent nature of the church as a deeper and wider family unit. While McGarry rejects and calls out many of the excesses of contemporary Youth Ministry, family ministry and intergenerational approaches, in no way does this come across as a polemic or in an aggressive way. Instead each of the strengths are also noted. Although this is an academic work, each section also has practical ideas of what each idea might look like. McGarry, is well read on key texts (Bengtson, Chap Clark, Bergler, Christian Smith) but these are not overbearing references.The real guts of the book end up being in the final chapter, however, and this is where I would have love to have seen more working out of McGarry’s thinking: Youth ministry is a bridge, a temporary stage to get from one place to another not an end in itself. This is really helpful, and critical to avoiding Thomas Bergler’s thesis of Juvenalization. I would have loved to have seen deeper consideration of the existential nature of adolescence that requires this bridge as I think this cuts to the heart of a pedagogical method for youth. I had one or two other small niggles (I would take issue with his reading of Robert Raikes and the Sunday School movement), however in all this is going to become required readings for my students.

Whether you're new to youth ministry or a long time veteran, this book is a great foundation going forward for all those in youth min.