The following post was written by Andy McLean, Editor of the Gospel Project for Students
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It is easy to fall under the mindset that relevant ministry to today’s students simply requires understanding the culture, values, and the influences that shape our students during this time in their lives. While such an understanding is helpful, it is also reactionary, meaning that it simply reacts to the way culture is. In order to be more effective in student ministry, I’m convinced that student pastors and leaders not only need to understand the current culture, but also the historical roots that gave birth to it so that they might be better equipped to become influencers and shapers in student ministry today.
An example of this is found in Thomas Bergler’s The Juvenilization of American Christianity, which traces the historical roots of four main denominations within American Christianity, and how those have been impacted by a certain form of “juvenilization,” leading to the widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism, self-centeredness, and the feel-good faith that is characteristic of American student ministries (and overall churches).
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The Gospel Project Winter 2014-2015 study of the God Who Saves (looking at the doctrine of salvation) has finished its blog series over “The Seven Daily Sins.” The blog series coincides with the topic of the winter study, which aims to underscore the bad news of sin and the human condition before looking at the glorious good news of our salvation in Christ. Check out this series not only for yourself—it’s always good to remember what we have been saved from, making us appreciate all the more the gift of God in Christ—but for your students as well.
