The Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) has produced another solid resource for churches and youth workers, called Faith Beyond Youth Group: Five Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship. The authors, Kara Powell, Brad Griffin, and Jen Bradbury—all members of FYI’s staff—help youth ministers assess their ministry practices in effort to see teenagers flourish in their faith after high school graduation.
The authors ground their recommendations in FYI’s robust research, which makes the book a compelling read. This is not a book based on personal anecdotes and stories, but on the findings of their thoughtful, research-based study. Readers will find it an important tool to better serve the teenagers in their churches—and not only while students are part of their youth groups, but with an eye toward helping teenagers to thrive in their faith as adults.
Discipleship As the Heart of Youth Ministry
The premise of the book is a concern about a lack of character development (which the authors define as “living out Jesus’ goodness every day by loving God and our neighbor”) in many churches’ discipleship practices with teenagers. They explain the gap in character formation, writing, “if faith is what is believed, then character is faith lived out in real time.” Hence, the authors establish the need for helping young people more closely align what they believe about Jesus with who they are becoming.
The book proposes a five-point compass to assess ministry and then to work toward more intentional character formation. Chapters four through eight expound on each of the five points. Each chapter offers some common barriers that might prevent a youth ministry from practicing that point of the compass. For example, in chapter four, “Cultivate Trust,” the authors suggest three barriers can hinder teenagers’ trust. First, young people often do not trust institutions, including the church. Second, young people often do not see the church as relevant or kind. Third, young people often perceive attempts to build trust as grand gestures rather than genuine relationship.
Similarly, in chapter five, “Model Growth,” the authors present common barriers to helping teenagers envision discipleship. One example of a barrier is a tendency to “outsized extroversion.” In other words, churches may sometimes mistake extroversion for faithfulness, instead of emphasizing the diversity of gifts and personalities in the body of Christ.
At the end of each chapter, the authors provide “navigational tools” expounding each of the five points of the compass. I found many of the ideas in these sections helpful to consider and to implement in ministry. Some of the ideas are more reflection-oriented and theoretical, rather than a formula to follow. For example, in chapter five, the authors suggest that the youth minister consider his or her own character formation. The navigational tool invites the reader to reflect upon whether he or she is personally modeling growth (sanctification) to teenagers. Other ideas are less theoretical and more concrete. For example in chapter six, “Teach for Transformation,” the authors discuss tangibly different ways to utilize questions specifically in large group teaching contexts. The authors contend that using question-based conversation can spur discussion and promote a diversity of voices.
Following all of this groundwork about the necessary components of Christian character formation, chapter nine includes an assessment tool based on the five-point compass. Using the assessment, youth workers can develop a contextualized plan to equip teenagers for faith beyond youth group. While this is a valuable tool, I would advise youth ministers not to simply skip to chapter nine. The assessment will be more useful after having read the previous chapters.
Diverse Perspectives Strengthen Our Ministries
A compelling strength of the book is that it includes stories and practical examples from diverse voices in youth ministries around the country. The book gives voice to various socioeconomic and cultural perspectives, representing the struggles we all encounter as youth workers to minister to young people.
It is important to note that the book also includes a wide range of church traditions and theological backgrounds, as the authors aim to show the wide scope of their research. We may feel cautious about listening to the perspectives of people who serve teenagers outside of our own theological circles. Still, I believe hearing from a variety of diverse voices can enhance our ministry paradigms and practice as we hold them alongside our particular theological positions and heritage. Because it is based on social science research, the book presents helpful tools readers can apply to our particular contexts.
Ultimately, I appreciate the acknowledgment of Faith Beyond Youth Group and its authors that “We know young people, but you know your young people.” The book is written with “your” ministry in mind, to help youth workers and churches grow in making Christ-like disciples. We pray in faith that God will use our efforts to call forth faith in the teenagers we serve, well beyond their youth group years.
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