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Youth Ministry and Ecclesiology

Last Updated September 27, 2006 by Matt Leave a Comment

A random thought by me:

What are the current ecclesiological trends in Africa and Central America?  Do they have such a thing as “youth ministry” as we know it in America?  What happens to their children as they grow into adulthood?  Do they continue to contribute to the Body?  Is their ecclesiology a reflection of their culture (America’s sure is, in my opinion)?  What can we learn from ecclesiologies from a different culture.

I say this because it seems to me that much of our current “structural ecclesiology” is reflective of the culture.  We divide children and youth as they are divided in society: by grade level.  We have classes for the “college kids” and the “young adults” as they are in different cultural life-stages.  There’s always the “singles group” and the “young married couples” class as well.  What if our ecclesiology wasn’t reflective of cultural lines of demarcation?  Would a community be created that would shape students into lifelong disciples?

Filed Under: Ecclesiology, Youth Ministry

About Matt

Matt Cleaver has written since 2004 on youth ministry, theology, and the church. His blog was ranked by Youth Specialties as a Top 20 Youth Ministry Blog. Click here for Matt's list of the Best Youth Ministry Books.

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