Editors' Note: Everyone has an opinion about youth
ministry. Parents, pastors, and the youth themselves have expectations
and demands that don't always overlap. But the rash of dire statistics
about the ineffectiveness of youth ministry has prompted rethinking in
these ranks. So we devote one day per week this month to exploring
several issues in youth ministry, including its history, problems, and
biblical mandate. The Gospel Coalition thanks Cameron Cole and the
leadership team of Rooted: A Theology Conference for Student Ministry for their help in compiling this series. Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, will host their 2012 conference
from August 9 to 11. Speakers Ray Ortlund, Timothy George, and Mary
Willson will expound on the conference theme, "Adopted: The Beauty of
Grace."
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That a youth ministry "teaches the Bible" does not necessarily mean it teaches the gospel.
Many mistake the gospel with moralism---being a good person, reading
your Bible, or opening the door for the elderly in order to earn God's
favor. But the gospel is altogether different.
This is a problem across the youth ministry landscape. It's not because teenagers and youth leaders have misunderstood
the church's teaching of historical-confessional, gospel-infused
Christianity. It's a problem in youth ministry wherever the American
church has not preached Christ crucified and has catered to a pragmatic,
entertainment-driven, and numbers-oriented model of church growth. Continue at Brian H. Cosby
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