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Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry: From a Strategy of Influence to a Theology of Incarnation

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Please, read this book! This fascinating work represents the cutting edge of thinking theologically about ministry with children and youth (and, really, ministry with all people). Andrew Root's penetrating assessment of popular conceptions of youth ministry speaks with a critical voice that, at the same time it exposes the underlying & unspoken assumptions that have been brought to YM, it also brings freedom, new possibility, & great hope - both to our precious children and to the many weary, burned-out, and guilt-laden youth workers who question the difference they are really making.

What Root essentially accomplishes is to re-center youth ministry on Jesus Christ, the God who is with us, not off waiting for us somewhere else. Root's argument leads us away from a "relational ministry" that leverages relationships to get kids to sign onto a "third thing" and reframes ministry as "participation in God's presence" here and now, in this human relationship. He is critical of how the incarnation of Christ has so often been reduced to a pattern or strategy that is "goal-oriented" instead of "companionship-oriented". This agenda ends up being more about ideology than incarnation. Instead, resting on the theological foundation of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, he recasts youth ministry as "place-sharing".

What does this mean? Root derives this term from Lutheran Theologian/Martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who wrote of Christ's strellvertretung, or "vicarious-representative-action". This is a more relationally-conceived & dynamic understanding of Christ as our "substitute". What does it mean for a youth worker to be in real, authentic, human relationship with an adolescent? What does it mean to be in solidarity with young people, to share their place in the midst of their suffering and pain and sin? Root recognizes that transformation comes from this deep relationship in the presence of God; transformation is not something "over there" we sign up for. It is not abstract; as we "share the place" of another, we honor their broken humanity and in this relationship we can know that Christ is incarnate and present with us, and we are transformed. [If I were to put my Lutheran spin on this, I would say that instead of always talking ABOUT the Gospel and what we SHOULD do, in authentic relationship we can actually GO AHEAD and speak Gospel to each other here and now, we can point to the reality and presence of Christ among us]

So, how does Root unfold his argument? In Part One, he takes us on an interesting journey through the "historical ascent of relational ministry", tracing the emergence in the 20th century of the "teenager", the "high school", "modern evangelicalism", and the new frontier of age-specific ministry to kids living in the developing cultural reality of the "self-chosen relationship". This journey through history comprises the first two chapters & chapter three examines our relational motivations through the lenses of sociology. Root argues that relational youth ministry took its shape not from theological reflection on the incarnation and its implications for ministry, but rather has been formed as a "strategy of engagement within a pluralistic culture."

In Part Two, Root turns to Bonhoeffer's theology as a guide to asking three key questions: Who is Jesus Christ? Where is Jesus Christ? What then shall we do? He unpacks the concepts I've mentioned and much more. He develops a couple of conceptual diagrams that greatly help communicate his argument. These diagrams help us see that there is no such thing as two isolated, autonomous human beings in relationship. We each come to relationship with our own histories, our own cultural location and toolkit for engaging with culture, our own ideologies. We are constantly shaping and being shaped by our social environment and circumstances. It is naïve and dehumanizing to look at adolescents as free-willing, independent consumers who just need the right information about God (or the hippest youth leader) in order to sign up for the Jesus thing. Every kid, every human being is located in a unique and specific place.

Have you ever beat your head against a wall, because as much as you influence some kid to follow Jesus, they have to go home to a hostile family environment, or they are trapped in debilitating social circumstances, or something else, and you begin to feel like you're "getting nowhere" with that kid? What if - Root challenges us - youth ministry was not about success or failure, but about faithfulness? What if the best we can offer kids is to be "present with them in their personal hells", and in sharing their place, proclaim that Christ is alive and present with us?

The final chapters flesh out what this would look like and suggest some "rules of art for place-sharing in community." Root offers the narrative of a female youth worker who "shares the place" of a neighbor girl, as well as looks at (my favorite movie) Good Will Hunting in light of incarnational-relational theology. Very, very powerful.

This is the kind of book to reread and to wrestle with. It ought to generate ongoing conversations among adults who care deeply for children and the church's response to the dehumanization of young people in our culture.

Andrew Root, in his teaching and in this book, genuinely cares about youth. Combining this with a keen intellect and a deep conviction of the power of Christ crucified to answer the deepest aches of youth today. His thinking is a unique and much needed contribution in youth ministry today.

The author challenges us to see the relationships we build with youth in our ministry as more than a tool to lead them to Christ. He calls us to live out our theology, to see where Christ is present, which is in the center of our relationships with the youth.

While the book is broken into two parts it can really be broken into three. In the first section the author examines a history of how we got to the present culture where often the relationships built with youth are little more than tools to get them to buy into Christ, our ministry, and program. The second part examines three important theological questions we must answer: Who is Jesus? Where is Jesus Christ? What then shall we do? Then the author examines how this theology impacts our practical day-to-day relationships (place-sharing)with youth, parents, and other adults.

While the book is scholarly in nature, it is well written, making it accessible to a wider audience. The author uses multiple anecdotes to help the reader grasp the concepts described in the book. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theology does play a major role in his book, but he is upfront with it. And rather than just continually spout off his theology the author takes his theology and, in a sense, translates it into a friendly format for youth ministry.

This book is for anyone who desires to live out theology instead of just talking about it; building deeper, more authentic relationships with youth.

If you liked Chap Clark's "Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers" or are just looking to get away from a ministry where you feel like you are trying to "sell" teens Jesus, this is an amazing book. Root gives a great history of the development of adolescence and how youth ministry has grown during that time, then takes a look at the faults of "relational ministry" before focusing in on the theology and practicals of incarnational ministry with adolescents. Although this is not a quick read (it will give you plenty to chew on) EVERYONE in ministry should read this. I would put it in my top three of youth ministry books, and I've read a lot!

Look, I am a YM and I read a great deal of YM books, Most are average, there are a handful of good ones, fewer great ones (Contemplative YM being one of these), and then there is this one - I feel THAT strongly about it. This book finally gives YM the theological backbone that it has been sorely missing (or never really had in some circles).

This book is written so well. It's hard to put this read down. If you work in youth ministry I would highly recommend reading this book...twice.

this book was like a breath of fresh air. i originally picked up the book thinking it was going to give me some practical tips on building real relationships with teenagers. but i was pleasantly surprised to get much more than that. the book goes into a brief history of adolescents and gives the "big picture" of the world of a teenager. i heartily recommend this book to all my friends who are also in youth ministry.

This book dives into the contrived world of relational ministry and breathes new life into it. Root's treatment of agenda driven relationships in ministry is a remarkable work in that it accepts the needs of relationships and also points to something so much more profound. Though somewhat academic, this book provides insights into how relationships can transform lives of both youth worker and youth. It unpacks so much meaning from limitless encounters with teens. Also, it relies heavily on Bonhoeffer's writings and relates them to contemporary youth ministry. I would recommend this to anyone who works with teens.

This book does a great job of not only talking practically about youth ministry but also talking about the
theological premise of incarnational ministry, which is a term thrown around a lot. VERY good in terms of talking through the WHY's of ministry and the SO WHAT factor that so many books lack today. This book did a wonderful job of clarifying its position and also challenged me to re-think approach, training/teaching, and recruiting and releasing people into ministry to impact students.

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry is the most important book that anyone in ministry can read, not just youth ministers! Dr Root's understanding of walking with youth through all suffering and truly a being Christ-like presence in the life of another is extraordinary. If you are not doing ministry this way, you are not doing ministry.