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Youth Ministry 3.0: A Manifesto of Where We've Been, Where We Are & Where We Need to Go

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I just got done reading, "Youth Ministry 3.0: A Manifesto of Where We've Been, Where We Are & Where We Need to Go" by Mark Oestreicher. The first thing I noticed was that the writing is in a huge font and there is a lot of filler on the sides from various people involved in youth ministry so the book can be read in like 2 hours, easy. Just an observation. Also it is refreshing to read a book that you already by and large agree with (which I do for the most part).

The main premise of his book is this: "The reality [of the effectiveness of youth ministry] that's playing out is somewhat different than what we imagined, hoped, or expected." (pg. 24). He is basically stating in his book: youth ministry as we know it or have known it is generally not "working". Agreed. Even as a rookie I can see this and have seen this since I've been involved in youth ministry for the past 6 years.

The Breakdown:

For starters, Oestreicher cites the all too often over cited and known facts about adolescence and adolescent development, etc. that have already been beat to death by Chap Clark, et al. But it is still good to hear as a refresher. Moving on to frame his premise, Oestreicher gives a breakdown of the history of youth ministry:

YM 1.0: Proclamation Driven:
This is basically evangelism. Kids need to hear and receive the gospel message. This is what drove youth ministry from the early 1900's until about the 1970's. It was/is about identity. Basically adolescents are trying to figure out who they are; their identity. And he cites "evangelism" and "correction" as key marks of YM 1.0. Think Billy Graham, think preaching, think the message going out to kids, This is YM 1.0.

YM 2.0: Program Driven:
This is a reaction to YM 1.0. He defines this as "if we can build the right program with the coolest youth room and hip adult leaders and lots of great stuff to attract kids, then we'll be successful." (pg 59). Basically think structure, cool events, formal and rigid program nights with a band, a message, and fun games, etc; a program. How many kids are coming is more important than the actual kids themselves. Participation = success. There is also a huge emphasis on discipleship and "creating a positive peer group." This is YM 2.0 and he identifies this with the quest for autonomy in the life of adolescents.

YM 3.0: Not Driven, but Present:
He argues that we need to move from 2.0 into 3.0 but this will look different for each youth ministry. This is defined not by programs or events, but by being with the kids and doing life with them. It means communion (like community but deeper) and missional living. This happens in small groups of kids, not large programs where most kids don't even know each other. The focus is "to be present with the teenagers God has placed in our midst." (pg. 72). Spurgeon always said that when you focus on the empty seat you do a disservice to the filled seat next to it (paraphrase). God brings us kids to minister to. Lets minister to them and be in communion with them. Lets be missionaries to them not their best buddy or the "cool youth pastor." The focus of 3.0 is affinity. Teenagers are trying to find out where they belong. We need to facilitate that in a small, organic, communal, missional group where they can feel loved, welcomed and yet have purpose and be on a mission from Jesus where they are actually making a difference.

Oestreicher even advocates doing less, and being smaller, simpler. He writes, "Let me say it plainly: Large is part of the value system of Youth Ministry 2.0; small is a cornerstone to Youth Ministry 3.0. Communion necessitates small. Contextualization begs for small. Discernment requires small. Mission is lived out in small...not forced community, programming, and utility." (pg. 99). I went to a youth group sometimes in high school before I was saved that had 800 high schoolers and 400 junior highers! It was a purely social endeavor. It was nuts. I think that if the youth pastor doesn't know the name of every kid in the room, the group is too big.

With all of this said, I liked most of what he wrote in this book. I would have loved to see a lot more theology in it and bible citations (there are about 10 total ?) and I do think Oestreicher puts too much of an emphasis on "what we do" instead of letting God "do". Another breakdown of the book is that he somewhat advocates an "either/or" approach to youth ministry (regarding 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0) instead of a "both/and" approach. While moving into 3.0 there are elements of 1.0 (evangelism and correction, see Colossians 1:28) and 2.0 (discipleship, see...the bible) that must and should be present in any ministry. I hope that the move to 3.0 doesn't leave content (gospel, doctrine, etc.) in its wake.

Even with those objections stated, by and large I loved the book. I like where he is going with it and what he envisions. This year (before I read the book) I canceled high school "youth group" and now we meet at a home and eat, study the bible and hang out. It is more discussion based and more natural. More organic and zero program feel to it. I've always hated "programs." Programs are fake and forced. Now we just have two high school bible studies during the week, (one is an inductive study through 1 John, and one is a discussion based group where we're going through "Where Faith and Culture Meet" by Andy Crouch.). We still have junior high youth group because I think they need more concrete boundaries, and Sunday school is a hybrid of discussion and teaching for both.

So we have different groups to meet the desires of different kids. I like being present and not driven. I am glad Oestreicher wrote this book. Hopefully we can all eventually move into being the church, where success is measured by being faithful to God's call, instead of being activity directors where success is measure by "how many kids are in your group."

It's not a long read, but it will get you thinking about where youth ministry is going (and needs to go) in the years ahead. In fact, if you are assessing your youth ministry (something all churches should do and redo every so often) then this one is a must for your whole committee as you take a look at what teenagers need, how they respond to culture and society (and the church), and how God is calling us to meet those needs.

In the book, Mark Oestreicher writes about the processes that youth ministry has gone through in general over the decades (youth ministry 1.0 and youth ministry 2.0 - though this isn't a simple "history of youth ministry" book). When Mark gets to youth ministry 3.0 he explains that we youth workers need to be less focused (in fact, not focused at all, almost) on programs (small groups and discipleship) and not even on "forcing" or "manipulating" relationships but, rather, on being "with" our kids (present) - each in his or her own world experience. This presence is more in a sense of communion - not so much as the sacrament (though how he describes it is very sacramental) but more so as community around God and with creation. He moves from this into a missional focus, which I really connected with and think youth can, too. The missional focus is a somewhat "praxis" or "practical" outlook on YM 3.0. In fact, if a sequel to this book were to be written, that's the direction I'd see it going as youth and adults who work with youth would allow God to take them together into mission.

If you're looking for a "how to" at the back of the book, you won't find it. How could you? That would be programming. But with YM3.0 Marko introduces us to a topic we all should be in conversation over - how to reach and "be with" youth today who have a hard time trusting and "being with" us.

My review doesn't do the book justice, and I encourage you to go online and check out a few reviews (many are on Marko's blog site: ysmarko.com)

The religious community is a significant source of character formation for young people. Because volunteers often oversee youth groups, I am always looking out for good resources to help them use their time wisely and effectively with teens. Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Oestreicher is one such book. Marko (as the author is better known) has an extensive background working with youth ministry internationally and is qualified to assess its current condition.

Adolescence is the period between the dependence of childhood and the independence of adulthood. Psychologists tell us that adolescents are trying to accomplish three tasks during this time: form their identity, develop autonomy (independence), and experience affinity (belonging). In Marko's estimation, Youth Ministry 1.0 (1940s - 1960s) emphasized identity formation through preaching and Youth Ministry 2.0 (1970s - 1990s) emphasized independence through programs. He sees belonging (where and to whom do I belong) as the critical thrust of working with young people today.

This emphasis of Youth Ministry 3.0 is about localization, spending time together, and mission. Localization simply means that a youth group should express its own characteristics based on its community and young people. It does not have to model itself on big successful programs around the country (or even down the street). Spending time together is not just about providing a program each week, but giving meaning and connection to youth's lives throughout the week. Mission gives the group something to rally around and gives direction to everyone. (It is interesting that this approach emphasizes belonging but provides much aid to young people in accomplishing the other two tasks of adolescence as well.)

Youth Ministry 3.0 is intriguing reading that raises a lot of possibilities. I think it is especially suited to group discussion with youth leaders, volunteers, and even students in leadership.

This book does a great job of defining the past and present of youth ministry, and I believe that it is right on for the future. It gives great insights, guidance and examples of the "next things" in youth ministry without prescibing a system to be followed.
Youth Ministry 3.0 moves away from consumer product driven ministry to a truely organic ministry that is as relevant as we allow it to be. Many of the themes could easily be translated for whole church ministry as well. If there are youth in your church or you would like there to be, read this book.

OVERALL - There was a great deal of excitement when the author (best known in YM circles simply as Marko) starting talking about this book idea. When it finally arrived the first reaction from many of us was "Is this all there is?" The expectation was that this would be a much more monumental volume. In the end I think Marko got it right. This book will challenge most of the assumptions we were raised in and trained to believe about what youth ministry should look like. He takes us to some very unnerving country because it is such a change from that which has gone before. It scares the hell out of my brain but in my heart I feel a definite affinity. But then when you read the book you'll know why, lol! I think this will be a multi-read kind of book. I need to go back over some parts and look at them in a little more depth but it's well worth the time.

For transparency's sake I will note that Marko thanks me, twice, in this book. Once, among many other names, in the foreword and the other, among many other names, in the footnotes. I can honestly say that while I remember making some comments in response to his questions online (along with many others) I have NO memory of what I might have said. If it was of ANY help to him in his process I'm very happy. And hey, it's always kinda cool to see your name in print! Took me totally by surprise.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The Manifesto is a response to the growing thinking in youth ministry that "something isn't working". Marko walks us through the history of youth ministry (in thumbnail sketch form, the book IS only 155 pages long!)to establish how we got where we are. It's not intended to be a definitive history rather just enough of a background so we can prepare for the most important bit. And that takes us into a future where youth ministry is going to look very different. This is NOT a program book, it's NOT a instruction manual. It is an examination of the underlying assumptions we have and the ones we may need for the next step. He clearly works his way through each of his points. Agree or disagree Marko gives you plenty to think about.

RESERVATIONS I'm not quite sure how to introduce this book to most congregational ministries. Sadly I'm not sure that most of them have ever really considered WHY they do what they do. They just do it. Places like that will find themselves very challenged by this book. They NEED to read it but may find the ideas so radical that they just shut down. Talk about being too good for your own good.

Marko also tripped one of my pet peeves. He uses some statistics early on about puberty and then doesn't note where they came from! Granting, as he notes later, that this is NOT a dissertation or formal paper. It still irks me when we toss out information like this without substantiation. It's like the "Youth workers burn out in 18 months\" mythology which was repeated ad nauseum even by me without ever knowing what we were talking about. He gets better as he goes along. But guaranteed as soon as I use the stat (which I have seen elsewhere. It strikes me that it's from research done by the Smithsonian but I\'m not sure) someone is going to ask. I can't just say that "Marko said it".

RECOMMENDATION Yes, this book may irritate you. Yes, it may anger you by challenging some fairly dearly held assumptions. Yes, it may even frighten you because you don't see where your place in this new paradigm may be. Read it any way. Better yet, get a group of youth ministry people to read it together. Gather over your favorite beverages and food and take Marko apart line by line, thought by thought. I'd be willing to bet nothing would make him happier. And in the process, even if you reject everything he proposes, you'll have a better, stronger, more focused youth ministry. In the end I think that's probably the idea. So read this book. Even if it's the only YM book you read this year."

Through my limited interactions with him at the National Youth Workers Convention, I have assumed that Marko was a goofy, spontanious, fun-loving, mohawk wearing guy (read: youth worker). And while that's true, the side of him that I had been missing was the brilliant observer of youth culture, and the subtle shift that's been going on right under our feet. The truth of the matter is, there is no reason that Youth Ministry 3.0 shouldn't be on each and every youth worker's reading list.
Mark argues through the book that youth ministry has actually lived through 3 epochs, the third of which just arrived on the scene. He states (and I believe rightly so) that while we (youth workers) did a really good job adjusting into the 1st and 2nd epoch, it seems that we are approaching the 3rd epoch with a 2nd epoch mindset.
But I feel as though I'm just scratching the surface of the change that needs to happen, the change that needs to happen in youth ministries across the Western World, as well as in my own little group.
This book was a huge challenge to me in two ways:
1) I worry that we at Veritas are still very much stuck in a Youth Ministry 2.0 mindset. It's not that we don't recognize the need for change, it's just that for me at least I don't know how best to understand the youth culture around me. I feel like I'm missing a big chunk of what's going on in our student's lives. I'm hoping through this book, and many of its suggestions, I can find my way to a better understanding of youth and youth culture.
2) A not "up front" point that kept coming up to me in this book is the need to allow students to have a stronger hand in deciding what goes on in our youth ministries. I grew up in a ministry in which we were taken on trips where the details were kept secret in order to have a sense of surprise. I can now see that while that approach benefited me as a youth in a Youth Ministry 2.0 mindset, it doesn't do a thing now for our kids in 3.0.
So while this book has left me with a bunch of ideas to contemplate and review and discern, what impresses me most about it is my feeling that it will challenge anyone who comes across it. It used to be that Doug Field's Purpose Driven Youth Ministry was the book that needed to be on every youth worker's shelf, and while that's still true to a degree, I think this book will go a lot further. I think this book does a great job of explaining why we will face some of the frustrations we face from parents and pastors alike. I think this book does a great job of explaining to veterans like me what needs to change in our approach, as well as showing the rookies the pitfalls that exist out there for us.
If I had to give it a letter grade: A+

I recently finished Mark Oestreicher's new book, `Youth Ministry 3.0.' I grabbed it while I was at the National Youth Worker's Convention in Pittsburgh; it was on the short list of books I HAD to pick up while I was there. Here's the short take: I thought it was great, definitely a book that youth pastors and youth workers should be reading and thinking about.

I have to confess, I thought it was kind of funny that Marko seemed almost embarrassed at the size of the book; it's not big. Far from it - you could probably read it in one sitting if you really wanted to. But to me that is one of it's great strengths. It's a thought provoking message that is kept focused. Kind of like Doug Field's `What Matters Most' book; short, but stronger because of it.

Marko's contention is that youth ministry has had two major shifts, or focuses, over the years, and we are now at a point in time where it is transitioning into a third major shift (hence the title). Youth Ministry 1.0 was very much proclamation driven; youth workers were missionaries reaching out to teenagers. Youth Ministry 2.0 was and is program driven, with youth workers using various models and programs to disciple and create positive peer groups. During YM 2.0 we saw the rise of career youth workers, which while on the one hand was a positive thing, on the other hand it finally provided us with people who have been around long enough to start realizing that things still aren't `working' the way we hoped. That maybe we've been doing it wrong, or with the wrong focus. Marko's conviction is that YM 3.0 will be more centered in the present, with a focus on communion and mission.

I think he has some great thoughts; I didn't necessarily line up with him on some of the ways that we need to change youth ministry. His idea of having multiple youth groups to reach multiple types of kids in one church just seems to be splintering the body even more ... although, at the same time he was very much pushing for integrating teens in the church, so maybe I need to reflect a while longer on his ideas because at first glance those two thoughts don't seem to mesh. What I really loved is that while writing the book, Marko posted the chapters one at a time on his blog and collected input from readers from around the world and included an incredible variety of thoughts, criticisms, agreements, etc., in the book. It was a great way to have a chorus of voices weighing in on the ideas of Youth Ministry 3.0. I also appreciated that he owned Youth Specialties' role in maybe causing some of the problems (unintentionally) in the practice of youth ministry; it's not often you see a company president acknowledging that maybe they haven't always gotten it right.

All in all, I think this is going to be one of the must read youth ministry books of 2009. It's certainly thought provoking, well written, and relevant. And I'm not too sure that there's anything else out there quite like it, making it that much more important in the realm of youth ministry resources (did I really just say `realm'???).

This book was challenging, refreshing, and validating. Challenging, in that it feels like the show LOST, creating more questions than answers, yet pointing to something intriguing and meaningful beyond those questions. It was also refreshing, a book that is too succinct and accessible to be an academic book, yet too philosophical and theological to be anything else. It definitely is not a book of programs or the latest youth ministry craze. It is instead proposing a new paradigm of youth ministry, analyzing where we've come from over the past 100 years and shifts that need to take place in our present contexts. Marko brings up the three tasks of adolescence--identity, autonomy, and affinity--and proposes that affinity is the central theme permeating youth culture today.

It is finally validating, putting into words my own internal struggles over the past few years as I entered into full-time ministry. There were many times while reading the book that I found myself nodding, thinking "that's exactly what I've been thinking, but didn't know how to say it!" Having moved from uber-liberal Portland, OR to uber-conservative Mesa, AZ, I'm realizing that youth ministry must be contextual, that culture shifts truly do matter and affect how we communicate and practice the ways of Jesus. This book highlights those ideas, which helps me realize that I'm not alone in my struggles.

I was planning on going through this book over a couple weeks with our youth intern. Then I finished the first chapter...and had to keep going. I finished the rest of the book in one sitting, furiously underlining and writing notes/questions in the margins. Then I had to go back and read it again while also scanning the sidenotes. Marko posted excerpts on his blog earlier this year, allowing many in youth ministry to react and share their own thoughts, which he published in the book. Some of the comments are frustrating, but many are quite enlightening. They are comments from youth workers in the trenches, which models exactly what Marko is proposing. This isn't a top-down "I'm the president of YS so I have all the answers" book. It's instead the beginning of a conversation, a dialectical approach that promotes community and creativity. It takes guts to publish blog comments from youth workers, especially if they sometimes don't agree with you. (You can even continue to dialogue about YM 3.0 in a Facebook group).

I feel like the book has proposed some exciting and powerful ideas about what youth ministry could look like in the upcoming years. But I also feel a sense of anxiety, of not exactly knowing how this is all going to play out. Marko proposes a few practical ideas for how YM 3.0 could look, but I found myself questioning many of them. And perhaps that's why he included them, to cause me to question rather than blindly implement a new program, to think about how YM 3.0 connects to my context. This is more about dialogue and less about curriculum, more about discernment and not about being purpose-driven.

The book has inspired a few steps that I do want to take, especially dreaming and dialoguing more with my volunteer staff and other youth pastors about what a missional, communional, present-centered youth ministry could look like. It would require an entire paradigm shift. Like Marko says in the book,

"Tweaking things won't get us there. Youth Ministry 3.0 isn't about making a subtle modification in one of your programs or adding the words communion and mission to your youth ministry's core values. Real change is absolutely messy. Always."

I'm hoping to start taking some risks and getting messy.

My initial reaction after reading Youth Ministry 3.0: "Oh crap!"
Yes, that's the truth because Marko (Mark Oestreicher, President of Youth Specialties) crystallized a general unrest that I had been feeling with my youth ministry over the past couple years.
Mark takes some time before getting into the guts of youth ministry 3.0 because it is important for us to get a broader understanding of where youth ministry has come from, where it has been, and where we stand today. It is crucial for youth workers to understand where youth culture and the culture in general stand today before venturing into the deep waters of attempting a complete revolution or reformation of youth ministry.
In the chapters on youth ministry 1.0 & 2.0 Mark attemps a fair and accurate portrayal of what was driving these ministries, what was good about them, and where they were lacking. As a person that has spent a large ammount of time in both a para-church ministry (former Young Life staff) and in the church I could completely connect with the descriptions of both the 1.0 and 2.0 models that Mark lays out.
Although I am not quite sure if I fully agree with all that Mark brings up in the chapter on youth ministry 3.0 & the chapter on getting to that goal of 3.0, I do have to say that there is something very attractive and freeing about this paradigm for youth ministry. My struggle with the model that Mark sets up is that it is ultra dependant on quality adults. Now, that in itself is not a negative, please don't read it that way. My struggle with the model is in the decimal points, the space between youth ministry 2.0 & 3.0.
When a church is living in the youth ministry 2.0 land and the leadership of the youth ministry is consistantly being wooed toward 3.0, how does the youth ministry team find the number of Jesus-loving, teenager-caring adults that it needs to make this thing work?
If you have felt the uneasiness that comes with the feeling that your church's youth ministry just isn't cutting it, that there is something that is broken, or if you just want to get an overview of where youth ministry has been and where it is going, you need to get this book! Youth Ministry 3.0 should be required reading for every person that is responsible for a youth ministry. Not everyone will be called to make a jump to 3.0 right away but you do need to read this so you know about the groundswell that is coming.

I honestly could not wait to get my hands on this book. I heard Marko speak at NYWC 2007 in Atlanta where he spoke on this idea, and it really hit home with me because I was in the same place he was with struggles in youth ministry. This book lays out so clearly where youth ministry came from, where it is right now, and challenged us to move on to where it needs to go.

What I appreciated:
- I really appreciated the length of the book, only 150 pages or so. I have a little trouble with finishing longer books so this helped a lot.
- I liked that Marko did not try to answer what the future of youth ministry, YM 3.0, would look like because by his own explanation it will be different everywhere, there is not longer a "right way"
- I really liked how he laid out the history and present and future parts of youth ministry; it was very simple and profound. The chart was great!
- I truly appreciated that Marko did not knock on the church and tell us that we are all wrong, but approached it as we were right and now we need to continue on our path of change to meet the new needs. It is far to easy to just say: "You're all wrong and I am right;" but Marko does not do this, he simply pushes us towards a new journey.
- I appreciated the stories told by Marko and others on the sides of the pages; it put a "real" sense to the whole thing; even including people who did not agree with what he was saying.
- I appreciated that Marko, the president of Youth Specialties, a company based in YM 2.0 wrote a book that is even going to challenge his organization greatly as well.

What I struggle with:
- I almost wish that Marko did not include the chapter on how do we get there. I know that he did not give too much, but people will still get stuck on it as the "way" again. I do understand, however, the need for this chapter for people to begin a discussion.
- I wish that Marko did not give a verse to describe YM 3.0 as it is somewhat against what he is talking about, I wish that he stuck with his first thought, the whole Bible, I believe that would show how much of a change that we need to make.

My Fears:
- I fear that too many are so stuck within the YM 2.0 program mindset that they might be unable or unwilling to move beyond it.
- I fear that there are too many who are going to make this book the "new way" and miss the whole point altogether.
- I fear that there will be many struggles with even small communities with how youth ministry is done.
- I fear that church leaders may slow the progress of this new era of ministry, and that it might simply be because we have not communicated to them what it is we feel called to do.
- I fear that the professional youth minister has gotten so good at "ministry" that they no longer seek God; which I believe is the only thing we need to do to transition to YM 3.0.
- I fear that our youth ministries may shrink, but our effectiveness with grow exponentially within those who are left in our care; which might bring on many conflicts and possible people let go.

Overall:
- I would give this book a MUST READ status. I truly believe that Marko put into words what so many of us have been struggling with for some time now.
- Even if you do not agree with Marko it is going to challenge you to check yourself and the ministry the God has place you in.
- I love that there is a facebook group to discuss this with other people in ministry, which is where you will find me...