Transformational Youth Ministry

This paper will point out how deeply ingrained post-modern thinking has become in Western culture. It will remind us that our youth and young adults, who are post-modern, are not the enemy (as some would categorize them), but that they are ‘the beloved of God.’ We have been called and commissioned to reach them by the grace of God. This paper will argue that the church’s response to our post-modern youth, if it is to be efficacious, will require a paradigm shift, from its predominantly information style toward a more relational model of ministry. This can be facilitated by restructuring the church and its youth/young adult program around the development of ‘God Connections,’ a radically different model of small group that focuses on authenticity, community building, and spiritual formation.