Contemplative Ministry with Youth

In his newest book, Contemplative Youth Ministry, author and youth leader, Mark Yaconelli makes it clear that youth ministry today needs many fewer words and much more connection with teens at a personal level. He points out that, “Youth are not blank slates, and Christianity is not words.” Yaconelli believes that we must resist the urge to engage in a schedule of activities, teach Scripture and a curriculum, or preach key messages to our young people…in the earnest belief that this is the basis for a productive youth ministry. Instead, he encourages that we slow down and merely “be with” teens – consistently, through the good and the bad and everything in between.

Mark acknowledges that this is a very difficult task for most Christian adults today because:

• We don’t know how to be with kids.
• We don’t know how to be with ourselves.
• We don’t know how to be with God.

As a result, our approaches to our personal and spiritual lives are characterized by activity and action…many times lacking real meaning and connectedness. The author observes that many of us “…no longer live from the center of our lives.” He encourages us to “live in the presence of Jesus” as a way to rediscover that center and to make it the starting point for our ministry with teens.

At LOGOS, we have always believed that relationships are at the heart of successful ministry with children and youth…inter-generational relationships between adults and young people, between the youth themselves, and ultimately a lasting relationship with God through Jesus Christ. From the earliest days of our ministry, training on the genuine nature of Christian relationships has been a central part of the LOGOS message. We have always seen the four parts of our weekly ministry as the framework for supporting the nurturing relationships that adults form and sustain with kids in LOGOS ministries.

Mark Yaconelli’s strong message to us about a contemplative approach to ministry shifts the focus from programs, activities, and resources and places it firmly in the laps of those involved in working with teens. We pray that God will grant us the presence of Jesus and insight of the Holy Spirit to empower us in a ministry of “being” as opposed to one of merely “doing.”