The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches
The evangelical church in North America is facing a crisis in its failure to retain young people. Research has shown that young people are dropping out of the church and they are not only leaving but also failing to return once they are older. This crisis did not appear in a vacuum; it is the result...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Verbum et Ecclesia |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/2020 |
| _version_ | 1811291187109167104 |
|---|---|
| author | Kenneth A. Moser Malan Nel |
| author_facet | Kenneth A. Moser Malan Nel |
| author_sort | Kenneth A. Moser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The evangelical church in North America is facing a crisis in its failure to retain young people. Research has shown that young people are dropping out of the church and they are not only leaving but also failing to return once they are older. This crisis did not appear in a vacuum; it is the result of the church’s movement towards a style of programming that has created a division between evangelism and discipleship. This style of programme not only seeks to reach those outside of the church at the expense of those youth in the church but also creates a dichotomy between who we are (our identity) and what we do (our mission). The church must seek to remove this dichotomy between identity and mission and utilise strategies that work with our identity rather than against it.
Intradisciplinary and/or Interdisciplinary Implications: This article is an interaction between practical theology and pastoral practice in Christian ministry. The crisis of youth leaving evangelical churches in North America is because of the dichotomy between mission and identity. Once this dichotomy is erased, mission will be a natural outworking of identity in youth ministry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:25:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-166533dd3fdd4aaea437fc54e4d564b8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1609-9982 2074-7705 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:25:36Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Verbum et Ecclesia |
| spelling | doaj.art-166533dd3fdd4aaea437fc54e4d564b82022-12-22T03:02:32ZafrAOSISVerbum et Ecclesia1609-99822074-77052019-11-01401e1e810.4102/ve.v40i1.20201533The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churchesKenneth A. Moser0Malan Nel1Department of Youth Ministry, Briercrest College and Seminary, Caronport, SaskatchewanDepartment of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, PretoriaThe evangelical church in North America is facing a crisis in its failure to retain young people. Research has shown that young people are dropping out of the church and they are not only leaving but also failing to return once they are older. This crisis did not appear in a vacuum; it is the result of the church’s movement towards a style of programming that has created a division between evangelism and discipleship. This style of programme not only seeks to reach those outside of the church at the expense of those youth in the church but also creates a dichotomy between who we are (our identity) and what we do (our mission). The church must seek to remove this dichotomy between identity and mission and utilise strategies that work with our identity rather than against it. Intradisciplinary and/or Interdisciplinary Implications: This article is an interaction between practical theology and pastoral practice in Christian ministry. The crisis of youth leaving evangelical churches in North America is because of the dichotomy between mission and identity. Once this dichotomy is erased, mission will be a natural outworking of identity in youth ministry.https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/2020youth ministryretentionidentitymissionevangelismdiscipleship |
| spellingShingle | Kenneth A. Moser Malan Nel The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches Verbum et Ecclesia youth ministry retention identity mission evangelism discipleship |
| title | The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches |
| title_full | The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches |
| title_fullStr | The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches |
| title_full_unstemmed | The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches |
| title_short | The connection between youth ministry’s division of evangelism and discipleship, and the lack of retention of youth in North American churches |
| title_sort | connection between youth ministry s division of evangelism and discipleship and the lack of retention of youth in north american churches |
| topic | youth ministry retention identity mission evangelism discipleship |
| url | https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/2020 |
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