Lecture 2: Relational/Incarnational Ministry

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faithful practices, youth ministry

Andy Root - Examining the Practice of Relational/Incarnational (R/I) Youth Ministry

"freaks, geaks, and ?cool kids?" book
american evangelicalism (book title), christian smith
: sub-cultural identity theory - if a religious group can draw a very thick set of boundaries of who's in and out, pluralism actually helps define them even better
: evangelical tool-kit - culture is an incredibly complex thing; varied; groups in a culture develop tools and pass them to each other in how to react to situations. the tools set the actions one will take.
:personal influence relationalism - by being personally involved w/someone they found they (conserv. evangelicals) could get someone to make a decision. "always on stage."
:free-will individualism
:anti-structuralism

divded by faith (book title), ?emerson? - history of last 10 years, falling apart of racial tension.

andy's study: how this tool kit was affecting YM
how evang YM understood relationships
goal not an air-tight sample but to gather snapshots
sample provided by Fuller's Center for study of Youth and Family Ministry (requested 8 best examples of relational ministries, interviewed 5) they were diverse in size, denomination, etc.

Reporting Findings
YM @ Bethel Church (AOG, 500 people, 40-50 kids, San Gabriel Valley, large Hispanic and Asian family, many 1st move after being able to get out of east LA) YD is Gary, no seminary, 10-15 yr vet.
goal for R/I: that you come to know Christ as personal Savior. the things i do must have that as their focal point. impact lives for eternity. to make sure you make heaven your home, not there by the skin of your teeth.
-understanding of culture (sees signs of end times in culture); culture is hostile; need to get kids out of this world
-peer relationships: lots of pressure; try to give a flyer about XNY and they'll rip it up in your face. they're all spec. against XNY, they'll accept other religion, they'll say i'm a nazi and communist. XNs can't change content in movies, so maybe we just have to be a better, good alternative people; make sure you aren't changing when engaging w/ the bad, change them to the good and don't be affected.

YM @ Ocean Front Presby. Church (on the shore, upscale boutiques and shops, OC) YD is Sam, has M.Div, trained at Fuller, purpose-driven. relationships for modeling; culture kind of hostile. does R/I b/c he has to model things w/ them, so that his teaching isn't just ear candy. uses they/them (us/them) language. let the kids see my pain, that is part of my R/I. not being fake. cried in front of them. let them see it so they can say, yeah, i am, too. momentarily about sharing suffering rather than solely for influence.
kids say outside of the group, everyone else at school are not XN. some are quasi-XN. some go to Mass but they don't have the same kind of rel. w/ God we do. relationships w/ them are diff't. don't actually talk to them about their faith, but they're life is an example enough. INCREDIBLE AVERSION TO SPEAKING OR TALKING ABOUT THEIR FAITH W/ NON-CHRISTIANS. only way to express their faith is alt. example (not drinking). very US/THEM.

YM @ Foothill Cong. Church (foothills of Sierra Madre mtns; weird 50's feel; 50-60 kids on Wed. nights)
YD is Randy; part of Young Life in past; has ready every YM book known to man and likes to mention them; programs don't draw or keep, only relationships do; culture is toxic but Europe is worse; jesus is example, became one of us to make sure we went the right way.
culture is a place where you're constantly assaulted;
for randy, service was key. had to have service. parable: when people go to amusement park and leave, they're miserable after they leave, cuz it was all about them. but when you serve, it's not about you, you leave and are exhausted but you had fun and you feel good. (service seems to be much about feeling good about oneself). worship is about how i feel.

YM @ Washington Ave. Cong. Church (right in Pasadena, off the ramp off 110 freeway; megachurch, 4000 worship/week; mainly young professionals (wealthy and white), but located blocks away from Pasadena's homeless and pah-handlers and low-income Afr. Amer. and hispanic 'hoods)
YD is James; rel. serve to help kids take faith more seriously; culture is hostile but we must dialogue w/it; jesus went deeper with a few, not the masses; 12 and 3 perspective of Campus Crusade (12 apostles, 3 very close apostles); they've created spaces on wed. for conversation, sitting together, playing board games together, w/ motiv. of people just having conversations; actually wants to become more a neighborhood place, would have to become bilingual, change hiring practices; dream is that these kids are in each other's weddings...you know that there is no more breakdown btwn urban and suburban (no conversation about gang violence stopping; education improving; etc....all about befriending the 'hood, but the 'hood wants systematic change)

YM @ Joyful Noise Church (san dimas; genX congregation, has now started to age (young family congregation), located next to HS, lots of green space)
YD is Matt; very talented; relationships provide modeling, formation: help students assimilate into the larger church body (bridge towards getting kids into the congregation; means to an end still); culture hostile but is in dialogue w/ it; can't find theological justif. but there are sociological ones

Analysis:
-culture is the reason for doing R/I (leadership dev., educational authenticity, legitimize programs and teaching; congregational assimilation)

Getting the Problem in View (that it's culture and not theology)
-***more attent. to cultural conflict than to the continuing ministry of God in the world***
-R/I is constructed from the tools of Evangelical engagement (and mainlines have gradually and unknowingly adopted the toolkit)
-most prominent tool is relationalism

Advantages
-richer social capital (more adults willing to part. in their life...social networking; but that's not necessarily discipleship)
-all adolescents were involved in worship and service
-but this came w/ rigid in-group/out-group labeling
-this risks making relatinonships about personal influence; worship about indiv. emotional feelings; mission about volunteeristic service
-this is all a problem b/c it's thin theology

Ross Langmead's 3-Fold understanding of Incarnational Mission
1)following Jesus as the pattern for mission,
2)participating in Christ's risen presence as the power for mission, and
3)joining in god's cosmic mission of enfleshment which is evident from the beginning of creation

Andy's research shows a conspicuous absence of 2 and 3

leads to Jesus being understood only as an example, so that relationships is only about where we get kids; not for suffering with them; and can lead to justification of us abandoning them b/c they're not coming along, rather than living and suffering with them.



why do we do it? b/c god is actually present when you are in relationship (there is something mysterious about this), not just b/c we're modeling jesus or b/c we're trying to move kids to do something.