We Are All to Blame: Part 3

So I've referred to this post few times now. This might be the last for a while. But I have one more thing to say.

If, for some reason you feel like only pointing the finger at YS for youth ministry of the past. This might be a good time to remember that no organization is going to save your youth ministry. No organization can take the place of you living in your context, listening to God and listening to kids and then taking the action accordingly. We in the church have forgotten this. In a day when you can buy your sermons online (or steal them from a hip guy in Michigan), study your bible based on some guy's thoughts you've never met, and follow the model for youth ministry of some other church in some other city you must take a long hard look in the mirror to your own culpability in this deal. Yeah that church, or publisher sold you a bill of goods that might not have been the best possible solution, but you bought it.

You

bought

it.

YS and other organizations have made a difference for good in the lives of youth pastors, youth workers, churches and kids. It is an undeniable fact. You bought that too. Perhaps the future of youth ministry involves a bit more wisdom on behalf of the youth pastors who don't do the work to understand context or (perhaps even moreso) church leaders who expect often unrealistic, unhealthy, and unbiblical things from their youth pastors and call it good and normal.