Encouragement for Reaching the Teenage Soul In the pages of this book you’ll find encouragement: If you desire to address the longings of the adolescent soul, you’re not alone. For most youth pastors, a ministry to adolescents is typically filled with unceasing activity. Youth ministries are expected to keep students distracted and entertained. Today, however, many youth workers (and adolescents) are seeking something more substantial. There is a longing for deeper, more authentic forms of adolescent discipleship–but traditional approaches to youth ministry haven’t left much room for ideas like contemplative practices. Mark Yaconelli confesses, “Contemplative youth ministry is probably the most difficult approach to youth ministry that a church could undertake”—but anyone who has been involved in this type of ministry will tell you it’s worth it. In 1996, Yaconelli co-founded the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project at San Francisco Theological Seminary, leading retreats and events to help youth workers cultivate a practice of unceasing awareness of God in their lives and ministries, which led to the development of a contemplative approach to youth ministry. For the next several years, the YMSP worked with a variety of youth ministries across the country, attempting to implement this contemplative approach. Growing Souls is a collection of stories, experiences, conversations, and insights from many of the people involved in the project; it will reveal the struggles and successes encountered while exploring contemplative prayer and presence in youth ministry. You’ll read the profiles of four unique churches involved in contemplative youth ministry, along with stories and interviews with many of the youth directors and youth who participated in the program, and you’ll have access to the practices and processes used within the project. Grounded in experience with real churches, this book chronicles the journey of several youth ministries working to move Christian spirituality out of the retreat center and into the youth room. Growing Souls available at www.youthspecialties.com and www.amazon.com. | Books | Contemplative Youth Ministry | Growing Souls |
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