Youth Ministry from the Outside In: How Relationships and Stories Shape Identity - Softcover

McKoy, Brandon K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0830841067 ISBN 13: 9780830841066

Publisher: IVP, 2013

Synopsis

We tend to organize our youth ministry from the inside out. We give gathered groups of individual youth tools and teaching to form their souls around a Christian identity. So far, so good. But what if our identity is not merely or even primarily rooted and established somewhere inside ourselves? What if our identity is shaped and cultivated in the relationships we inhabit--each with their own distinctives and demands―and in the overlapping stories we find ourselves in? Prefabricated approaches to ministry that focus on the interior makeup of our youth may make for good youth group members, but these limited approaches don't reach beyond the youth room into other corners of their lives. Rather than centering them on the faith, our inside-out approach may be pushing their faith to the margins of their life. Brandon McKoy mines the insights of social construction theory to help us locate Christ not in our hearts but in our midst. We learn to embrace him as our own and our students as whole people engaging in a life's worth of encounters. Approaching youth ministry from the outside in, we discover our students in a whole new light―and with them, the fullness of our faith.

About this title

About the Author:

Brandon K. McKoy (D.Min., Fuller Seminary; M.Div., Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity) serves as senior pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Gastonia, North Carolina, and as an adjunct instructor at Gardner-Webb University in the department of religious studies and philosophy. McKoy is an associate of the Taos Institute―a community of scholarly practitioners who extend social constructionist dialogues into diverse practical settings. He has ministered to youth and their families for over 15 years.

Review:

"Brandon develops ideas in this text that to my knowledge are nowhere to be found in the voluminous literature on narrative and associated practices of therapy and mediation." (Kenneth J. Gergen, from the afterword)

"This book provides a new perspective for looking at youth ministry, and indeed ministry with all people. . . . This book is recommended for all who are involved with youth ministry. It is appropriate for church and college libraries." (Robert Huttmeyer, Catholic Library World, Vol. 84, No. 3)

"Brandon's work is masterfully presented here, and I fully and enthusiastically endorse what he offers us, not only for those in youth ministry but in any missional leadership setting." (Chap Clark, from the foreword)

"Brandon McKoy really understands the power of story. Youth Ministry from the Outside In significantly moves this conversation for youth workers and the church by taking us deeper into the social and theological dynamics of helping young people make meaning out of life. . . . McKoy inspires with new ways to engage young people in reading, thinking, discussing and interpreting Scripture, enabling them to really know the Bible, not for the sake of trivia but to make meaning for their lives." (Mike King, author of Presence-Centered Youth Ministry)

"My brain is swimming with questions and ideas, conviction and possibility after reading Youth Ministry from the Outside In. McKoy turns our ministry inside out, actually--moving our focus from isolated individuals assembled together, toward an ecosystem of living and breathing people-in-relationship. Read this book carefully--it may take more than one pass--and watch how it worms its way into your thinking and practice." (Mark Oestreicher, partner, The Youth Cartel)

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0830841067
• ISBN 13: 9780830841066
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 267