My friend Mike McGarry wrote an interesting article on his new site Youth Pastor Theologian. (he also posts regularly on instagram)
About ten years ago, everyone was talking about the “dropout rate” and the “rise of the nones.” The increased number of youth who were walking away from the faith after high school rang the alarm and caused everyone to stop and reevaluate the way they approached youth ministry.
Some decided the numbers were inflated and continued with what they’ve been doing for years. Others generally fell into two camps. My book, A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry, was largely written to frame our response to the dropout rate according to the Bible.
One camp committed to take a more sympathetic approach towards the culture. Their desire has been to display what a transformed Christian life looks like in today’s world. This posture is best embodied by Hillsong, Bethel, and North Point Church (Andy Stanley’s church). In terms of youth ministry, they doubled-down, because reaching the next generation became their rallying cry. That’s why these groups tend to be very youthful in their attitude and postures.
Read it all here (and his book is excellent btw)
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