The End of Youth Ministry? (Theology for the Life of the World)

What is youth ministry actually for? And does it have a future? Andrew Root a leading scholar in youth ministry and practical theology went on a one-year journey to answer these questions. In this book Root weaves together an innovative first-person fictional narrative to diagnose the challenges facing the church today and to offer a new vision for youth ministry in the 21st century. Informed by interviews that Root conducted with parents this book explores how parents' perspectives of what constitutes a good life are affecting youth ministry. In today's culture youth ministry can't compete with sports test prep and the myriad other activities in which young people participate. Through a unique parable-style story Root offers a new way to think about the purpose of youth ministry: not happiness but joy.