You’ve perhaps heard the infamous statistic that 80-85% of people who become Christians do so before age 14. We youth workers especially love quoting that data when we’re asking for a larger ministry budget.
Whether it’s deciding what music to listen to in the church van or which movies to see with students, youth workers are always wrangling with questions of culture. How we think theologically about culture has a huge impact on the way we answer the questions, but we rarely have time to contemplate the roots of our responses.
This article is an excerpt from a chapter in the new book The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip Hop Generation, by Fuller Seminary’s Ralph Watkins. Pastor-Professor-DJ Watkins explores ministry implications for reaching out to hip hoppers by facing hard questions church leaders are asking about hip hop culture, and applies these insights to cross-cultural outreach to kids in general.
“Conversion” and “evangelism” are words we often throw around in ministry without really stopping to consider what we mean and what we are attempting when we use them. Looking at two different approaches to conversion research might help us think more carefully about how we—and the students we serve—see the roles of both story and process in evangelism.
What does it mean to persuade students with the Gospel? When do we cross the line to manipulation? What can we learn from persuasion research to help sharpen our communication practices with students? Mark Maines utilizes some of Chap Clark’s work from the newly-released Deep Ministry in a Shallow World to offer a new look at our persuasion.
Do we get evangelism? Do we even get the Good News? What kinds of disciples are we making in our churches? Statistics suggest that we are in need of a radical rethinking of our evangelistic strategy as gospel-oriented Christians, seeking to follow the Great Commission. Check out these radical thoughts from Brian McLaren.
