Missional Youth Ministry: Moving from Gathering Teenagers to Scattering Disciples

Missional Youth Ministry offers a new paradigm for youth ministry. Using blog entries and responses, authors Brian Kirk and Jacob Thorne invite readers into a conversational, engaging, and compelling discussion about why program-based, entertainment-focused ministries fail to develop young people into life-long participants in the mission of the church. They also propose a new way forward. For all those working "in the trenches" of youth ministry who long to offer teens a deeper, more substantial, more active role as members of the body of Christ, Missional Youth Ministry is a practical and theologically-sound guide for building a ministry grounded in prayer, worship, community, education, mission, and spirituality.

About the Author
Kirk, Brian: - Brian Kirk is associate pastor of mission, education, and the arts at Union Avenue Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri.Thorne, Jacob: - Jacob Thorne is an ordained pastor in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. As an undergraduate, Jacob attended the University of Missouri and earned his Masters of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary. In working with youth, He has experienced: both large and small church settings, long-established youth ministries, new youth ministries, and youth ministries in transition. Jacob currently serves at Broadway Christian Church in Columbia, Missouri where he works primarily with youth in grades 6th-12th.