Episode 26: Ecclesiology and Youth Ministry (Charles Hedman)

Many church-based youth ministries operate as parachurch ministries that are funded and housed by a church. There’s little connection or integration with the church congregation. Thankfully, there’s a renewed sense of commitment within youth ministry to integrate students into the life of the church. But why is this so important, what’s it look like? 

• Why is it important for a youth ministry to be intimately united within the church? In short, what does ecclesiology have to do with youth ministry? 
• What do students lose when youth ministries are disconnected from the church? 
• It’s difficult to navigate the relationship between youth ministry and the local church. Youth pastors are often skeptical of such calls, assuming it’s a subtle way to question the validity of youth ministry. And churches often feel like teenagers just don’t want to be there or like they need to be more attractive to hold students’ attention. What would you like to say about this scenario?
• Can you tell us about how you’ve intentionally structured your youth ministry to be an extension of the church’s ministry to teenagers rather than structuring youth group as a replacement for involvement in the church? 
• If someone is in a more traditional youth ministry system and they want to elevate the role of the church in the way they minister to students, where would you recommend we begin? 

Charles has nearly 15 years of experience working with youth, in both parachurch and churches. He oversaw the youth ministry at Captial Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC for most of the last decade and is currently taking a sabbatical from pastoral ministry as he and his family care for an ailing family member. 

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