"A New Kind of Youth Ministry"

I am currently reading/listening to Chris Folmsbee's book by this title [as part of my pile of 5-6 books on the go!!] It's great, timely and might just be the text to distribute to a bunch of our Workers and Leaders to get a conversation going about 're-culturing' or reinventing UCA youth ministry for the current times. It's full of things we've been advocating for and doing but as ever it's a coherent narrative of the times rather than an intuitive response to one off happenings along the way [which inevitably cause people to question your ideas] not that Chris' learnings and changes are immune from criticism!!

Chris writes succinctly and makes sharp observations about his context where not all the angles fit here in Oz but the point is valid for slightly different reasons.

I will review Chapter by Chapter from here... and am cavassing colleagues to see if there's energy foir a workshop/discussion day before years end where some of this could be explored as reflective practice for people in their contexts. We'd offer tools not just advocacy and ideas wedded to people's own situations...

The book will be available to be borrowed from the Camden Theological Library at North Parramatta which is open to posting books to any UCA person... just give me a week to finish it!!