Contextualization of Evangelism and Discipleship in Youth Ministry – YOUT 630

Course Description

A study of the philosophy, principles, and practices of evangelizing and discipling middle and high school age students within the context of their own diverse cultures. Certain “axioms” and “paradigms” of adolescent ministry will be examined and evaluated for their effectiveness as tools for understanding and reaching students with the gospel.

Prerequisites

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

YOUT 630 is consistent with the program learning outcomes of scholarship, research, and professional communication. This course’s learning outcomes include analysis, comparisons, examinations, and identification of student ministry, resulting in the construction of a student ministry strategy that balances evangelism and discipleship.

Course Assignment

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 2 Discussions throughout the course. The purpose of Discussions is to generate interaction in regards to relevant current course topics. The student is required to submit 1 thread of at least 250 words. The student must submit 2 replies of at least 100 words each. For each Discussion, the student must support his/her assertions with at least 2 citations in current Turabian format. Acceptable sources include textbooks, the Bible, websites, personal interviews, course lectures, etc. (CLOs: B, D).

The student will write a 3-5 page summary (not including the title page and bibliography) on each of the following textbooks: the Vandegriff and Brown textbook, Student Ministry Essentials  (Book Critique 1), and the Stearns textbook, The Hole in Our Gospel (Book Critique 2). These must include the following sections: Introduction, Summary, Personal Response, and Conclusion. The student must remember to use quotations from the book. The student must refer to the grading rubric found in Blackboard for complete assignment requirements. (CLOs: B, C)

The student is expected to interview 4 individuals from 4 of 5 different generations including: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha. These individuals are to be identified based upon the descriptions in the video presentation. Personal interviews are recommended but are not required. The student may use other means to get his/her interviews. Once the student has secured his/her interview, the student must synthesize the individuals’ responses including, but not limited to, an introduction, summary, personal observations, ministry implications, and conclusion. The student must include confirmations or comparisons with assigned readings (these will make up his/her citations/footnotes). (CLOs: A, D)

The personal reflection assignment requires the student to synthesize his/her readings, both from this course as well as others, personal reading and required reading, juxtaposed with the student’s own experience, to develop his/her own perspective on student evangelism. This must be described succinctly in the form of an axiom(s). This perspective must include the student’s own personal position and practice of evangelism. The student can include an explanation of his/her own spiritual gifts as well as his/her personality type. Emphasis must also be on the student’s personal convictions on evangelism as well as how it can be demonstrated corporately within a student ministry. This paper can be written as a narrative. (CLO: E)

The emphasis of this assignment is twofold: the observation of and participation in a local ministry/service and writing a description of that experience.

The student will identify a local ministry and observe its operation. The student will pre-determine the ministry’s relationship to student ministry and use this as a criterion for selection. This can include, but is not limited to, local church or para-church ministries. It could also include social service ministries (i.e., Christian-based boys/girls homes/shelters, youth centers, mentoring/tutoring, and clothing/food). This field experience must include conversations with those in leadership as well as those who benefit from the ministry. There is no specified length of time for participation/observation, but, to get the full benefit of this experience, the student should plan on being at the site for an evening, afternoon, shift, or during daylight hours. (CLO: E)

The Ministry Strategy Paper is a compilation of all video presentations, required readings, and assignments. The expectation of this assignment is that the student develops a plausible strategy of evangelism and discipleship for a current student ministry (can be his/her own church or ministry). (CLO: E)