My brother and his wife spend most of their waking hours thinking about drag racing. Their whole lives revolve around race cars: they build them, race them, rebuild them and race them again. When I have the opportunity to watch them race, I'm always amazed by the precision with which they tune the car, burn the tires, pack the parachute and adjust the electronics for optimal acceleration down the quarter-mile stretch. They love cars, and they love racing; and that's exactly how they became interested in motor sports. Through the years, however, they've come to understand just how much knowledge and skill it actually takes to build a car and race it down the track.

I started out in youth ministry much the same way nearly 30 years ago. I loved Jesus, and I loved kids; and a friend of mine told me that was exactly what youth ministry was all about. While there's a lot of truth in that, there's also a lot more to it than that; and I've learned just how much knowledge and skill it really takes to build a ministry and lead teenagers down the track of vibrant Christian living.

My brother would say that everyone in the grandstands loves cars and loves racing, but only those who've taken the time to acquire the knowledge and skills of the sport are out on the track. Likewise, there are many Christians who love kids and love Jesus—the brave few come out of the grandstands to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in faithful and effective youth ministry.

A Growing Knowledge Base

Racing a soapbox derby car down a hill takes a certain amount of technique, but racing a top fuel dragster at more than 300 mph is something quite different. As cars become more complex, more knowledge and skill is required even though the basics (four tires and a steering wheel) remain the same. As our society has become increasingly complex, diverse, tolerant, individualistic and relativistic, it has been necessary for us to broaden our scope and deepen our knowledge and understanding of the multidimensional organism that is youth ministry.

Our approach to youth ministry is affected by our sociological understanding of culture, subcultures and primary groups. It's affected by our understanding of the physiological and psychological development of adolescents. Many middle school youth workers and parents rest easier when they understand how early adolescents are wired—and that the wiring improves with age. It's affected by the history of how we were ministered to as teenagers and by the selective folklore of the "good old days" when youth ministry was easier. It's affected by our theology and the core values that we—the church, the parents, the elders, and the senior pastor bring to the table. Youth ministry happens in a context, and everything in that context (for good or ill) affects youth ministry.

To that end, youth ministry has been blessed with the infusion of many thoughtful and talented people who've taken the time to ask hard questions and think critically about the future of youth ministry in an ever-changing global society. The research and scholarship that has been done concerning adolescents and ministry has provided a wealth of knowledge and resources to help youth workers in their ministries. In fact, the USA Regional Conference of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry hosted a conference on Adolescents and the Gospel in American Culture in January 2006. Many youth workers have found that the more they understand about the sociology and psychology of adolescents and the more they understand their own theological assumptions about God and ministry, the simpler youth ministry becomes.