"The Bible views people as whole people living their lives in relation to others; therefore, family ministry must be integrated into all areas of a person's life."

—Royce Money, Ministering to Families: A Positive Plan of Action

During a rather lively discussion on the merits of family-friendly methods of youth ministry, one influential speaker and author emphatically proclaimed, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it...and youth ministry ain't broke!"

That's hard to argue with:

• Most churches recognized youth ministry as a viable career option and are clamoring for trained, educated and mature (read, older) youth and student ministry pastors.

• In the last decade, nearly every Christian college and seminary has created some sort of youth ministry program.

• Sales of youth ministry books and related products are at an all-time high, and every year sales records are broken.

• Youth conventions such as DC/LA and Acquire and Fire—and parachurch organizations such as Young Life and Youth for Christ—continue to draw staggering numbers at sponsored events.

• Youth Specialties" National Youth Workers Conventions are drawing more people every year and are consistently experiencing greater ethnic and theological diversity.

In spite of these facts, not everybody agrees they represent the state of how things really are in youth ministry. Many youth workers, pastors, parents and Christian leaders are wondering aloud whether youth ministry has become an independent, unruly and institutionally disconnected program that's missing the heart of its mission—namely, to bring kids into vibrant, community-based relationships with God.

Mark DeVries—author of Family Based Youth Ministry, the book that initiated the first broad salvo at traditional youth ministry—had this to say at a recent seminar: "Youth ministry is not working. I want it to work, and I've tried to make it work, but I've been doing it for more than 15 years—and have had the money, the time, and the organizational luxury to do it well—but I'm convinced that in the overall scheme of things...traditional youth ministry is not working."

After several years of study and reflection, I have come to the conclusion that while youth ministry is doing well in many respects, it always will have a difficult time, no matter how popular the model or charismatic the leader, making a lasting, significant dent in the lives of the vast majority of kids. This is a lost, fragmented and abandoned generation. Students need far more than a few youth workers and some snappy weekly programs that keep their interest. This has been the impetus of the family ministry movement.

What Is Family Ministry?

When most people talk about family ministry, comments generally fall into three schools of thought:

1. Family ministry as care ministry. This viewpoint says the church is primarily a helping community; but when classes, clinics, support groups and lay counseling dominate a congregation's view of family ministry, youth ministry programming is left out. Thus this view of family ministry makes little if any impact on traditional youth ministry thinking and practice.