Global Youth Ministry

By Brooklyn Lindsey on June 25 2009

I’m sitting here in a denominational youth meeting with delegates from around the world, realizing that youth ministry is so much bigger than us. It transcends so many things, reaching into teenagers hearts, in so many languages and cultures.

When I’m doing youth ministry at my local church, it’s easy to forget how big our world is and how important it is to talk about the things that unite us.

What are some of the common denominators in youth ministries throughout our world? As I look at the youth groups in Mumbai, Brazil, and in the Dominican Republic, I see that there are some things that don’t seem to vary much, even though our cultures do.

There are passionate and courageous leaders, some paid, some not. There are adults walking together with teenagers joining in their stories and encouraging them to grow in their walks with God.

There is zeal. Teenagers and youth leaders are excited and passionate people.

There is a love for Christ. For Christian youth groups, no matter, their make-up, we are seeing a passion for Christ, a movement of teenagers and leaders who are looking for a reason to die to self.  It’s awesome to watch, it’s awesome to be a part of.

What themes do you see in global youth ministry? How can we open our groups up to begin thinking of themselves as a body bigger than the local church? These are the questions ruminating within and now I’m curious about how I could use technology (skype, iChat, etc.) to unite my local group with a global group. Anyone doing this already?

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