Essay on "Youth Ministry"

Essay 4 pages (1014 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Ministry

Youth Ministry Curriculum Critique

Curriculum 1: Faithful Citizen

Theological Position:

The Center for the Congregation of Public Life offers a curriculum that makes community and social action the primary imperatives of a youth ministry development program. The theological position denotes an emphasis on the role of ministry in the Church and, in turn, the responsibility of the Church to the people around it. The driving theological question at the heart of this curriculum is the degree to which we are each responsible for those around us. The resulting lesson plans offer a blueprint for reconciling this question. This echoes the decidedly Wesleyan perspective that to love God with all of one's heart, one must also love his neighbor with this same unflagging devotion.

Educational Philosophy:

With respect to the educational philosophy, the Congregation takes an approach that would be best described as a combination of explicit and implicit practices. This is carried out through the range of materials provided as part of the "Faithful Citizen" course of study. This includes a 10-page study guide that is intended for group study. This course material, as well as the video conversations between religion sociologist Robert Bellah and Seminary president Donald W. Shriver Jr., qualify as explicit in their educational approach. These materials provide students with both straightforward and discursive ways of understand that which is expected of us in relation to our fellow man. The importance of the role of the Church in feeding the hungry, clothing the cold and sheltering the homeless are extrapolated both through the narrative power of biblical exegesis but also through the correlation between biblical ethics and our collective responsibility.

The implicit dimension of the course is couched in 3 to 4-minute videos that concern global crises and other humanitarian issues. These videos are framed as dilemmas to be examined by students in dialogue, as opposed to lessons with explicit right and wrong answers. Here, students have the opportunity to apply what they've learned about our commanded responsibility to others to some of the most troubling situations facing our fellow man. This aspect of the course is distinct because it challenges students to make concrete and meaningful applications of the values driving their study.

Practicality:

The Faithful Citizen course of study achieves its practicality both in its attainable scope and its applicable ambitions. The course is designed to occupy 6 weeks, a modest timetable particularly considering the educational and ideological returns. The material requirements are also modest and attainable. Also, the fact that this course of study is web-mediated makes it highly accessible to aspiring participants.

Most importantly though, the practicality of this course of study is steeped in its applicability to the real world. While the curriculum brings us face-to-face with some of the worst and most seemingly insurmountable humanitarian challenges taking place in the world today, it simultaneously empowers us to intervene where needed in our own backyard. The value of the Church as a house of worship and gathering is inestimable. But in many ways, the Faithful Citizen curriculum works… READ MORE

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