The Princeton Lectures on Youth, Church, and Culture

1996 — Christ and the Adolescent: A Theological Approach to Youth Ministry

Introduction

I am honored to introduce the first volume of the Princeton Lectures on Youth, Church, and Culture, presented in Daytona Beach, FL, and Princeton, NJ, in the spring of 1996 by James W. Fowler, Robin Maas, and Robert Wuthnow. The Princeton Lectures on Youth, Church, and Culture are designed to foster original research on youth and the church. As part of a new venture in ministry sponsored by Princeton Theological Seminary, the Institute for Youth Ministry they describe a shift occurring in the churches thinking about youth and ministry. Instead of ghettoizing youth into clubs apart from the congregation, the church’s mission with youth views young people as integral to the total mission of the church, and youth ministry as a theological task which is not only about youth ministry, but about youth’s ministry as well.

The 1996 lectures, titled “Christ and the Adolescent: A Theological Approach to Youth Ministry,” address mainline churches who have suffered grievous losses in their attempts to address teens. These losses come at a time when public institutions are calling attention to the important role churches play in adolescent development. Churches agree: We believe we have something to contribute to youth in the person of Jesus Christ—and therefore Jesus Christ, not age-level education, pastoral counseling, or recreational programs, must be the starting point for youth ministry.

We asked each of our lecturers to approach this theme from the perspective of their own disciplines. James Fowler posits a new shape for youth ministry that recognizes nuances of human development; Robin Maas uses biblical exegesis to redefine the spiritual journey of youth and the adults who mentor them; and Robert Wuthnow analyzes the sociological significance of service learning trends for the church’s ministry with teenagers. Together they point to a new direction for ministry with young people.

We approach this direction humbly and with hope. We know that the church’s renewal depends not on the church of tomorrow, but the church of today—a church in which youth can be integral missionaries to their elders and world. May this volume challenge and nourish the ministry God has laid before you.

Godspeed,
Kenda Creasy Dean
Director, Institute for Youth Ministry

1996 Lectures

• Robin Maas
  • Christ and the Adolescent: Piper or Prophet?
  • Christ and the Adolescent: A Decision for Love
  • Christ and the Adolescent: Written in Stone
• James W. Fowler
  • Perspectives on Adolescents, Personhood, and Faith
  • Adolescence in the Trinitarian Praxis of God
  • Grace, Repentance, and Commitment: Youth Initiation in Care and Formation
• Robert Wuthnow
  • Youth and Culture in American Society: The Social Context of Ministry to Teenagers
  • Religious Upbringing: Does It Matter and, If So, What Matters?
  • Unto the Least of These: Youth and the Ministry of Caring