Practicing Theology in Youth Ministry
Every other year I have the opportunity to teach our introductory course on youth ministry at Welch College, entitled Philosophy of Youth and Family Ministry. The course is always a wonderful experience, and central to its purposes are laying a theological foundation and developing biblical practice for practical ministry. The summative project in the course is students developing their own philosophies of youth and family ministry.
Students are encouraged to exegete Scripture, finding timeless principles they can use to build a framework for the way in which they will minister in the future. Consistently, I remind them to begin with the Bible, take the non-negotiable truths of God, and then apply these truths to their given contexts. In essence, they are doing theological work. After all, according to at least one study, only fourteen percent of youth pastors “strongly agree” that their youth ministry is shaped more by theology than by youth culture—this is a statistic that needs to change.[1]
Yet, as I read various youth ministry texts, many authors argue for a methodology contrary to this practice. Many of these youth ministry experts developed or began their “practical theology” in practice and/or context. For this reason, this essay will survey current approaches to practical theology within the field of youth ministry, as well as observe some of the difficulties this method can present.
Defining Practical Theology
Upon first glance, we might assume that practical theology and applied theology are synonymous terms. However, at least within the field of youth ministry, this is not the case.[2] Before the 1960s, according to Michael McEntyre, practical theology was simply the application of biblical studies, systematic theology, and church history.[3] Yet in the past six decades a significant theological turn in practical ministry has occurred. While time does not allow a full survey of this change, it is largely due to practical theology becoming its own field and distinctive practice instead of simple biblical application.
In light of this change, how, then, might we define practical theology? Kenda Creasy Dean, prolific youth ministry practitioner and professor of Youth, Church, and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, defines practical theology as “theological reflection on Christian action.”[4] In addition, she states that practical theology is a particular kind of theological reflection that is done in the context of ministry—the midst of Christian experience. It is here that one “discovers Gods’ truth in and through the Christian life.”[5]
Another author stated; “[W]hat sets practical theology apart from other theological perspectives is its emphasis on the starting point of theological inquiry. Practical theology starts with the context, or the current practices, of what it is we are seeking to understand.”[6] In this briefest of terms, practical theology “is at least a praxis-theory-praxis process of constant dialogue,” according to Chap Clark.[7] That is, in Clark’s model, practical theology begins with context, moves toward biblical exegesis, and then seeks application.
Brandon K. McKoy argues “[P]ractical theology is concerned with Christian action—namely, how we put our God talk into action and how our action changes our God talk. Practical theology is concerned with the mundane, not with the abstract philosophical principles. . . . Simply put, practical theology is theological reflection within everyday life.”[8] It is worth nothing that McKoy seeks to synthesize social constructionism with his practical theology. Youth ministry veteran and professor Duffy Robbins notes, “The goal of any true theological enterprise, at least for those of us who are followers of Christ, is always to move beyond the ‘word become concept’ to the ‘word become flesh.’”[9]
What seems to have happened in defining practical theology is the loss of a concrete starting point.[10] As those in youth ministry (and ministry broadly) have sought to understand and articulate practical theology, many have failed at placing primacy on God’s revelation in Scripture. Many are quick to note that Scripture is to have the final word in practical theology, though one might ask why it shouldn’t have the first word as well.[11] Instead of beginning with and returning to God’s truth as found in the Bible, people have intertwined experience and pragmatism to give “practical theology” a new foundation. After all, Dean notes, “Practical theology differs from other forms of theological reflection in that it focuses on knowing God through concrete situations.”[12]
Difficulties in Practical Theology
I agree with Dean Borgman, who writes that practical theology (rightly understood) “remembers our starting point, that apart from abiding in Christ and without the mind of Christ we are at a loss in figuring out the lives of young people and their culture.”[13] Further, I agree with Borgman that “the goal of practical theology is transformation: individual and corporate.”[14] It is never a transformation or alteration of who God is. In founding our identity and knowledge upon this “divine metanarrative,” we can have both certainty and a reasonable level of objectivity when developing an applied theology.[15] Theology always speaks of something—or better yet, Someone—that is ultimate. When theologizing, why not begin with revelation from God rather than subjective and temporal experiences and contexts? Arguing for his model, Clark states,
When faithfully and communally applied, this process will empower and enable youth ministry practitioners to lead a believing community to shift from reliance on a priori assumptions and convictions that hinder the work of the Spirit toward the kind of reflective responses that produce a deepening commitment to biblically-driven and theologically-directed action.[16]
Accordingly, a priori convictions are necessary for a commitment to biblical-theological action in any given context.
Contrary to the articulation of some in youth ministry, Richard Dunn argues that one must begin with theological foundations (beliefs) and then, and only then, move to life practices and ministry applications.[17] This is where many disagree. Some argue for theological reflection “which tends to conflate human and divine action. . . . There has been a kind of Pragmatist school . . . a social critical school . . . a practice oriented perspective . . . and a revelation centric perspective.”[18] That is to say, there are myriad ways in which practical theologians have tried to frame their discipline, not always agreeing on what is the correct starting point, or even how the discipline should be oriented, or centered.
One of the central concerns among practical theologians is the loss of distinctiveness in their own theological method if it amounts to nothing but theological application. Within this praxis-theory-praxis model, practical theologians can argue that their theological reflection is just as unique as those in systematic, historical, or biblical theology. If practical theologians are simply taking the truth found in the rest of the theological encyclopedia (biblical studies, systematics, historical theology) and applying it, they are no longer unique but are simply applying the completed methods of the classical theological disciplines.
Conclusion
We should understand the distinction that practical theologians are making in their methodology. What once was simply application has now become its own method, distinct in its process of theologizing. My hope is that we can conceptualize an understanding of practical theology that begins with and implements the truths and tenets of historical theological understanding, while simultaneously honoring practical theology as its own field. It will take the best of our understanding and wisdom, and only time will tell if this is possible.
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[1]Karen E. Jones, “Setting Ministry Goals: Personal and Interpersonal,” in Youth Ministry that Transforms: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Hopes, Frustrations, and Effectiveness of Today’s Youth Workers, ed. Merton Strommen, Karen E. Jones, and Dave Rahn. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 210.
[2]Leonard M. Kageler, “Youth Ministry Theological Foundations and Youth Ministry Praxis: Baptists and Anglicans in Five Countries on Four Continents,” Journal of Youth Ministry 16, no. 2 (2018): 36-58.
[3]Michael McEntyre, “Thinking (Practical) Theology,” in Adoptive Youth Ministry: Integrating Emerging Generations into the Family of Faith, ed. Chap Clark (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016), 101.
[4]Kenda Creasy Dean, “Fessing Up: Owning Our Theological Commitments,” in Starting Right: Thinking Theologically about Youth Ministry, ed. Kenda Creasy Dean, Chap clark, and Dave Rahn. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 31.
[5]Ibid., 31.
[6]McEntyre, 97.
[7]Chap Clark, “Youth Ministry as Practical Theology,” Journal of Youth Ministry 7, no. 1 (2008): 10.
[8]Brandon K. McKoy, Youth Ministry from the Outside In: How Relationships and Stories Shape Identity (Downers Grove: IVP, 2013), 237n5.
[9]Duffy Robbins, This Way to Youth Ministry: An Introduction to the Adventure (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 21.
[10]What is interesting to note is the shift in understanding practical theology, and the professionalization of youth ministry in America, happen virtually at the same time.
[11]Clark, 17.
[12]Dean, 36. Emphasis added.
[13]Dean Borgman, Foundations for Youth Ministry: Theological Engagement with Teen Life and Culture (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 68.
[14]Borgman, 69.
[15]Ibid., 70.
[16]Clark, 21.
[17]Richard R. Dunn, “A Theological Framework for Doing Youth Ministry,” in Reaching a Generation for Christ: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry, ed. Richard R. Dunn and Mark H. Senter III (Chicago: Moody, 1997), 50-51.
[18]Andrew Root, “Practical Theology: What Is It and How Does It Work,” Journal of Youth Ministry 7, no. 2 (2009): 65.
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