Ministry Youth Ministry Curriculum Critique

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 to magnify that value by rendering the Church and its leadership as devoted and compassionate servants of the community.

Curriculum 2: Elements

Theological Position:

YM 360's "Elements" curriculum is a web-mediated course of study aimed at courting young church leaders by emphasizing the importance of the Gospels. The theological thrust of Elements is doctrine-intensive. The roles of soteriology and eschatology are significant in the Elements curriculum, which includes in its objectives encouragement of ministerial practice in all walks of life. This denotes a constant connection between the aspirant Church leader and the Word of the scriptures.

Educational Philosophy:

Elements is an explicit course of study, driven by directives and set of materials that are aimed at providing teachers the ability to teach the concept of discipleship and, consequently, providing students with the ability to engage discipleship when at home or otherwise outside of the Church. The philosophy that accompanies accessible and easy-to-use online materials is that one must be able to take these lessons home and practice them in the unpredictable parameters of reality.

The text by Yaconelli (2006) offers some useful insight into this educational philosophy, telling that we must make Jesus a part of our everyday lives and in every detail if we are to achieve the discipleship sought by the Elements curriculum. Accordingly, Yaconelli tells that "Jesus' presence, his capacity to love and be with people, is transformative…He enjoys being with God. His ministry, it seems, doesn't come from a pre-planned formula but instead arises in response to the real situations and relationships he encounters. If we want our young people to live lives of faith, we need to live into the presence of Jesus." (p. 21)

This is the philosophy that gives Elements its orientation, promoting the understanding that we are defined by God's love, that Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for us and that in exchange, we are commanded to be known in all aspects of our life for the love that we show to others. These teachings give elements is content and its strategic approach.