Skepticism regarding "Youth Ministry"

Young Christians leave the Church in droves, yet the only institutional answer seems to be that we need to pour more resources into "youth ministry." Perhaps youth ministry is the illness, not the cure. I don't think Christians should reject all aspects of youth ministry as facilely as we currently embrace it, but I think some honest assessment of the fruit and effectiveness of youth ministry is far overdue.

I dare say that the church has never seen the commitment of time, attention, and resources to youth ministry as we have seen over the last fifty years. And yet the pace at which youth drop out of the church seems only to have accelerated during this period.

To be sure, we need also to consider the possibility that youth would have dropped out at a much higher rate in the absence of youth ministries in churches, but that is a claim that also needs to be demonstrated rather than assumed.

Below is a skeptical documentary. I think it expresses too much assurance in its criticism of youth ministry, but it does set the ground for a discussion.