What is Progressive Youth Ministry?

“Progressive” is a slippery word that means different things to different people. From the beginning of the Progressive Youth Ministry journey, people have wondered what we mean by progressive. My response generally has two elements.

At a basic level, progressive youth ministry is simply youth ministry done from a theologically liberal or progressive perspective. Most broadly this means that we are followers of Christ who take the Bible seriously but not literally. We recognize that theology is fluid and not static. We are open to critiquing aspects of classical theism in favor of more expansive notions of God. We are committed to the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in the life of the church and seek faithful yet contemporary understandings of human sexuality. We are passionate about social justice and the environment. We believe that Jesus’ good news is as much or more about this world as the world to come. We approach other religions with charitable and collaborative spirits. We do not think that science and religion are incompatible or at odds with each other.

Progressive also connotes a future-oriented posture attentive to the reality that God is drawing North American Christianity into a new era. Traditional forms of Christianity may be dying, but something new is being born. Phyllis Tickle called it the great emergence. Brian McLaren calls it a new kind of Christianity. Diana Butler Bass calls it a fourth great awakening and a spiritual revolution. Whatever we call it, something regenerative is happening in post-Christendom North America.

I believe that progressive youth ministry is on the leading edge of this revolution. Kenda Creasy Dean says that “youth ministry is the de facto research and development branch of American Christianity.” I take this to mean that youth ministry is not primarily about replicating the religious DNA of traditional or denominational Christianity from one generation to the next. Rather, progressive youth ministry is walking with emerging generations as they encounter God and reshape Christianity for the rapidly changing world they are already building. Youth ministries ought to be workshops and training grounds for the new thing God is doing in the world.

Simply put, youth ministry is where the church is reborn.