Researching, Designing, and Evaluating a Course to Prepare North American College-Age Students for Youth Ministry in a Global Context

Abstract

A majority of trained evangelical youth workers are located in North America and therefore serving a minority of the world's youth. The purpose of this project was to determine principles and praxes of disciple-making global youth ministry, to identify character traits, competencies, and areas of knowledge that would be pertinent in training potential global youth ministers, and to develop and field-test a college-level course, Engaging in Disciple Making Youth Ministry in a Global Context. Research on relevant Biblical and contemporary literature informed the principles and praxis, field research methods including questionnaires, interviews, and ministry site visits gathered data to identify target areas, and an action research perspective informed the research and curriculum development. The resultant course is designed to be used in a variety of formal and informal settings to motivate, educate, and prepare young North American adults to engage in disciple-making youth ministry in a global context. This project addresses a lack of resources of this kind in North American churches, schools, and mission organizations.