Youth and Young Adult Ministry

2010 Cohort
2014 Cohort

Mission

To develop youth and young adult ministry practitioners who manifest spiritual/theological depth, professional competency, academic excellence, professional leadership skills, programming expertise, and the ability for self-reflection necessary for the spiritual care of youth and young adults within the broader church and community context. The DMin Youth and Young Adult Ministry concentration will provide a 'ministry-embedded' integration of theory and practice within a biblical theology of youth and young adult ministry.

Competencies

The Doctor of Ministry Youth and Young Adult Ministry concentration seeks to develop the person (Being), knowledge (Knowing), and practice (Doing) of its participants. Following are competencies that are important to evaluate as outcomes. These competencies guide the curriculum and should be reflected in the Ministry Development Plan developed by the participant:

Being
The graduate will be engaged in a laarning process aimed at enhancing personal spirituality, enriching one's personal life, and improving professional relationships.

1. Be a conduit of God's love
2. Experience and share abundant joy
3. Experience peace from God's acceptance and approval
4. Grow spiritually
5. Relish positive collegial relationship
6. Thwart busyness
7. Increase commitment to ministry
8. Expand one's view of society and ministry

Knowing
The graduate will be expected to exhibit an advanced understanding of sound theological and theoretical foundations that support youth and young adult ministry and how these contribute to the mission and ministry of the worldwide church.

• Exceptional theoretical knowledge of youth and young adult ministry
• Tested and refined knowledge from the application of theoretical knowledge
• Discovery of current models and methods from interaction with youth and young adult ministry professionals

Doing
The graduate will model Christ-like ministry and demonstrate the ability to effectively contribute to the mission of the church by wise and competent application of youth and young adult ministry foundations and theories to the application of innovative solutions for current ministry challenges.

• Focus study and ministry on the area of youth and young adult ministry determined by the graduate
  O  Begin the graduate's project/dissertation
  O  Conduct and report the regiew of literature for the project/dissertation
  O  Adjust one's current ministry to emphasize one's current specialized ministry as determined by the project/dissertation and exclude or limit extraneous ministry
• Expand and contribute to the graduate's youth and young adult ministry world
  O  Addition of fellow youth and young adult ministry professionals in the cohort
  O  Initiate contact with additional youth and young adult ministry professionals
  O  Publish in the field of youth and young adult ministries

Learning Modalities

The following five learning modalities will be included in the concentration's pedagogy:

1. A professional portfolio: including a ministry development plan, journaling, and relevant learning artifacts
2. Learning groups/mentoring: including collective assignments, consultations, and accountability
3. Classroom consultation: including didactic and experiential learning, as well as networking with top educators and experts in the field of youth ministry.
4. Research: including perusal of the current literature, assigned readings, and developing empirical constructs for youth ministry practice.
5. Praxis: including implementation of youth programming in the context of church life and other targeted areas of youth ministry.

Outcomes

Upon completing this program, the participants will be able to:

• Articulate a Seventh-day Adventist Christian perspective on the categorization of adolescent development and the influence of socio-cultural dynamics on the spiritual life of youth.
• Carry out a biblically and theologically faithful youth and young adult ministry.
• Practice a 'transformational model' of youth and young adult ministry, while being conversant with, and drawing upon the philosophical and historical development of the variety of models of youth ministry.
• Model transformational leadership and demonstrate the transparency needed in a deepening relationship with God.
• Reflect constructively and theologically upon the content and process of youth and young adult ministry.
• Develop, nurture, and evaluate youth and young adult ministry programs in the local church and other targeted areas with both professional and theological competency.

Contact

Dr. Steve Case serves as concentration coordinator. He can be reached at 1-916-961-2177, steve@involveyouth.org.

Travel and lodging information is provided in the links under the "Intensive Location" column.

Cohort participants will take these courses and modules:

Ordering books

Ordering books

For dates and locations of intensives planned for cohorts in other concentrations, see the four-year DMin Program Planner.

You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software loaded on your machine to access any pdf documents referenced on this page.

2/4/2013