Disrupting Ministry is a podcast that tells the stories of faith communities who are boldly asking the big questions about what God might be doing in the world with and through young people. Join host Megan DeWald, as she tells these stories in conversation with church leaders, researchers, and the staff of the Institute for Youth Ministry.
With this new podcast from the Institute for Youth Ministry, we’re asking those questions aloud and inviting you to come alongside us as we learn from the research we’ve been conducting for the past three years through an initiative called the The Log College Project. Partnering with churches across the country from different social and theological locations, we’ve helped congregations design, test, and build new models of youth ministry in their unique ministry contexts. Using human-centered design thinking as a framework, we’ve attempted to develop a process for innovation in these youth ministry contexts, rather than creating a product that will magically make youth ministry “work” in all places, at all times.
Throughout this journey, we’ve had many of our assumptions proven wrong. At times, we’ve discovered wellsprings where we assumed there was only desert. At other times, we’ve fallen flat on our faces when we thought our footing was secure. But as we’ve continued to pay attention, stories of new life, hope, and transformation have begun to emerge.
Season 1
In our first season, we’re sharing stories and learnings from the relationships and research we’ve developed over the past three years through a grant initiative called the Log College Project. Meet the faith leaders and researchers who are helping the church reimagine the entire vocation and practice of youth ministry in the 21st Century.
If you’ve been around youth ministry for the past 20+ years, you’ve been whispering an anxious question to yourself—Is youth ministry even working anymore? And more to the point—what does “working” even mean?
