Teaching Youth Ministry in a College Classroom:
A Manifesto of Adventure
Duffy Robbins

               Using the metaphor of adventure, Robbins discusses five risks faced by youth ministry professors. Drawing on both his own experiences and examples of classic and contemporary authors, Robbins encourages his teaching colleagues to embrace the risks inherent with teaching a discipline that some see as not academic enough for higher education or as too formal to be practical.

Facilitating Healing and Reconciliation with Young People Living in the Aftermath of
Political and Cultural Conflict: The Challenge to the Church and its Youth Ministry
Christo Thesnaar

               Writing from his considerable experience as a pastoral theologian working for reconciliation and healing in post-apartheid South Africa, Christo Thesnaar offers a timely and challenging message. His development of a consistent theological and pastoral approach to healing and reconciliation in the aftermath of political and cultural conflict is strengthened by his pragmatic suggestions for all youth workers who may be engaged in similar ministries.

A Study of The Difference in Religious Outcomes Between Baptist General Convention
of Texas Youth Who are Conventionally Schooled and Those Educated at Home
T. Wayne McEntire

               With interest in home schooling growing each year, McEntire looks at a specific population group to determine if religious outcomes are impacted by schooling choices. A total of 283 students from 18 congregations were surveyed using both the Faith Maturity Scale and the Daily Challenges Inventory. Results and implications are discussed.

Theories of Motivation and Youth Ministry'sAdolescent Learners
Houston Heflin

               The role of the teacher as a leader is to manage the classroom environment so that obstacles are removed and encouragement exists for student motivation to thrive. Teachers accomplish this by intentionally directing the interactions between themselves, their students, the subject, and the setting of education.  The influence of these factors on education is informed by several theories of motivation that are discussed.

Building Contextually-Appropriate Youth Ministries
Brad Widstrom

               Drawing on his experiences as a youth pastor and as an educator, Widstrom shares his design for a youth ministry course that addresses contextualized and missiological ministry. Rationale and examples are supported by helpful quotes and appendices.

Senior High Youth Group Participation in Rural Midwest Churches
Gary A. Goreham & Nicole J. Meidinger

               Four-hundred rural churches from eight denominations in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota were surveyed to determine factors related to youth group attendance. Statistical models were developed that showed attendance at church youth programs was related to youth group functions, the structure of the youth program, and the context of the youth group.  Implications were offered to enhance rural church youth programming.