Understanding the Origin and Challenges of Youth Ministry

The dictionary describes an echo chamber as an environment in which people encounter only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own ideas and the existing views are reinforced. Posterski (1986) observed that "Young people between the ages of fifteen and nineteen are turning away in large numbers from church attendance and from participation in church life. Young people are voting with their feet. They are raising critical questions concerning the life and content of the church's...
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The dictionary describes an echo chamber as an environment in which people encounter only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own ideas and the existing views are reinforced. Posterski (1986) observed that "Young people between the ages of fifteen and nineteen are turning away in large numbers from church attendance and from participation in church life. Young people are voting with their feet. They are raising critical questions concerning the life and content of the church's ministry. The church turns aside their questions at the risk of gravely compromising its effectiveness." The term echo chamber refers to situations where people hear their own voices. In politics they talk about echo chamber gate keepers, to ascertain that within the confines of an echo chamber, only their voices get to find a space to sustain a certain political ideology. The same can be said in the practice of youth ministry, in the absence of reasonable discourse on critical challenges. (Barna, 2016) (Posterski, 1986). Against this backdrop, this book will make constant reference to the author's experience during a youth conference which he selected as a case study to enhance the argument of the book.