Characteristics of effective youth workers : the perceptions of church staff and parents /
by Karen E. Grant.
- 2009.
- xiv, 152 leaves 28 cm.
Typescript. "May, 2009." Also available in CD-ROM.
This study was designed to discover what the local church (youth workers, senior pastors, parent volunteers) believe are important areas of knowledge, character qualities, and ministry skills for full-time youth workers. The results of this study, the perceptions of the church, were compared with the perceptions of youth ministry educators as presented in a 2005 study by researchers Andrew Jack and Barrett McRay and analyzed for similarities and differences. One of the primary purposes of this study was to make sure that the voice of the church is heard by youth ministry educators. The scope of this research included full-time paid youth workers, senior pastors, and parent volunteers serving in ten, local, protestant, evangelical churches in Columbia, South Carolina, and surrounding cities. Qualitative research procedures in the form of personal interviews were conducted with a total of thirty-six individuals using a set of predetermined, open-ended, interview questions. Five implications are drawn from the findings of this study, particularly where differences between the church and the academy were detected. The five areas include (1) the importance of the parental role in the spiritual development of children and implications for youth ministry; (2) the balance between theory and praxis in youth ministry preparation programs; (3) the concept of mainstreaming youth into the life of the church rather than segregating them within their own age group; (4) the critical role of internships for youth ministry; and (5) an implication drawn from near silence in the research data on the subject of missions. In addition, recommendations for future research are presented that would build upon the current research and continue the dialogue between the church and the academy. Finally, curriculum recommendations specific to the Youth Ministry program at Columbia International University are presented as a case study for how the results of this research can inform evaluation and improvement of youth ministry program.