BETTER INFORMED, BETTER EQUIPPED TO MINISTER to today’s blurred youth culture Mobile. Connected. Wired in. This is a generation that skips over perceived cultural boundaries and resists definition. They are a mash-up of identity, a blur of old categories and classes. Creators and consumers of a rapidly changing culture. But how does one reach a demographic that is so difficult to pin down? Many of the most popular approaches to youth ministry today begin by portraying youth as collections of fixed snapshots, “profiles” based on sociological research studies. Yet according to Dr. Jeff Keuss, today’s teens cannot be adequately characterized by these simplistic and static descriptions. Keuss argues that what is needed, instead, is a qualitative approach to describing young people, one that recognizes the “blurred” nature of today’s mobile youth culture. Jeff Keuss presents an optimistic new way of thinking about youth, one that sees them more holistically and less clinically. As we learn to see youth culture through this new lens, we will become better informed and better equipped to minister to the teens of today’s rapidly changing world.
Decided on "really liked it" because I gleaned some important jewels of insight from this book. Almost gave it 3 stars (liked it) because there is no much new for me in the book... but it is clearly of value. I do think this work provides important stretching for us to consider with post-modern youth ministry. I recommend reading the book and enjoying the insights. His inclusion final chapter of the "Covenant with the Missing Generation" by Peter Neilson is a fantastic insight and one I'm sure I will use in my considerations for future ministry.