Andrew Root changed my understanding of ministry. I am not being hyperbolic. You will not be sorry if you spend 15 minutes watching him. To keep up with his work, follow him on Twitter (@RootAndrew).
Andrew Root changed my understanding of ministry. I am not being hyperbolic. You will not be sorry if you spend 15 minutes watching him. To keep up with his work, follow him on Twitter (@RootAndrew).
landon whitsitt 
Could you say more about how he changed how you see ministry? Is it summed up in this video, or (as I assume) is there more?
I make reference to it in the video, but the gist is that Andrew showed me that if the point of *our* ministry is to carry on the ministry of *Christ*, then our ministry should reflect his in that all we do should simply equip the disciple to be with another in the place where they find themselves.
This changed the way I preach/teach/etc., because the text becomes less about behavioral modification and more about opening ones eyes to the reality of what is in front of us and offering tools to engage it appropriately. Of course, this has done wonders for my attempts at member care as well.
I found that my CPE year, among other things, was a great antidote for the illusion that I can modify others’ behavior, or that trying to do that is a good use of my time. I can definitely see how this is a big issue with youth ministry, though, because it is often exactly as you describe – we will pay you to keep the kids off drugs and not having sex. Use Jesus for that because he provides some leverage.
Lovely discussion of Youth Ministry’s coercive underbelly- THANK YOU. I appreciated Andrew Root’s comments (from Bonhoeffer) asking- “What if the relationship, in the context of the confessing Christ, is it.”
Yeah, that was the big Q for me when I first met him.
I’d like to hear how this shift in your understanding of ministry changed what you DO. And I wonder whether it’s changed the ministry of your congregation–both as individuals and as a community. Also, has the shift made a difference in the way people respond to you personally and to the work your congregation is doing. For me, insight alone (“Here’s what!”) isn’t sufficient. We also need to answer the questions “So what?” and “Now what?”
See my response to Doug above.
I hope it has changed the congregation because it has certainly changed the way I speak about the scriptural text and theology.
One significant way this has changed our ministry as a congregation is how we view youth group (obviously, since Andy is a youth ministry guy). Youth Group is not about dumping info into kids heads anymore, its about offering them a place to be real and validate what they are dealing with as young people.
The So and Now what has shifted from “be good and perfect” to “here’s how we are good neighbors which love and support others.” There is much more humility in this approach I think, and it is one of the lines of thought that undergirds the writing that we worked on.
Show me the money. I can do the job.