Youth Beyond the Developmental Lens: Being over Becoming

Wesley W. Ellis

Jan 2024 · Fortress Press

Ebook

197

Pages

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About this ebook

What happens when we stop thinking of young people as projects and recognize them for who they are, here and now? Wesley Ellis exposes the insidious impact of developmental psychology upon youth ministry and practice, arguing instead for a theological anthropology of youth that can help us see all people--including adolescents--as uniquely created in the image of God. Propelled by the conviction that ministry requires us to see youth as beings rather than becomings, Ellis demonstrates how we can reorient our vision toward ministry that prioritizes relationship and inclusion over rigid developmental frameworks.

A veteran youth minister across multiple denominations, Ellis knows his subject deeply as both practitioner and theologian. Youth beyond the Developmental Lens mines personal accounts, the biblical narrative, and a vast array of theological expertise to release readers from restrictive assumptions that have long bound youth ministry. Ellis's finely tuned pastoral sensibilities bring all these elements into focus, helping us understand ministry as relational and all humans as part of God's story. Rostered ministers, lay leaders, and others engaged with youth will find an antidote to anxiety about the future of the church. Ellis reminds us that God is here already. Our call is simply to be.

About the author

Wesley W. Ellis is a pastor, theologian, and educator with a passion for spiritual formation and youth ministry. He is the senior pastor of First Congregational Church of Ramona (UCC), a visiting instructor at Luther Seminary (ELCA), and managing editor of Flourish: A Journal of Progressive Ministry. He is the author of Youth Beyond the Developmental Lens: Being Over Becoming and co-author of Delighted: What Teenagers Are Teaching The Church About Joy. Wes holds a Ph.D. in practical theology from the University of Aberdeen and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He brings an ecumenical perspective shaped by 20 years in diverse ministry contexts.

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