Provoking the Future of Youth Ministry

Our oldest daughter took her sweet time coming into this world.We were in seminary (read: no money) and had scheduled to have this baby at a birthing center…with a midwife (read: 1/4 the price of the hospital).  The one caveat was that, if the baby were to come over 2 weeks late, she would have to be born in the hospital (read: cha-ching, cha-ching).Though we were highly incentivized to see Debbie as soon as possible, she was on her own timetable.  So with 24 hours left to go, we asked the midwife, “Is there anything we can do to provoke this baby to be born?”She smiled and said, “There’s always, um…castor oil.”We were desperate.Okay, Susan was desperate.She drank the castor oil, and, believe it or not, within 24 hours, our Debbie was born under the marvelous care of a midwife (read: phew).I’m convinced that something new has been incubating in the womb of youth ministry for a long time now.At the Summit, I’ll be presenting my “Modest Response to the Impending Death of Youth Ministry (as we know it).  Hoping maybe to bring a little castor oil to the party…and just maybe practice a little ministry midwifery along the way.