I grew up along with the culture of youth ministry—read all the books, tried all the methods. But I came to realize that the rise of programmatic, age-segregated youth ministry in the mid-twentieth century was actually a new invention in the history of the Church. For the first time in history, trained youth ministers have been recruited in order to put the young people of the church in the hands of so-called experts. Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, churches are shelling out millions of dollars on programs, buildings, and entertainment for youth. 

This philosophy and practice of comprehensive, age-segregated, programmatic youth ministry is at least two things:  First, it is a new innovation. Second, it is indisputably foreign to Scripture. The only observable discipleship pattern in Scripture is an age-integrated one. As one brother recently pointed out to me, modern youth ministry can be destroyed by just one verse of the Bible, Proverbs 13:20: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

Modern youth ministry is also inherently destructive in its impact because it divides the church by creating generational division and multiple cultures instead of a unified "body."  I hope that we are now at the end of this 50-year failed experiment. We now have almost three generations of children who had no father who walked beside them but a youth group instead. It is obvious that half a decade of youth group does not produce young people who are passionate about the Church.  Youth ministry is a weed that gained root in the church and has grown for a long time, wrapping its roots around almost every area of church life.

What should our response be to this 50-year-old weed? It is time to root out and replant. In the words of the prophet Jeremiah, "...I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant" (Jer. 1:10). We must root up the weed, pull down the house of inventions, and replace it with God's beautiful plan for youth ministry. Will you join with me in putting your hand to this task?