Anne E. Streaty Wimberly, Sandra L. Barnes and Karma D. Johnson
Judson Press, 2013, 224 pp., $12.81
As I was reading Youth Ministry in the Black Church: Centered in Hope, I said to myself, “Yes! This is the book our communities need to move our youth ministries to the next level.” The book compiles and examines data from the Vision Quest Study. The study’s participants included pastors, youth and ministry leaders from more than 830 churches across the county.
The authors introduce the idea that hope has the power to transform not only the youth but the youth leader and black church. It illustrates the concept that hope is not one-dimensional but also is defined in four different aspects of hope: mediating hope, village hope, transcendent hope and critical evaluation hope. The authors invest significant time focusing on the youth leader with a strong emphasis on call, vision and passion. In addition to great information, each chapter concludes with a list of reflection questions for the reader.
The authors are well-versed in the black church, its youth, and how the culture of hope can transform the lives of young people. With high incarceration rates, high dropout rates and growing gang involvement, our African-American youth are in desperate need of change. Youth participating in community development is key to building a hope-centered youth ministry for the youth and with the youth.
This resource is a great read for the youth leader and could be a more powerful tool if read together as a youth ministry team.
