Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker: A Theological Vision for Discipleship and Life Together - Paperback

by Andrew Root (Author)

Named a 2014 Jesus Creed Book of the Year (Biography)

Best New Contribution to Bonhoeffer Studies & Best Youth Ministry Book for 2014, Hearts & Minds Books

The youth ministry focus of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life is often forgotten or overlooked, even though he did much work with young people and wrote a number of papers, sermons, and addresses about or for the youth of the church. However, youth ministry expert Andrew Root explains that this focus is central to Bonhoeffer's story and thought. Root presents Bonhoeffer as the forefather and model of the growing theological turn in youth ministry. By linking contemporary youth workers with this epic theologian, the author shows the depth of youth ministry work and underscores its importance in the church. He also shows how Bonhoeffer's life and thought impact present-day youth ministry practice.

Back Jacket

"A compelling addition to the literature on both youth ministry and Bonhoeffer"

"Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker reads like the labor of love that it is, introducing Bonhoeffer as a fellow pastor who shares your passion for young people's journey of faith and your conviction that Christ's church should receive youth without using them. Andrew Root is at his best here, warmly introducing us to an old friend who we didn't know knew us so well."
--Kenda Creasy Dean, Princeton Theological Seminary; author of Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church and A More Excellent Way: What Youth Ministry Can Teach Theological Education If We Let It

"I read everything Andy Root writes, and I hope you do the same. Andy sheds new light on one of my theological heroes, illuminating Bonhoeffer's timeless power to shape your understanding of both ministry and our faith itself."
--Kara Powell, Fuller Youth Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary

"I have quite literally never read a youth ministry book anything like this: full of history, story, theological articulation, and implication. Absolutely fascinating."
--Mark Oestreicher, partner, The Youth Cartel

"In Andrew Root's first book, he made an intriguing connection between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and youth ministry, and that left a lot of us wanting more. Now Root has given us a great gift by mining that connection deeply and thoroughly. And the result is wonderfully rewarding. This book is a compelling addition to the literature on both youth ministry and Bonhoeffer, and it will be read widely."
--Tony Jones, theologian in residence, Solomon's Porch; author of Did God Kill Jesus? (tonyj.net)

"Andrew Root argues convincingly that Bonhoeffer scholars have overlooked a significant and animating aspect of his theological formation: his regular interaction with youth and children. In recovering this thread of Bonhoeffer's ministry, Root finds a forefather for the kind of theological youth ministry that he has been promoting, critiques contemporary technological approaches to youth ministry, and weaves together a practical-theological 'place-sharing' approach to youth ministry that engages the concrete and lived experiences of youth. This is an important book."
--Benjamin T. Conner, Western Theological Seminary

Author Biography

Andrew Root (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Chair of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of numerous youth ministry books, including The Children of Divorce, and coauthored (with Kenda Creasy Dean) The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry.