Youth Ministry and Theological Shorthand

“Youth Ministry and Theological Shorthand offers invaluable insights into the relationship between theological formation and the practice of ministry. Bailey provides a robust account of the way in which theological understanding is framed by practitioners, and how this might be more effectively developed through ongoing development. This book will be valuable for ministers in reflecting on their own work, and those involved in training and developing lay or ordained ministers.”


—Nick Shepherd, Program Director for Setting God’s People Free at the Church of England





“In this book, Bailey challenges us to think about how we talk about God: to consider the words that we use and to understand more fully why we are using them. Through rich empirical study Bailey investigates how youth ministers talk about their practice with young people and discovers a paradox.”


—Jill Rowe, Oasis Ethos & Formation Director





“Too often youth ministers have settled for paddling into theology instead of pursuing greater depth. This has sometimes led to misapplication, but often it has resulted in short-changing themselves and the young people they serve. . . we are able to draw closer to our Triune God and our young people can experience a greater depth of the theological ocean available!”


—Pete Telfer, Degree Team Leader at Reign Ministries UK and Youth Minister





“Youth Ministry and Theological Shorthand is a fascinating book that achieves the feat of both celebrating and critiquing the theological expression of evangelical youth ministry practices. By framing these practices as icons of epistemology, David Bailey draws our gaze through them toward an even richer theological understanding of ministry inspired by Kevin Vanhoozer’s Trinitarian theology. This book is methodologically rigorous, rooted in practice, and theologically engaging, making it valuable for theological educators and students as well as youth ministers and church leaders.”


—Mark Scanlan, Lecturer in Theology and Youth Ministry, St Mellitus College, London