A Review of: Practicing Passion - Part 2

Practicing Passion: Youth And The Quest For A Passionate Church by Kenda Creasy Dean stresses that teens must be able to witness the passion of church members from all ages in order for their maturation process to be holistic. Youth ministry that is separated from the body of the church (like the Mickey Mouse ear) will ultimately be incomplete and thus be more prone to minister burn out and frustration. Youth ministry that involves the entire community of faith in forming the spiritual lives of youth by incorporating them into the passionate story of faith will be able to survive the tests of the world and live within the fidelity of the Church. The world constantly tempts youth to find solace in passions of the flesh which contradict the passions of the spirit which are found in the body of faith.

Dean continually reminds the church that youth are inherently filled with passion and so ministry to youth must acknowledge that passion and seek to fill it with the passionate story of Christ. Teenagers must have something positive to fill their passions with because in there development into adulthood they are seeking a life of love, being loved and loving. Youth actively seek out passionate experiences. The Christian life is one which can be full of passion that is directed toward a life of discipleship following after the example of Jesus. Churches that have the passion of Christ at their core will be more apt to incorporate this passion into the youth within it. Such a life of passionate faith will not only resonate to youth in today’s culture, but will also inspire adults who live within our postmodern age who seek emotive responses to faith as well as rational. Adults within the church are sure to be interested in what Dean portraits as passionate faith relationship which is intimately connected to the passion and ministry of Jesus.

Dean does an excellent job of expressing that adolescents are formed by being involved and included within a passionate community of faithful believers. Dean rightly notes that youth seek the company of people who live bold lives full of passion. Youth within a church will take notice when its church body puts a strong emphasis on a passionate life in relationship with Jesus. Teens will see this passion expressed in the daily lives and action of the church body. However teens will also be acutely aware if passion is only given lip service to and never attained.
Youth have a sense about them for honesty and if they sense the church is in any way false or simply blasé in their faith claims, they will seek to fulfill their hunger for a passionate life elsewhere. Youth inherently seek out faith which desires to live in deep relationship with a community and with Jesus. This heightens the importance of the church body for the spiritual formation of the youth within their church by including them in the body and thus supplying them with the identity inherent to the church. By finding their identity within the passionate church this will in turn help to fan their flame of faith and enable them to ignite a passionate, faithful life.

Dean expresses the ideal situation within the book which may intimidate some ministers who feel they themselves have lost a bit of their once youthful passion. However it is encouraging to all ministers who seek to work with youth to be ever vigilant in seeking out ways to understand, engage and contextualize the pre-existing passions of youth so that they can be used to help form their faith, rather than serve as a detriment to faith building.

Dean, Kenda Creasy, Practicing Passion: Youth And The Quest For A Passionate Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2004.