Youth Ministry Institute

Dr. Andy Root delivers a lecture entitled, “The Children of Divorce: Interpreting the Experience of Divorce for Youth Ministry and the Church.” This presentation will explore the impact of divorce on young people. Usually (both in the church and culture) we have seen divorce as a painful occurrence that can nevertheless be overcome if the young person can be taught to think correctly about the divorce of his or her parents (“it isn’t your fault!”). Yet, such a perspective tends to distract us from larger realities. Divorce at it core thrusts young people into questioning their very existence, “if I exist because of the relationship of these two people, who I am, and how can I be in the world, if they are no longer together?” This presentation will examine this all too common cultural reality from a philosophical and theological perspective, seeing what difference this makes for our ministries.