Youth as Ministers: Fish Sandwiches and the Prophetic Ministry of Young People in the Missing Voices Project

Abstract

Leaning on the missional theology of Karl Barth, this article explores the theme of young people using their voice and agency in various congregations across Florida. These ministry contexts are focused on creating new expressions of youth ministry that take seriously the voices and experiences of young people in the queer community, with various intellectual disabilities, and from within the experience of foster care. The witness of these young people gave rise to hope that congregations might be shaped by their voices and be open to being formed by their very presence. Barth gives language to their experiences as an example of being a witness, prophetic even, within these congregational settings. With a heavy emphasis on the voices of young people themselves, this article explores the possibility of congregational systems being open to God's leading through teenagers.