Schedule of Events

This project examines the missional language used by the YMCA which leads people to live healthier lives.  First, this case study focuses on who the YMCA is and offers a brief view of how they came to be. Second, I analyze the ways the YMCA as a third space. Out of this case study and missional language, I will give a model for how Christian ministry can be practiced in a public third space.

The faith of a high schooler is often very malleable, and the ministries which they are a part of during those formative years can impact their lifelong understanding of what it means to live a Christian life. The purpose of my research is to investigate the presence of leadership development, both implicit and explicit, within high school ministry programs. This project explores discipleship, calling, and leadership theory in order to produce examples of curricula using different leadership development approaches. These different curricula are intended to show a practical implementation of either implicit or explicit leadership development methods within a youth ministry context. My research demonstrates that to varying degrees, leadership development is already a common but unrecognized part of many high school ministry programs, and by acknowledging this, youth workers can develop their programs to work towards the mission and values of their respective congregations. By demonstrating that youth ministry programs implicitly train leaders, my research challenges congregations to re-think the way they prioritize youth ministry because this new lens implies that investment in youth ministry is investment in the future of the leadership of the greater church.

This session will showcase the work of students who took courses with Dr. Rose Aslan in Fall 2015, when all three of her classes contributed to a Humans of Sacred Space Facebook project. This project was based off of the famous Humans of New York Facebook blog and highlights local places of worship that students visited at least twice for their final project. Students interviewed at least two people from the places of worship to learn more about their understanding of their religion and how they view sacred space. Places of worship that will be covered include a local Buddhist center in Westlake, a Ifa temple in Los Angeles, which comes from West African Yoruban religion, a combined Hindu and Jain temple, and a mosque in Newbury Park. By spending time in other people’s sacred spaces and speaking with them about their religious beliefs, each student has been able to gain insight into other religions.