By Mike North

1. Module One:
Children’s and Youth Ministry and the Minister

2. Enabling young people to become the
people whom God created them to
become.
Jeremiah 29: 11 Ephesians 2: 10 1 Timothy 4: 14
Empowering

3. Empowering
Definition...
Empowerment is a social-action process that promotes participation of
people, organizations, and communities towards the goals of
increased individual and community control, political efficacy,
improved quality of community life, and social justice.
(Wallerstein, 1992: 1, in Innovation in Youth Work by
YMCA George Williams College, available on the Portal)

4. Empowering
Kerry Young (The Art of Youth Work, 2006)
‘For empowerment lies not only in the establishment of power-sharing
structures or processes but importantly in the reclaiming of oneself as
fully intelligent, fully powerful and fully human.’

5. Empowering
‘Fully intelligent, powerful & human’
Made in the image of God
Gen 1: 27
Given authority and power to reign over
creation
Gen 1: 28-31; John 19: 11
Having appropriate boundaries &
structures
Gen 2: 15-17

6. Empowering
• Made in the image of God – Gen 1: 27
What impact does this have on how we view young people in
our communities?
• Given authority and power to reign over creation – Gen 1: 28-
31; John 19: 11
Where and how can we give young people power and
authority within our local churches?
• Having appropriate boundaries & structures Gen 2:15-17
What does this look like in your context?
‘Fully intelligent, powerful & human’

7. Empowering
1)Create opportunities for young people
to speak of their theological ideas
concerning worship and other areas of
Christian life and to give their voices
power.
2)Providing them with the language and
experience from which they are enabled
to speak.
But how?

8. Empowering
Group Activity
1. As a group, design a mind-map
with ways you’ve been
empowered – when, how, and
the impact on you.
2. Identify a young person you
would like to empower. As a
group, explore ways of how you
could empower them over the
next 6-12 months.

9. Empowering
St Mary’s Young People

10. Empowering
1. Your examples of empowerment
2. Areas you can be empowered in
3. The affects of empowerment
The power of
empowerment

11. Module One:
Children’s and Youth Ministry and the Minister