5 Reasons Youth Workers Should Study Church History
Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash
Youth workers pride themselves on being among the most culturally savvy and innovative pastors. That’s simply part of the calling for someone who is committed to reaching a new generation: you need to be adaptable, creative, and a discerning culture-watcher. You also need to know how to rightly handle the Word of God so you can proclaim the unchanging gospel to a rapidly changing culture. It’s common to hear innovative pastors profess this “unchanging gospel in an ever-changing world” type of thinking, only to hear them describe their ministry in a way that is changing the gospel in ways they cannot perceive.
If we want to reach students without falling into the above trap, consider these five reasons why youth workers benefit from studying church history.
1. We aren’t the first generation of pastors
Ecclesiastes reminds us that we are not the first generation to wrestle with anything under the sun. Sure, the particulars are different and pose new challenges. But at its core, human nature remains the same and the pastoral calling to make disciples has not changed. There’s much to learn by reading about evangelism and discipleship throughout church history.
Reading sermons, journals, and old books will give you a richer perspective about how God has never left a generation without faithful ministers to proclaim and apply the gospel. This will provide comfort despite any sense of impending doom you might experience in your ministry. You stand in good company with faithful men and women whom God has used to reach their generation.
2. The best pastors were also theologians
I was in college when I first started reading theology, and I was astounded by how pastoral it was. Rather than being a theoretical discussion about how many angels can dance on the head of a clothespin, most of it was a biblical exploration about the character of God, the gospel, and the ongoing ministry of the church in our world. Almost all of the best theologians throughout history were pastors who studied and wrote in order to help their people make sense of their faith and to equip other pastors to do the same. Studying church history made me committed to being a pastor-theologian. I believe it will do the same for you.
3. Watch the interplay between Christ and culture
Culture shapes theology, and theology shapes the culture. This is an interplay that we see over and over again. If we never read church history, we’ll lose the benefit that hindsight provides. We can see the blindspots of the past’s greatest theologians because of our vantage point. And in 100 years, Christians will have the same benefit. But if we don’t take the time to read and study and reflect, then we’ll lose the blessing of that insight.
It doesn’t take long to recognize the impact one’s culture has on theological interpretation. Just consider this article by Daniel Eng, “How Asian Americans Connect with the Parable of the Prodigal Son.” Eng highlights aspects of this parable that many in today’s white-majority culture overlook. My point is not that one interpretation is better or more complete than another, but that our cultural biases operate in the background of our biblical and theological interpretations. Reading church history will help you evaluate your biases and assumptions by reading theology from within another’s cultural setting.
4. Lessons from Heretics
This might be my favorite part about studying church history, because it’s such an important warning. Heretics were not evil people who wanted to lead the church astray. They were good pastors who loved their people, professed to love Christ, and were trying to make disciples. These men and women were just like you and me. As culture shifted and changed, they saw new ways to communicate the Scriptures to their people in order to proclaim Christ, and they saw themselves as prophets who were misunderstood.
For instance, consider the ministry of Pelagius in Rome around the turn of the fifth century. He was a highly educated man, known for his godliness and persuasive preaching. Shocked by the rampant godlessness of Rome, he was compelled to call people to righteousness. There’s much about his motivations and ministry that we’d affirm. But his doctrinal foundation was flawed, so the gospel he preached was eventually condemned as heretical by the Council of Chalcedon in 431. His good intentions didn’t override his dangerous theology.
One of the reasons Youth Pastor Theologian exists is to help youth workers build a solid theological foundation for their ministry to students. It’s important to understand our culture and to think about new ways to engage our culture with the gospel - and I’m convinced there’s no better way to do this well than by studying church history.
5. Blessings from quiet faithfulness
Most pastors’ names aren’t mentioned in any books. But their legacies continue to shine like stars. Who discipled Augustine’s mother, Monica? Who bought the copy of Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans that left John Wesley’s heart “strangely warmed” when he heard it read in Aldersgate? These are just two examples of all the faithful men and women who operated in the background of history, but whose diligence shaped Christianity as we know it.
Youth workers who serve in today’s social media obsessed culture can easily find themselves craving a bigger platform. Serving in your church for a few decades without a book contract or social media following or notoriety seems like a failure. But that sounds (ironically) like the exact person we should be hearing from!
Church history provides the much needed perspective we need to stay grounded while discerning how to engage our students’ ever-changing culture. We’ll realize that much of what gets recommended is merely a repackaged approach from past attempts to reach those generations. And in the end, we’ll remember this: God is (still) building his church. Be encouraged. Remain faithful. Persevere in ministry. The gates of hell will not prevail.
A few recommendations:
Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, by Mark Noll. This book highlights 14 key moments and explains what happened, who was involved, and why it matters. Turning Points is a classic in the field of historical theology for a reason.
Church History in Plain Language (5th edition), by Bruce Shelly. This is widely regarded as one of the most accessible overviews of Church History, which is why it’s now in its fifth edition. Buy this and read it.
Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, by Gregg Allison. This book is worth the pricetag. Allison helps you understand the interplay between culture and theology and pastoral ministry.
Epic: An Around-The-World Journey through Christian History, by Tim Challies. This is something different - a video documentary that gives a compelling presentation about 33 historic artifacts that carry significance for Christians. In the DVD/video, Tim Challies visits each one and explains its meaning and relevance; while the book includes some pictures and a written description.
Podcast: 5 Minutes in Church History. This weekly podcast is produced by Ligonier Ministries offers a look into the history of the church in order to help Christians appreciate and learn from their “family history.”
