Research
The Institute for Youth Ministry fosters and conducts research as we explore big questions about how best to care for and accompany young people on their journey of being teenagers. We support emerging scholarship and collaborate with leaders who reflect theologically on Christian ministry with young people.
The Foundations Project
Generously funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., the Institute for Youth Ministry’s current research project includes a scholar-practitioner collaboration. The IYM has partnered with five scholars to develop a practical theological resource that responds to the evolving realities of youth ministry in a rapidly changing world. During and after the global pandemic, those who care for young people navigated unprecedented terrain of social isolation and ambiguous loss, in some cases heightened by psychological distress and trauma. Often youth ministry leaders carry the responsibility of nurturing the spiritual lives of youth without sufficient support or infrastructure. These experiences revealed an urgent need for a revitalized foundational approach to ministry innovation, one that sustains the well-being of youth leaders while attending to the complex realities young people face today.
Rather than offering quick fixes, this resource provides youth ministry leaders with robust theological frameworks that address five core needs of contemporary young people: wellbeing, community, spirituality, vocation, and innovation. Through collaborative research, deep listening, and sustained theological reflection, the project equips adults to move beyond programmatic ministry toward relational practices that honor young people’s full humanity and invite them into authentic Christian community.
Grounded in systems-awareness, pastoral wisdom, and a commitment to faithful accompaniment, this resource offers the depth and direction needed to walk alongside young people in an increasingly complex world.
Meet Our Contributors
Open
Eric D. Barreto | Assistant Professor of New Testament
Eric D. Barreto, MDiv ’04, is the Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament. He earned a BA in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University, an MDiv from Princeton Seminary, and a PhD in New Testament from Emory University. Prior to coming to Princeton Seminary, he served as associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, and also taught as an adjunct professor at the Candler School of Theology and McAfee School of Theology.
Open
Reginald Blount | Associate Professor of Formation, Leadership and Culture
Reginald Blount | Associate Professor of Formation, Leadership and Culture
Reginald Blount is the Murray H. Leiffer Associate Professor of Formation, Leadership and Culture and director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He earned a BS in chemical engineering from Tuskegee University, an MDiv from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and a PhD from the Garrett-Evangelical/Northwestern University joint program in religious and theological studies. He has served on the Garrett-Evangelical faculty since 1999 and teaches in the areas of Christian education, youth and young adult ministry, and congregational leadership.
Open
Katherine Douglass | Associate Professor of Educational Ministry and Practical Theology
Katherine Douglass | Associate Professor of Educational Ministry and Practical Theology
Katherine Douglass is an associate professor of educational ministry and practical theology at Seattle Pacific University. She earned a BA from Grove City College, an MDiv and MA from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a PhD in practical theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she teaches courses on spirituality, Christian formation, and culturally responsive pedagogies, and her research focuses on faith formation, confirmation practices, and the role of the arts in the faith lives of young people.
Open
Marcus Hong | Associate Professor of Practical Theology
Marcus Hong | Associate Professor of Practical Theology
Marcus Hong is director of lifelong learning and associate professor of practical theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He earned a BA from Alma College, an MDiv and MACE from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a PhD in practical theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He joined the Louisville Seminary faculty in 2016 and teaches in the areas of worship, liturgical theology, congregational ministry, Christian spirituality, and practical theology.
Open
Montague R. Williams | Professor of Church, Culture and Society
Montague R. Williams | Professor of Church, Culture and Society
Montague R. Williams is Professor of Church, Culture and Society at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He earned a PhD in theological studies from Boston University after completing an MDiv at Nazarene Theological Seminary and an MA and BA in religion at Olivet Nazarene University. An ordained minister with extensive experience in congregational and campus ministry, he joined the Point Loma Nazarene faculty in 2017 and teaches in theology, ethics, and ministry with a focus on the church’s engagement in society.
The Log College Project
From 2018-2022, we housed and conducted empirical research through a congregational program, the Log College Project. Working with ethnographers, sociologists, and practical theologians, we used a mixed-methods approach in which doctoral students, faculty advisors, emerging scholars, and practitioners collected, interpreted, and applied data received through interviews, focus groups, and written materials.
In phase one of this project, we collected data from almost 200 congregations who are passionate about designing new forms of youth ministry. In phase two, we journeyed closely with 12 congregations from around the U.S. for over three years, as they designed, tested, and implemented their new forms of youth ministry. One of our goals for this project was to provide ministry leaders with innovative practices that are informed by deep theological reflection.
During this research project, the IYM discovered Seven Core Values that are key to innovative youth ministry, along with Six Archetypes of congregations that are ready and willing to do a new thing. We’ve summarized these research findings in our first Research Report, freely available now.
Interested in our research on innovation? Email us at iym@ptsem.edu to receive your free copy today!
Disrupting Ministry (2020-2021)
Disrupting Ministry (2020-2021) is a podcast that tells the stories of faith communities who are boldly asking the big questions about what God might be doing in the world with and through young people. Join host Megan DeWald, as she tells these stories in conversation with church leaders, researchers, and the staff of the Institute for Youth Ministry.
With this new podcast from the Institute for Youth Ministry, we’re asking those questions aloud and inviting you to come alongside us as we learn from the research we’ve been conducting for the past three years through an initiative called the The Log College Project. Partnering with churches across the country from different social and theological locations, we’ve helped congregations design, test, and build new models of youth ministry in their unique ministry contexts. Using human-centered design thinking as a framework, we’ve attempted to develop a process for innovation in these youth ministry contexts, rather than creating a product that will magically make youth ministry “work” in all places, at all times.
Throughout this journey, we’ve had many of our assumptions proven wrong. At times, we’ve discovered wellsprings where we assumed there was only desert. At other times, we’ve fallen flat on our faces when we thought our footing was secure. But as we’ve continued to pay attention, stories of new life, hope, and transformation have begun to emerge.