Welcome to the Every Tribe Multicultural Youth Ministry Blog. The name, as you probably know, comes from Revelation 7:9 “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands” (NLT). Apparently, heaven is going to be a very multicultural place! So why not start now and begin with youth ministry? But more about that in later posts.
A little bit about me. I am a husband, father, Jesus Freak, and wannabe ukulele player (I’m up to three chords). Digging a bit deeper, I am also a thirty-year youth ministry veteran, missionary, and scholar. By education and vocation, I am a multicultural youth ministry specialist (I’ve even written a book on the subject). My wife, Anna, and I currently serve as part of the pastoral team at Vienna Christian Center in Vienna, Austria. VCC is a multi-congregational, multicultural international church. Every week we minister to over eighty different nationalities and even more cultures. It is quite an exciting place to serve and there is never a dull moment!
This blog will be an attempt to chronicle the joys and challenges of ministering to teenagers in a multicultural context. I look forward to meeting those of you who would like to join me on this journey as we endeavor to reach teenagers from every tribe and nation with the gospel.