Research in youth ministry has excelled and developed rapidly over the last four decades. Youth ministry is not just a church practice, but has become an emerging academic discipline, with a variety of methodological, theoretical, and contextual approaches. This academic handbook offers an assessment of contemporary youth ministry research to assist students doing bachelor, master, and doctoral research, and youth ministry scholars, in their studies of youth ministry. By examining youth ministry research through the lens of the following five fundamental questions, the reader is challenged to engage with state-of-the-art theory, methods, and findings from current youth ministry research:

- Who are the youth in youth ministry?
- Where is God in youth ministry?
- What is the purpose of youth ministry?
- Who is the youth minister in youth ministry?
- How to research practices in youth ministry?

The academic handbook is a must-read for everyone who is interested in systematic reflection on youth ministry and youth ministry research.