Sustainable Youth Ministry: Why Most Youth Ministry Doesn't Last and What Your C

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One of the biggest problems in youth ministry is the constant turnover of youth ministers. DeVries addresses the problem with a systematic answer: churches need to take corporate responsibility for establishing a vision and structure for effective ministry, rather than leaving it all up to the youth minister.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

You're looking for a youth pastor. Again. What goes wrong? Why do youth ministries crumble? And what is the cost to students, parents, volunteers and church staff? Is a sustainable youth ministry possible, even after a youth pastor leaves? Youth ministry expert Mark DeVries knows the answer is yes, because he helps build sustainable youth ministries through his coaching service called Youth Ministry Architects. So take heart: No matter what state the youth ministry at your church is in—in need of a leader and volunteers, full of battles and stress, large or small in number—it can be built to survive and to last for the long haul. Based on his own experience and on his many conversations and interviews with churches in crisis, DeVries pinpoints problems that cause division and burnout and dispels strongly held myths. He then provides the practical tools and structures pastors and church leaders need to lay a strong foundation for your ministry so that it isn't built on a person or the latest, greatest student ministry trend. His accessible guidance helps senior pastors and search committees create a realistic job description for a youth pastor provides tips for making wise hiring decisions equips youth pastors to build a strong volunteer team offers creative solutions to help youth pastors set and keep boundaries gives a road map for navigating church politics and more Building a sustainable youth ministry is not easy, and it's not quick. But with commitment to the process, hard work and DeVries's guidance, you can put together a healthy youth ministry—one that fits your church and lasts for the long haul. Youth ministrycan last. Here's how.

Author Biography

Mark DeVries is pastor of youth and families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served for the past seventeen years. In addition to authoring several books, including Family-Based Youth Ministry and True Love Waits, he is founder of Youth Ministry Architects , a strategic-planning service for churches facing transitions in their youth ministries. He and his wife, Susan, live in Nashville.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Roll of the Dice: Exposing Today's Most Popular Youth Ministry Model 1. Cracking the Code: The Anatomy of Stuckness in Youth Ministry 2. The Easy Button: The Crisis of Chronic Underinvestment 3. Hoping, Wishing and Praying: Beyond the Frantic Search for the Youth Ministry Superstar 4. The Dance Floor: A Systems Approach to Youth Ministry 5. Building Right: The Structures of Sustainabilty 6. Climate Change: The Work of the Environmental Architect 7. Searching Right: A Primer for Youth Ministry Search Teams 8. Aligning the Heart: The Emotionally Healthy Youth Worker 9. Monkeys, Frogs and Balconies: Secrets of Third-Pig Youth Workers 10. Architecting the Constellation: From Camp Counselor to Sustainable Leader 11. The Magnet Effect: Making Friendship Contagious 12. Dancing with Alligators: Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Church Politics 13. Rabbit Trails and Brick Walls: When All Our Brilliant Plans Don?t Work Epilogue: Seizing the Unfair Advantage Appendix A: Discussion Questions Appendix B: Sustainable Youth Ministry Builder's List Appendix C: The Compliance Checklist Acknowledgments Notes

Long Description

You're looking for a youth pastor. Again.What goes wrong? Why do youth ministries crumble? And what is the cost to students, parents, volunteers and church staff?Is a sustainable youth ministry possible, even after a youth pastor leaves?Youth ministry expert Mark DeVries knows the answer is yes, because he helps build sustainable youth ministries through his coaching service called Youth Ministry Architects. So take heart: No matter what state the youth ministry at your church is in--in need of a leader and volunteers, full of battles and stress, large or small in number--it can be built to survive and to last for the long haul.Based on his own experience and on his many conversations and interviews with churches in crisis, DeVries pinpoints problems that cause division and burnout and dispels strongly held myths. He then provides the practical tools and structures pastors and church leaders need to lay a strong foundation for your ministry so that it isn't built on a person or the latest, greatest student ministry trend.His accessible guidance helps senior pastors and search committees create a realistic job description for a youth pastor provides tips for making wise hiring decisions equips youth pastors to build a strong volunteer team offers creative solutions to help youth pastors set and keep boundaries gives a road map for navigating church politics and more Building a sustainable youth ministry is not easy, and it's not quick. But with commitment to the process, hard work and DeVries's guidance, you can put together a healthy youth ministry--one that fits your church and lasts for the long haul. Youth ministry can last. Here's how.

Review Text

"If you want to read a book that will challenge you to develop the gifts God has entrusted to you, whether you will be personally involved in ministry or not, you will find practical advice in it to help you and your church build a strong, sustainable youth ministry."

Review Quote

"Youth ministry is an all-church endeavor from start to finish. Sadly, most of our churches don't start with this understanding. The end result is a 'finish' that's far too often less than desirable. Mark DeVries offers a timely and practical challenge to the entire church--pastor, search committee and youth worker--that will foster an intentionality which brings great long-term dividends in a strong finish marked by spiritual maturity and kingdom growth."

Details ISBN0830833617 Author Mark DeVries Short Title SUSTAINABLE YOUTH MINISTRY Pages 224 Publisher IVP Books Language English ISBN-10 0830833617 ISBN-13 9780830833610 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 259.23 Illustrations Yes Year 2008 Publication Date 2008-12-31 Residence Nashville, TN, US Imprint IVP Books Subtitle Why Most Youth Ministry Doesn't Last and What Your Church Can Do about It Audience General/Trade UK Release Date 2008-10-10 We've got this

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