youth ministry | basics

Sustainable Youth Ministry: Why Most Youth Ministry Doesn’t Last and What Your Church Can Do About It - by Mark DeVries

“Years of preparation had made her movements effortless, her turns seamless, her leaps weightless. A dancer of unparalleled talent, she mesmerized the crowd with her skill, but even more with her passion. Her countenance proclaimed in no uncertain terms that she was made for this moment.

But she would finish much sooner than anyone expected. Coming down from an arching leap, she landed with a jolting crack, her foot driving its way through the rotting wood of the floor, her body twisted in pain, her leg bent in places it was not made to bend. She was pulled from the stage wondering if she would ever dance again.

The master of ceremonies dismissively apologized, ‘Inexperience does this to a dancer.’

But no one repaired the floor.

And then, as if nothing had happened, the next performer was introduced. The crowd responded with a smattering applause. But with no one attending to the dance floor, the audience knew that the new dancer would also find her performance ending prematurely with a disappointing, perhaps tragic, conclusion.” (Sustainable Youth Ministry, Mark DeVries, pp. 51-52)

Stories like the one told above are what help to make Sustainable Youth Ministry a great book to read. Mark DeVries, president of Youth Ministry Architects in Nashville, TN, provides a healthy blend of humor and sound reason in his explanation of redefining youth ministry with a systems approach. DeVries’ stories and lessons prophetically reach the ears of too many youth workers who are flying by the seat of their pants and “wingin’ it”.

As the founder and president of Youth Ministry Architects, DeVries and his team of consultants have traveled the country working with churches, pastors, and youth workers to educate and define what a systems approach to youth ministry looks like. DeVries shares several stories from churches who either understood the systems approach or did not understand the systems approach. Some of the stories are funny and some are sad. All illustrate one key point: If a church is serious about establishing a youth ministry for the long term, they need to be intentional about developing a systems approach to building the youth ministry correctly. 

Many of DeVries’ principles in the book are not limited to youth ministry. They can be applied to any ministry setting within the church. However, because of his experience with youth ministry, nearly all of DeVries’ examples and techniques are written in the language of youth ministry. It would require the leader of another ministry area to understand the truth behind the illustration or technique and adapt to their setting.

DeVries’ principles are simple and easy to follow. Many of the principles that he urges readers to establish for youth ministry are the same principles being urged in corporate America by managers and CEO’s. They are key leadership principles that help every leader lead their organization or ministry. Some of DeVries’ principles include control documents, planning, communication, strategic planning, recruitment of a team, etc. The overarching theme behind each of the principles is proper planning in building the right system. DeVries’ urges all of his readers to think ahead and plan for your ministry. 

This book is a must read for all youth workers, pastors, and church leaders. Whether you are new to youth ministry or a veteran, DeVries provides great insight and teaching into developing a stronger and more sustainable youth ministry at your church.

Youth Ministry 3.0: A Manifesto of Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We Need To Go- by Mark Oestreicher  

As the former president of Youth Specialties, Mark Oestreicher (or Marko) has witnessed all types of youth ministers and youth ministries over the years. Marko compiles his observations of the history of youth ministry and casts a vision for the future of youth ministry on the pages of his most recent book, Youth Ministry 3.0.

This book does a great job of covering the history of youth ministry and explaining the last 60 years of youth ministry and the evolution of youth ministry within the church. Marko’s analysis of the past is spot on and brings to light many mishaps in youth ministry, but also sheds light on many victories in youth ministry, including the establishment of Young Life, Youth Specialties, parachurch organizations, and more churches focusing resources and efforts on the teenage culture.

But Marko uses the past to help cast a vision for the future. He explains how the old way of “doing” youth ministry will not work with today’s youth culture. If youth ministries are going to remain effective at reaching kids, they must evolve into a new kind of youth ministry that works with a post-modern mindset. “If Youth Ministry 1.0 allowed culture to inform its language and topics, and if Youth Ministry 2.0 allowed culture to inform its methods and measurements of success, then Youth Ministry 3.0 needs to allow culture to inform contextualization.” (72) Marko emphasizes the need for communion and mission in Youth Ministry 3.0.

The most interesting component of this book was the dialogue taking place in the margins. Marko is the author of a blog at www.whyismarko.com and he shares comments and thoughts from other youth ministers on the topics he writing about in this book. He has made this book a living book and demonstrates the Youth Ministry 3.0 model in doing so.

If you are a youth minister and plan to continue working with kids for more than 2 weeks or if you are pursuing a calling into youth ministry, this is book is a must-read. Not only will it help you to understand the history of youth ministry (quite frankly, there are other books out there that are better at that component), but this could be one of the best books at casting the vision for the future of youth ministry.

The 7 Practices of Effective Ministry- by Andy Stanley, Lane Jones and Reggie Joiner  

About this time last year, I was struggling with my calling to youth ministry. I was on the verge of quitting my job and joining the ranks of corporate America. However, I knew that God was not done with my ministry. I prayed and listened and finally felt him telling me to stay where I was and remain obedient. This started a journey that I am still on to re-evaluate my ministry to youth and help others with youth ministry. I soon found a book called The 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley and began reading the book.

This was an amazing book and I loved what Stanley had to say about being a leader in ministry. Since I want you to read the book for yourself, all I will say is that he lends more credibility to being in a leadership position in a ministry. The reader is challenged to think of what the goal of their ministry is and how we will measure ourselves. I think this is something that all church leaders have struggled with for many years. How do we measure success in ministry if true success is actually happening inside the individual?

Perhaps one of my favorite parts about this book, that is continued in Communicating for a Change, is the parable that is told in the first half of the book. Stanley has teamed up with Lane Jones and Reggie Joiner and provided a fictional story of a a pastor who is working through these issues at his church. After the parable is told, the second half of the book is the teaching half that helps the reader understand the parable and apply the lessons and strategies to their ministry.

Overall, this was an excellent book and one that I have already recommended to our church leadership for an upcoming leadership seminar. I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy and read this book today.

Blue Like Jazz- Donald Miller
After hearing a lot of hype about this book, I was anxious to pick it up and see what all of the buzz was about. It started off a little slow for me. However, once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading. The author has a great way of making you question why you believe what you believe while at the same time reaffirming that belief. I love the parts where he talks about his friends he encounters along his journey (i.e., Tony the Beat Poet). Overall, I would recommend this book to someone…but probably not with ALL of the hype that I had heard. You would have thought that some people believed this to be the next Purpose Driven Life.

Communicating for a Change- Andy Stanley and Lane Jones
This book was a great book for anyone who ever had to do any communicating, specifically in the church. It is not just about preparing sermons, but teaching. Stanley walks you through how he prepares a lesson and the simplicity of planning and delivering your message. This is the perfect follow up to The Seven Practices of Effective Ministry. I give this book 9 (out of 10) hairs on my chinny-chin-chin.

Velvet Elvis- Rob Bell
Rob Bell is a great teacher and communicator. He is on my list of people I would love to hear deliver the Word at some point in my life. His books are no let down either. Bell is famous for his Nooma series. Velvet Elvis is essentially the Nooma series in print. He has 7 chapters that he talks about 7 different issues in the Christian faith. Some of the chapters were long and he was redundant, but overall a must read. I give this book 8 hairs on my chinny-chin-chin.

The Shack- William P. Young
If a book can bring you to tears, it is a great book. While not fully breaking down and bringing out the waterworks, this book reached me on a very emotional level. The book came highly recommended and seems to be the book to read in Christian circles right now. Young takes us on a fictional journey to meet God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In the end, you feel as if you have been on the journey instead of the character in the book (Mack) and it definitely provides insight into our relationship with our Maker. I’ve heard they are already working on making this into a movie; they are just holding out for people to read the book. This is a book I definitely recommend and a movie that I can’t wait to see. I give this book 10 hairs on my chinny-chin-chin.

The Last Lecture- Randy Paush

Needless to say, this book was amazing. It is refreshing to read his views on life and how he has lived his life. He focused his lecture on childhood dreams and the acheivement of these dreams. There were some points that almost brought me to tears and there were others that had me belly-laughing. It was a great book and one that I would definitely recommend. I give it 9.5 out of 10 hairs on my chinny-chin-chin.

Simple Church- Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger
This was a great book. I couldn’t put it down. It was full of research and information about leading today’s church to become a vibrant and dynamic church by working through a process and plan. This book is not for everyone. I am a “church geek” who enjoys learning about how to better minister to those I come in contact with. I do recommend this book to anyone in a leadership position within their church.

The Monday Morning Church- Jerry Cook
This book was OK. I started the book in February and finished today. That says a lot. It is a book that anyone can read, but tends to be a little deeper in some parts. The concept was good as the author works through Ephesians and other scripture talking about how the real purpose of church needs to be lived out on Monday mornings in the workplace. However, it was awfully wordy and would drag on through some parts. Still a good book, but not worth reading again.