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Sustainable youth ministry : why most youth ministry doesn't last and what your church can do about it / Mark DeVries.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Downers Grove, Ill. : IVP Books, [2008]Copyright date: ©2008Description: 1 online resource (224 pages) : illustrationsContent type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780830879052
  • 0830879056
Subject(s): Additional physical formats: Print version:: Sustainable youth ministry.DDC classification:
  • 259/.23 22
LOC classification:
  • BV4447 .D457 2008eb
Other classification:
  • online - EBSCO
Online resources:
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.
Summary: "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." -- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-224).

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.

"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." -- Provided by publisher.

Print version record.