what does SUSTAINABLE YOUTH MINISTRY look like?

What does sustainable youth ministry look like...get this book and you will be able to see some amazing insight into how to build a healthy student ministry. Most of us who work with teens want a thriving ministry, a large ministry, an engaging ministry, but few of us consider how to craft an environment that will last for the long haul. There are a few book that I think are must haves when it comes to youth ministry and this book made the list. Mark DeVries leads an organization called Youth Ministry Architects and has lead a student ministry in Nashville for 20 years. He has sat with church after church looking for how they can make their youth ministry grow. Asking how our student ministry can"grow" usually means that a group of church people want a bunch of teens to be happy, show up, get baptized,  and become the biggest ministry in town. Few churches start by asking what healthy youth ministry can be...few youth pastors are asking that. This book is a call to step back and examine what ministry to teens should and could look like. Over and over through the book I was reminded about lessons learned over my 11 years of serving teens and families in the local church. I was reminded of all the times I tried to take the shortcut and find the magic bullet to make things work better for our ministry. What I found through experience was that there is a path that leads to healthy long term health in student ministry. I also learned there is no quicker way to fail than to copy what someone else is doing just so you can advance the ministry. This book lays out clearly many lessons I had to lean the hard way. Experience is the best teacher, but it doesn't have to be your experience. If you are leading a student ministry click on the logo here on the blog and get this book ordered. This is a great resource for student pastors...CHECK IT OUT!