A companion guide to This Way to Youth Ministry that offers practical applications, theological foundations, and valuable information for the student beginning a youth ministry.

A FIELD GUIDE TO THE WILD LIFE OF YOUTH MINISTRY Youth Ministry. It’s quite an idea so much bigger than two words. One part odyssey, one part call, one part mission, and one part quest, youth ministry calls us into places of breathless exhilaration, stunning beauty, genuine peril, and unknown discovery. This is not terrain for the faint of heart. But it is a landscape of grace and wonder. This Way to Youth Ministry is the most complete academic text for those who might be called to such a journey. Thirty-year youth ministry veteran Duffy Robbins explores the theology, theory, and practice of youth ministry and helps you discover how to: Identify your calling to ministry Cultivate the traits and training that make a good youth pastor Set boundaries and maintain priorities Understand the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical development on adolescents Navigate youth culture and postmodernism Understand youth ministry in relation to the rest of the Church Develop a team of volunteers who will walk the journey with you Develop and apply a personalized ministry philosophy With just the right mix of theory and application, this extensive academic text shows you both the big picture and the close-up details of making ministry work. Whether your journey is just beginning or well under way, This Way to Youth Ministry is the book that will help with everything that lies ahead.

Youth pastors often burn out, bail out, and are pushed out of ministry. In this book, you'll be given practical insights and action steps to help you build fences against failure.

While most youth pastors are being regularly evaluated (or even scrutinized) for what they’re doing right now in the youth group, the reality is that the most important thing they are doing won’t actually be evident until much later. That’s because the biggest challenge for any youth ministry is helping teens embrace a whole-hearted devotion to God that lasts far beyond their years in the youth room. Unfortunately, much of youth ministry seems to be designed on the model of setting teenagers up for a “date” with God—a delightful evening that involves music, laughter, food, and light conversation. But what scripture calls us to is not a “one-night stand” with God, but a lifelong love of God that endures.Youth ministry educator and veteran, Duffy Robbins, offers youth workers a blueprint for building that kind of faith in teenagers. In this concise book, ideal for busy youth workers, they’ll be equipped to build a youth ministry that instills that lasting faith in its students.

Most youth pastors find it a constant struggle to get enough money allotted to their ministry’s budget, and with the latest recession, they’re feeling the crunch now more than ever as churches are cutting costs anywhere they can. But a youth pastor doesn’t have to feel stuck. In this book, youth workers will find innovative ideas to help them discover useful resources in places they hadn’t looked before. In his 15 years of youth ministry, Lars Rood has had his share of tight budgets, and he found that by looking at things from a different perspective, he was able to make his ministry work with limited funds. Here, Rood helps youth workers discover resources in the things around them, or through partnerships and people around them. He offers hope and encouragement to (often) frustrated youth workers as he guides them toward a new perspective when it comes to their ministry budgets.

No matter where you are, your youth group can have a lasting, worldwide influence. This book offers practical suggestions on how your ministry can respond to issues like poverty, immigration, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and more. You'll help students impact the world around them as they learn how their faith intersects with these global issues.

Kids desperately need healthy, committed adults who can help them thrive in their faith and become active participants in the life of the church. This requires the efforts of the whole faith community. Chap Clark, one of the leading voices in youth ministry today, brings together twenty-four experts from a variety of denominations and traditions to offer a comprehensive introduction to adoptive youth ministry, a theologically driven, academically grounded, and practical youth ministry model. The book shows readers how to integrate emerging generations into the family of faith, helping young adults become active participants in God's redemptive community.