Youth ministry veteran and bestselling author, Duffy Robbins, offers an updated and revised edition of his book about the important, behind-the-scenes mechaincs of youth ministry. The tasks of budgeting, decision-making, time management, team ministry, staff relationships, conflict resolution, working with parents, and a range of other issues, are the things that keep a ministry together and functioning well. Nobody gets into youth ministry because they want to think about these things; but a lot of people get out of youth ministry because they didn’t think about them. All youth workers—whether paid or volunteer, full-time or part-time—will find Youth Ministry Nuts and Bolts to be a thoughtful, fun, practical guide to youth ministry administration.

Helps the busy youth worker organize and understand his or her ministry between meetings: preparation, prayer, personal commitment, building relationships with parents, goal-setting and time-management, evaluating, budgeting, recruiting, and training volunteers.

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.

Dean Borgman, a nationally known youth ministry expert, offers a new edition of his influential classic. Reaching a broadly ecumenical audience, this book challenges readers to think about the theological nature of youth ministry. Questions for discussion and reflection are included. This thoroughly updated edition was previously published as When Kumbaya Is Not Enough. Praise for the first edition "Writing with the lens of a theologian, the heart of a pastor, and welcome doctrinal breadth, Borgman has provided a 'field book' of pastoral theologies that takes seriously the social systems shaping the lives of adolescents. This book is a significant step toward the long-awaited conversation about theology and youth ministry in postmodern culture."--Kenda Creasy Dean, Princeton Theological Seminary; author of Almost Christian "In this excellent work Borgman brings theological integrity, depth, and years of wisdom like nothing else I have seen in our field."--Jim Burns, author of Teenology: The Art of Raising Great Teenagers

A work-book that truly works! Maria Harris has combined careful reflection with many practical insights and activities for all those who want to carry out the ministry of the whole church for and with and by young people. Letty M. Russell Associate Professor of Theology Yale Divinity School I know very few persons who have thought through so many questions affecting youth as has Maria Harris in 'Portrait of Youth Ministry'. Especially important is her consistent vision of empowering youth to direct their own lives. This book brings ministry to a new state in its development. Michael Warren St. John's University Jamaica, New York Out of her rich history in religious education at many levels Maria Harris offers a New Testament frame of reference for her scholarly and existential approach to youth ministry: didache (teaching), leiturgia (prayer), koinonia (community), kerygma (advocacy), diakonia (troublemaking) . . . The bibliography and ingenious activities at the end of each chapter are extremely helpful tools. Maria Harris believes that youth ministers need more than generosity and enthusiasm for the long haul. They need to be led into the depth of their own lives and have a grasp of the larger issues of our own culture. Dennis J. Geaney, O.S.A. Associate Pastor, St. Victor Parish Calumet City, Illinois When I finished reading the book I felt that I had attended a continuing education workshop.... Bread, nuts, and bolts all in one package! Lois I. Peeler Division of Education United Church Board for Homeland Ministries Youth ministers, pastoral associates, parish councils, parents will find here an excellent resource for clarifying their goals and commitments to youth ministry. Sr. Claire E. Lowery Assistant Professor of Theology and Pastoral Ministry Boston College

There are many philosophies and strategies that drive today's youth ministry. To most people, they are variations on a single goal: to make faithful disciples of young people. However, digging deeper into various programs, books, and concepts reveals substantive differences among approaches. Bestselling author Chap Clark is one of the leading voices in youth ministry today. In this multiview work, he brings together a diverse group of leaders to present major views on youth ministry. Chapters are written in essay/response fashion by Fernando Arzola, Greg Stier, Ron Hunter, Brian Cosby, and Chap Clark. As the contributors present their views and respond to each of the other views, they discuss their task and calling, giving readers the resources they need to develop their own approach to youth ministry. Offering a model of critical thinking and respectful dialogue, this volume provides a balanced, irenic approach to a topic with which every church wrestles.

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.