Church Youth

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.

In the past few decades, the church has experienced rapid and distressing change. Hard-working pastors and leaders often know they need to embrace diversity, creatively engage younger generations, and equip their people to love their neighbors. But since they don't know how to make the changes needed, they feel stuck and wonder, "What do I do now? For these dedicated yet drained church leaders, this research-informed resource from the team at the Fuller Youth Institute offers a clear roadmap to faithfully and effectively navigate change that will revitalize your church.

More than 60 percent of young people who went to church as teens drop out after high school. This is a striking and alarming statistic. Now the bestselling author of unChristian trains his researcher's eye on these young believers. Where Kinnaman's first book unChristian showed the world what outsiders aged 16–29 think of Christianity, You Lost Me shows why younger Christians, ages 16–29, are leaving the church and rethinking their faith. Kinneaman offers suggestions on how to help young people develop and maintain a vibrant faith....

If you long to reach kids and see their lives changed by God, this updated, comprehensive guide shows you how. Purpose Driven® Youth Ministry will do for youth ministry what Rick Warren's Gold Medallion award - winning The Purpose Driven Church is doing for pastoral ministry. It's an indispensable guide to creating and maintaining youth ministry for the long run. It will help you create a solid spiritual team that builds the foundations of the Christian faith into the hearts and lives of young people.

In Jesus Was A Youth Leader, Matthew Arrowood explores the unconventional path Jesus chose during His ministry. Rather than becoming an earthly king, scholar, or Pharisee, Jesus dedicated three and a half years to teaching and mentoring 12 young men. Arrowood argues that Jesus took on the unexpected role of a rabbi and teacher—a position that, even today, might not be highly regarded within the church.

Michael McGarry explores the foundation of youth ministry in the Old and New Testaments and brings that together with Church history in a compelling way. This contemplative and well-researched book provides a careful critique of youth ministry along with practical guidance for those serving in ministry.

Here are only a few of the new friends you'll meet in TEENAGE CHRISTIAN: ASHLEY wins a songwriting contest and backstage passes to meet her favorite rock star, but discovers there's only one true Rock worthy of her love. MELISSA dreads attending a new high school, but learns that unknown roads are often mapped out by God. NICOLE and her best friend must spend Valentine's Day at a nursing home where both encounter real love when they least expect it. WHITNEY suffers from insomnia, but a heavenly cure brings sweet dreams. JESSICA feels like she's missing out on Halloween fun, then learns ...

Many people today, especially among emerging generations, don't resonate with the church and organized Christianity. Some are leaving the church and others were never part of the church in the first place. Yet often they are still spiritually open and fascinated with Jesus. This is a ministry resource book exploring six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and Christianity.

Surf’s up! When teenage Christians go to the beach, exciting things start to happen! TEENAGE CHRISTIAN AT THE BEACH includes five short stories…five paths along a windswept beach that lead to or away from God…the choice is theirs—and YOURS—to make! MIA discovers a world she never knew existed behind the boardwalk when Daniel, the best looking guy at a Gulf Coast beach, offers her first aid, but suddenly she must choose between two different worlds, two different friends, and two different gods. KRISTEN is without a date for the Sandcastle Prom, so a feisty little girl named Posey ...

It was now just five short years after George Bailey had his first miraculous meeting with a saving angel in Bedford Falls, and a new Bailey had come into town with his own great challenge that needed a miraculous solution! It was a wonderful life indeed when John Bailey and Anabelle Smith first came to be that otherwise perfect “match made in Heaven” shortly after they first met at the traditional New Year’s Eve Dance of Bedford Falls. It seemed so perfect, when Anabelle tragically died, and then far more surprisingly returned on that very next Christmas saying that she had come back...

The loss or disaffiliation of young adults is a much-discussed topic in churches today. Many faith-formation programs focus on keeping the young, believing the youthful spirit will save the church. But do these programs have more to do with an obsession with youthfulness than with helping young people encounter the living God?

To disciple the youth in our student ministries today, we have to understand the unique characteristics of Generation Z and apply lessons learned from recent decades of youth ministry. Pastor and Professor Timothy McKnight brings a wealth of new insights, resources, and guidance for reaching today's adolescents.

If you're brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture-controlled church - and the issues in your own life - read on.

Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing? That we still haven't quite 'gotten it'? That we've missed the point regarding many important issues? It's understandable if we've relied on what we've been told to believe or what's widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them....

Do you want your children to be actively serving in the local church when they turn 30 and beyond? Why They Stay can help! Much has been written about younger adults and their departure from church involvement. Concerned parents and church leaders want to know what has caused them to depart. Instead of asking why young adults are leaving the church, Parr and Crites conducted a national research project of those who grew up in church and are still serving faithfully.

You are in the family of God....It can get messy. When you look at your church today, what do you see? A social organization that does good things for the community? A religious corporation with a CEO at the helm? A spiritual and self-help counseling center? Pastor Ross Parsley believes that none of these ideas captures God’s design. Instead, God sees us more like a family - a multigenerational group of real people who love each other and care for one another’s needs, no matter how messy. We are not consumers asking what the church can do for us. We are family members learning how to love deeply, fight fairly, and share selflessly.

First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made "the body of Christ" a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth? Listen to this book and find out.

After that first remarkable Christmas Day that Charles Dickens himself would call A Christmas Carol, an entire year had passed for Ebenezer Scrooge. A new Christmas Eve had now come, only to draw swiftly to an end with what was about to continue that Christmas tale of old. It was the unfinished business of making things right that moved Scrooge now, with the most pressing issue on his mind stemming from his greatest loss of all—his beautiful Belle! If only he had the chance to act with his present knowledge back in that time when choices mattered, he would surely fix things. He would have...

A New Generation Church is a church with attendees whose average age is at least as young as the average age of the community in which the church exists. Any church can become a New Generation Church that reaches and continues to reach the next generation. Written for both church leaders and members, For a New Generation presents practical strategies that lay a foundation for a church to thrive for generations to come. It is based on the assumption that accepting the status quo is the greatest threat to your church’s core mission and, perhaps, to the survival of your church.

Relevant and Practical Ways on how to Disciple, Coach, Mentor and Connect with the Next Generation (Ages 15 to 30)! Discover the nine most influential role models and mind molders that are currently discipling and shaping the hearts & minds of the younger generation! Rediscover the true purpose of discipleship the way Jesus portrayed it to His twelve disciples, which is coaching & mentoring in a personal way! Relevant and practical ways to reach out and to engage the younger generation in your church! Radical and Biblical insight on captivating the hearts of the 15 to 30 year olds (Gen-Y & ...

Here are only a few of the new friends you’ll meet in TEENAGE CHRISTIAN, Inspirational Short Stories for Guys: DAVID, proud to be the owner of his grandfather’s Civil War-era rifle—a family heirloom—discovers the hard way that only a fine line separates adoration and idolatry. TIM, caught in a fierce tornado, has nowhere to run, except straight into the loving, protective arms of the Lord. KYLE’S feelings for his best friend, Charlie, turn from love to hate when Charlie hunts and kills Jannie, the tame little doe that Kyle befriended. MIKE puts an opportunity to work at a popular ...