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.

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.

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....

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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....

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.

Today, there is a disconnection between the youth and the leadership of the church. With fewer and fewer young people attending church, a hole has been created in the membership where the young people used to be. With that we are also seeing a growing generation gap in churches that impacts leadership and how youth are and are not transitioning into leadership at the local level. How can we keep a steady group of leaders being developed in the local church? This book is a history, of sorts, of African American youth ministry in the US. We use the brush of the past to be able to re-...

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 & ...

Times are changing—our methods must shift with the tide It’s never been so easy—and so difficult—to reach the younger generation. While they’re active online, they’re also less likely to be active in the church. This is a worrisome trend that means their morals, values, and needs regarding faith are being neglected. This book proposes a shift of church culture to reach a new generation. Using unique perspectives and focusing on the way of the future, this book aims to help bring a whole new generation of Millennials and Generation Z into the Apostolic church. We can’t control ...

Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but below the surface, he’s still recovering from the blow of a failed business and insecurities he can’t shake. His coworker, start-up expert Kimberly Foster, is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but years of personal rejection have left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds - or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks sure do fly.

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.

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.

“Why can’t we just fall in love with men that are simple, stay at home, and don’t try to take on the world?” Raya radiates beauty both inside and out while exuding an unshakable faith. Her life plan includes being a participant in the community she loves, marrying the man she has been with since high school, and building a loving family. Unfortunately, as often happens, life doesn’t exactly work out the way Raya was planning. It seems that no matter how much she tries to grasp the roadmap for her life, it spins in new, and not so desirable directions. Will she eventually find the ...

Stupid Covid! Tina is in the middle of her freshman year at Central High when the pandemic hits... School, jobs, volunteering, friendships all come to a screeching halt. Even the connection with her best friend, Julie is fading. Life on Zoom takes center stage. It doesn’t come close to picking up the slack, but what else is there? How do Tina and her friends learn to cope? In a million different ways, that’s how. Tina takes you on a tour of her life on the inside and whatever glimpses of the world outside she’s still able to reach. It's a good thing bicycling is OK. Was your ...

For over four years, Jesse’s father’s addiction to alcohol and gambling deprives Jesse and his mom of basic necessities, overwhelming twelve-year-old Jesse Hall. He feels a need to help his family, but it causes him to neglect school so much that he is in danger of repeating the sixth grade. Jesse forges his mom’s name on his grade card and makes other bad choices. He thinks a lie will cover up his misdeed and is sure his sin is redeemable. Jesse blames all his problems on his father’s drinking and gambling and yearns for him to reform. Then, at the County Fair Jesse sees the worst ...

Have you ever wanted to change the world around you? God has shown us how to do so. In The Joshua Principle, you will learn what the Joshua principle is and how to influence your world by impacting the children and youth around you. What you learn in these chapters can help you transform any family, church, neighborhood, or city.