You're looking for a youth pastor. Again.What goes wrong? 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 De Vries 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.Based on his own experience and on his many conversations and interviews with churches in crisis, De Vries pinpoints problems that cause division and burnout and dispels strongly held myths. He then provides the practical tools and structures pastors and church leaders need to lay a strong foundation for your ministry so that it isn't built on a person or the latest, greatest student ministry trend.His accessible guidance
– helps senior pastors and search committees create a realistic job description for a youth pastor
– provides tips for making wise hiring decisions
– equips youth pastors to build a strong volunteer team
– offers creative solutions to help youth pastors set and keep boundaries
– gives a road map for navigating church politics
– and more Building a sustainable youth ministry is not easy, and it's not quick. But with commitment to the process, hard work and De Vries's guidance, you can put together a healthy youth ministry–one that fits your church and lasts for the long haul. Youth ministry can last. Here's how.
Mục lục
Introduction: Roll of the Dice: Exposing Today’s Most Popular Youth Ministry Model
1. Cracking the Code: The Anatomy of Stuckness in Youth Ministry
2. The Easy Button: The Crisis of Chronic Underinvestment
3. Hoping, Wishing and Praying: Beyond the Frantic Search for the Youth Ministry Superstar
4. The Dance Floor: A Systems Approach to Youth Ministry
5. Building Right: The Structures of Sustainabilty
6. Climate Change: The Work of the Environmental Architect
7. Searching Right: A Primer for Youth Ministry Search Teams
8. Aligning the Heart: The Emotionally Healthy Youth Worker
9. Monkeys, Frogs and Balconies: Secrets of Third-Pig Youth Workers
10. Architecting the Constellation: From Camp Counselor to Sustainable Leader
11. The Magnet Effect: Making Friendship Contagious
12. Dancing with Alligators: Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Church Politics
13. Rabbit Trails and Brick Walls: When All Our Brilliant Plans Don?t Work
Epilogue: Seizing the Unfair Advantage
Appendix A: Discussion Questions
Appendix B: Sustainable Youth Ministry Builder’s List
Appendix C: The Compliance Checklist
Acknowledgments
Notes
Giới thiệu về tác giả
Mark De Vries (MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary) is the founder of Ministry Architects, a consulting team that helps churches and ministry organizations build sustainable ministries for children, youth, young adults, and entire congregations. He served for twenty-eight years as associate pastor for youth and their families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He has trained youth workers on five continents and has taught courses or been a guest lecturer at a number of colleges and seminaries.De Vries is the author of Sustainable Youth Ministry and Family-Based Youth Ministry, coauthor of The Most Important Year in a Woman's Life/The Most Important Year in a Man's Life, and he has been a contributing writer for Josh Mc Dowell's Youth Ministry Handbook, Starting Right, and Reaching a Generation for Christ. In addition, his articles and reviews have been published in a variety of journals and magazines. He and his wife, Susan, have four grown children.