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Youth ministry is one of the most rewarding professions in the world. But it also can be exhausting, overwhelming, captivating, tedious, energizing, demanding, draining, and stressful. Are you prepared? Veteran youth workers and consultants Mark DeVries and Jeff Dunn-Rankin want you to succeed?whether you?re trying to land your first youth ministry role, wishing you had more love for the job you already hold, or seeking strategies to lock in your dream job. That?s why they?ve written The Indispensable Youth Pastor ?to peel back the curtain and reveal the truths about youth ministry. They want you to understand and prepare for the unique challenges that accompany this calling. Otherwise, you?re likely to be blindsided and overwhelmed by situations that a well-prepared youth worker will handle with ease. This book provides tools that will help you stay in the game of youth ministry for as long as God has called you and insights that can literally transform the way you approach your next (or current) role. Don?t become a statistic?another person who leaves youth ministry prematurely, burned out from ministry and the church altogether. Make yourself indispensable by following the path toward landing, loving, and locking in your dream youth ministry job. Chapter topics include: Developing a search timeline that works Where to hunt for youth ministry openings Why acquaintances aid your search more than friends Why the Jones Memorial Carpet matters Initiating change without killing your ministry Helping people embrace the ministry?s vision Living a life that has balance and priorities Learning to love the parts of your job you dislike Mark DeVries is the founder of Youth Ministry Architects (ymarchitects.com), a consulting team specializing in working with youth ministries in transition. Mark is the author of Sustainable Youth Ministry and Family-Based Youth Ministry , and, since 1986, he has served as the Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Jeff Dunn-Rankin is Vice President of Consulting for Youth Ministry Architects. Since the late 90s, he has also been the Director of Youth at Christ United Methodist Church in Venice, Florida. Other writing projects include his GROUP Magazine column and co-writing Before You Hire a Youth Pastor with Mark DeVries.

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BE AN ADULT WHO MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A KID. Maybe it?s your own son or daughter. Perhaps it?s a kid in your classroom. It might even be a teenager in the youth ministry where you serve. What if you could make a truly life-changing investment in this kid?s life? Kids have an innate need for adults who will cheer for them, pray for them, see the best in them, and support them through both words and deeds. Youth ministry veteran Dan Webster wrote KidUnique with the goal of preparing you to fulfill that essential role in the life of a child or teenager. Drawing on his own experience as a youth pastor and as a father of three sons, Webster wants to help equip you to become a ?KidUnique adult? who helps kids: feel loved and know they matter because someone paid attention to them. have a boost in self-esteem as they?re reminded that they are a miracle, not just a mess. have an increased belief in self and respect for others. discover their talents and strengths by trying new things. learn to both appreciate and live into their true selves. grow by pursuing new adventures and opportunities. hear words identifying ?what?s right? instead of only ?what?s wrong.? This task may sound intimidating, but Webster skillfully guides you from a passive position into an active role in a kid?s life through the ?four-window model? of observation, exploration, affirmation, and revelation. At the end of the book, you have the chance to put his ideas into practice through a 31-Day Experience with your child or teenager. As you read and apply the truths, principles, and practices of KidUnique , you?ll nurture a kid through encouragement to grow, develop, thrive, and be successful?an investment that will last a lifetime. Dan Webster is an author, teacher, communicator, mentor, and founder of Authentic Leadership, Inc. (authenticleadershipinc.com). For more than thirty years he has worked with and developed leaders ranging from youth pastors to company presidents. He has worked in education, probation, and on the staff of two of the largest and most influential churches in America. Since 1995 he has worked with all ages, training and equipping in leadership development.

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A small group is a powerful place! Lives are changed. Important decisions are made. Spiritual growth is enhanced. Jokes are shared. Lifelong friendships are formed. Cliques disappear when a small group becomes a loving community. The result? Spiritually mature teenagers, empowered leaders, and a healthy youth ministry. Good small groups requires leaders?and that?s where you come in. If you?re a small group leader, you may have lots of questions: Am I making a difference? Am I wisely investing my time, energy, and resources? Can I really do this? If so, how can I maximize my impact in teenagers? lives? Find the answers you?re looking for in 99 Thoughts for Small Group Leaders . This book delivers insights, tips, and veteran advice for anyone leading a small group (from young to old). When these bite-size, consumable pieces of wisdom are put into play, leaders will be better equipped and more confident. This book is all about setting them up to win. If you?re a small group leader, you?ll come back to this book again and again for encouragement, inspiration, and direction. And if you?re a leader of leaders, you?ll want to every small group leader reading it as it will become an investment for them as well as your youth ministry. Table of Contents Foreword by Katie Edwards ‌Introduction Where to Start: Thoughts 1-29 The Big Picture: Thoughts 30-68 Getting Into Students’ Lives: Thoughts 69-97 Practical Tips for a Successful Small Group: Thoughts 98-116 Random Reminders: Thoughts 117-149 Finishing Well: Thoughts 150-162 Josh Griffin is the high school pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. While he?s given up on his dreams of winning American Idol and running seven marathons in seven days, he remains committed to the dream of seeing teenagers passionately live out their faith. He also shares his daily youth ministry journey at www.morethandodgeball.com . Doug Fields has been a pastor to teenagers and a mentor to youth workers for over 30 years. He?s the author of more than 50 youth ministry books and begged Josh to let him have his name on just one more. Beyond youth ministry, Doug is a weak mountain bike rider and very average golfer (see photos on www.dougfields.com ).

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?This book will change your relationship with your teenager and help prepare them for a most meaningful life. Katie Brazelton is not only an expert in the field, but a wonderful mother and now grandmother with incredible ideas. I love this book.? -Jim Burns, PhD President HomeWord Author of Teenology: The Art of Raising Great Teenagers , Confident Parenting Having conversations with teenagers is a challenge. Having meaningful conversations with teenagers can feel impossible at times! Drawing on her experience as a mom, ministry founder, and Life Purpose Coach, Dr. Katie Brazelton offers insights and wisdom in How Your Teenager is Wired on understanding how teenagers are wonderfully and uniquely created?and how to transform that understanding into dynamic conversations about who they are, how Godwired them, and where their lives are headed. In How Your Teenager is Wired , you?ll discover the three calls on the life of each Christian and how you can explore these calls with your teenager: the primary call of being transformed into Christ-likeness; the secondary call of thriving in seasonal roles; and the ?This I Must Do? call to be part of something that is larger than yourself, unfeasible to do on your own, and impossible to ignore.You?ll learn how to have the best possible parent-teenager relationship, why teenagers genuinely do want to understand their life purpose, how to amaze your teenagers with your conversational skills, and how to launch them into answering God?s call on their life. Katie also provides engaging scripts and exercises to equip you to talkwith your teenager about such important topics as: Understanding spiritual gifts, best qualities, and finest values Rethinking motives, relationships, and use of time Knowing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Praying for courage, perseverance, and miracles Writing a Lifetime Dream Statement Surrendering all to Jesus Katie Brazelton, PhD, MDiv, MA, is a bestselling author, Rockbridge Seminary professor, and founder of Life Purpose Coaching Centers International.Having written seven books, she is a popular radio/tv guest and speaker for the American Association of Christian Counselors. Katie served previously as a licensed minister at the purpose driven Saddleback Church. She is a proud mom and Grandmother.

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If you?re the parent of a teenager, you need all the help you can get. How do you help your children make wise choices? How do you give your teenagers freedom to make their own choices while still providing a guiding hand? How do you invest your time and energy in ways that make an eternal difference in your children?s lives? Walt Mueller delivers the goods in 99 Thoughts for Parents of Teenagers , a no-holds-barred look at the good, bad, and ugly aspects of parenting teenagers. Drawing on his experience as a parent of four children who have passed through their teenage years, Walt shares wisdom, thoughts, insights, and suggestions for making the teenage years count. If you?re a parent, you?ll want to read, devour, and absorb the dynamic truths in this book. And if you?re a youth worker, you?ll want to get this book into the hands of parents in your ministry to guide them, encourage them, and give them insights on fulfilling God?s great call to raise children who pursue a Jesus-centered life. Dr. Walt Mueller is the founder and president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. His organization is always looking for new ways to be salt and light in the culture-atlarge. Walt is the author of eight books and is a sought-after authority on youth culture and family issues.

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Christian families today often find themselves stuck between two stories?their own family?s story and God?s story. It?s like they?re living two lives: their Christian life and their ?real world? life. The trick is figuring out how to get your family?s story to line up with God?s story in the world around us, helping you raise children who have the character, values, and mission that allows them to go out into the real world and live out a real faith. Real World Parents is a parenting book that helps you to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to raising Christian kids in a world that is filled with contradictions to a life of faith. Rather than trying to raise kids who are ?good Christians,? you?ll find the tools to help you live out a faith that allows your children to see what it means to live as a Christian. As a result, your kids will learn about real faith by living it out with you. Culture expert and veteran youth pastor, Mark Matlock, will help you explore issues such as: Helping your child make decisions The importance of failure Knowing God?s story for your family Changing the story your family is in The pursuit of wisdom and much more God has placed us here to interact with and represent him to the world by engaging with the culture?not retreating from it. Rather than trying to isolate your children from the world or draw lines that keep them from truly engaging in the world God calls us to help and heal, you can learn how to lead your family towards an integrated life where your story and God?s story come together to make a difference in the world around you.

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Give your teenagers a guilt-free, up-close look at materialism–one that strips away the overwhelming messages of a consumer society. You’ll see authentic changes in readers as they tear out pages to use in Jesus-centered activities. From the back cover: Do you own your stuff… or does your stuff own you? Like you, Jesus had stuff. Unlike you, it didn’t have him. Take a guilt-free, life-changing look at what you have… what it means… and discover how to tread lightly in the world as the steward Jesus calls you to be. Oh yeah: and don’t get too attached to this book. As you change, it changes, too. Get free. Get stripped clean. Get down to nothing but Jesus. Storm is a designer, artist, dreamer, dad, and recovering materialoholic who still doesn’t have a flat-screen TV… but he wants one. Still on the wagon, man, one day at a time.