Tips and tricks for working with young people. A must have for every youth pastor or youth leader.

So you are a Youth Pastor or Youth Worker, and someone dies. It could be the grandparent, or parent of a youth in your ministry. Or it could be a youth in your youth who is killed in a terrible accident, or it could be a student in a local high school or middle school. How will you respond to help the families, the individuals in your youth group or the youth in the local high school? Could it be that God has put you in the situation for a divine purpose? I think that is why you are reading this now. I don’t believe in accidents. I’d venture to guess that there is a reason behind why you are reading this even now! This is not the typical book for a youth pastor. But this book is about real life problems that happen everyday and in some way affects many of the youth in your group and could be a way to come to know others deeply in a matter of hours.

Youth pastors often burn out, bail out, and are pushed out of ministry. In this book, you'll be given practical insights and action steps to help you build fences against failure.

A first-of-its-kind study of Protestant youth ministers reveals the hopes, frustrations, and effectiveness of today’s youth workers.Of the 7,000 youth workers assembled in 1996 under Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, a sample of 2,130 full-time youth ministers from dozens of Protestant denominations and parachurch organizations answered a battery of exhaustive, deliberate questions covering:What they liked best about youth ministryWhat particularly pleased them in their work with youthWhat they found most encouraging or discouragingTheir biggest obstacle to an effective youth ministryTheir biggest concern in youth ministryTheir answers revealed a dedicated group of professionals, concerned a out the students in their ministries, but troubled with a variety of perplexing issues. And their answers form the backbone of Youth Ministry That Transforms, a comprehensive analysis of this groundbreaking study (funded by the Lilly Endowment) focusing on the hopes, frustrations, and effectiveness of today’s youth workers.Spearheaded by Merton Strommen--one of America’s most exemplary and influential thinkers and authors in youth and family ministry--the research-writing team is joined by Karen E. Jones and Dave Rahn of Huntington (Indiana) College’s Link Institute for Faithful and Effective Youth Ministry, and acknowledged leader in the task of undergirding youth ministry with a research base. These three deliver thorough analysis and sound interpretation regarding the state of youth ministry at the dawn of the 21st century.Youth Ministry That Transforms belongs on the desks and in the classrooms of all who are concerned with this developing profession, including denominational and parachurch leadership, professors, youth ministry students, and thoughtful youth workers themselves. It is also an insightful resource for any who want to understand youth ministers and their profession: senior pastors, executive pastors, and other individuals and committees charged with hiring and supervising youth workers.

Today's youth need to hear the message "It’s okay to not be okay." They need to know hope and help are always available. A companion to the book Blessed Youth (9780827203204), Blessed Youth Survival Guide offers the tools youth need to survive when they are feeling disconnected, confused, and alone. This survival guide is specifically for youth and covers topics that today's youth will undoubtedly face such as anxiety, sadness, depression, phobias, OCD, panic attacks, PTSD, trauma, and therapy. Blessed Youth Survival Guide helps youth recognize when they are experiencing an issue and encourages them to tell a parent, doctor, or another adult who can help them receive the appropriate care. Youth are encouraged to be proactive with their mental health by developing good overall health practices and taking a Safety Pledge — a pledge to promise to identify three people who they can contact if they begin having thoughts of self-harm and/or suicide.

Insights, tips, and suggestions for small group of leaders. When put into play, these bite-sized, consumable pieces of wisdom help leaders "knock it out of the park" and set them up to win.

Cover subtitle: Your instant reference guide for youth ministry facts, resources, and research.

Youth ministry fundamentals at your fingertips! Or call it a light-hearted primer to a serious subject. A Youth Ministry Crash Course is 150 to-the-point entries on issues you face every week -- topics that are described, simplified, illustrated, and occasionally tweaked by a couple of veteran youth workers who've acquired a pragmatic streak alongside their compassion for teenagers. Inside you'll find shrewd insight with a wry twist: - On Curricula: "You know your kids better than some editor working away in a cubical somewhere. Change material to suit your group, and chuck what doesn't fly." - On Recycling: "Students cycle in and out of your youth group every three or four years -- so recycle your program themes and events that often too." On Rules: "Never make one when you're tired or ticked off." - On Sacred Cows: " Learn what they are and keep your kids away from them -- you'll add longevity to your job. E.g., no pew hurdling in the million-dollar sanctuary during youth night. - On Spiritual Growth: "The kid that grows the fastest may not grow the deepest. Don't overlook the one who grows slowly but steadily." Whether you're new to youth ministry, a Sunday school teacher of junior or senior highers, a volunteer, or a veteran with a novice staff -- in Crash Course you'll find instructions, motivation, and reminders of what the glorious, hectic calling of youth ministry is all about.

Our kids are bombarded daily with choices we never had to make. They are surrounded by gangs, kids with weapons, and teen-age cocaine dealers, not just on the city streets at night, but at school! Teenage sexual activity has become a fact of life. Abortion a 'necessary evil.' And many kids are making these life-altering decisions without the benefit of wise biblical counsel. They don't know their Creator as the Shepherd of their Heart, and are dying because of it emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes even physically. But you can do something about it. Ron Hutchcraft and Lisa Hutchcraft Whitmer recognize the urgent needs of our kids and know exactly what will help them - a relationship with Jesus Christ and spiritual encouragement to make their beliefs match their behavior. Take a look into the world of today's teens: Relationships matter most to them. Music is their language. Sex is expected...and confusing. They are very lonely, wounded, and lost. Sin is not an issue for them, but the results of sin are. The Battle for a Generation explains how to meet the needs of today's young people right where they live - to bring the realities of Christ to them and then to encourage them to reach others.