OVERVIEW

 

Two distinguished youth leaders, Jim Burns, for many years a respected trainer of youth ministers, and Mike DeVries, a leader of the movement for Family-Based youth ministry, collaborate on revising and adding to the original version of Youth Builder.

 

In both versions, this book is regarded as a classic “how to” of youth ministry. Its endorsements verify this reputation.

 

Rejecting youth groups that are primarily program-oriented while acknowledging meetings and special events as necessary complements, the authors describe the foundation of youth ministry to be relationships, an idea widely accepted but sometimes poorly implemented.

Programs are a framework in which ministry exists. Programs don’t minister—people minister. The part of ministry that will change the lives of young people we work with won’t be our speaking or creative programming. Long after the events are over, long after our messages are forgotten, it will be relationships that are remembered and have the greatest influence. (p.23)

 

I (Jim) recently asked 1,000 youth workers at a conference to list the five most influential sermons or programs in their lives. One minute later, no one had come up with five sermons or programs…. Then I asked them to list five most influential people in their lives. After one minute, most (of the 1,000) had listed four or five people who had influenced their lives in a significant way. (p.24)

 

As many have done, these authors explain the power of relational ministry on the theological grounds of the Incarnation particularly. We know from experience and the social sciences that “young people are looking for role models to imitate.” (p.25) As you read on about the contents of this book, it is wise to ask: “where am I/we lacking, what should we further consider and discuss, what do I need to learn and how do I need to grow.” Such reflection can increase our long-term effectiveness and prevent burnout.

 

The pillars of relational youth ministry are
          Ø team ministry (adult volunteers, chosen to meet needs of this group)

 

Ø modeling (genuine actions, reactions, and life style of role models)

 

Ø unconditional love (living out relationships with no-strings attached love)

 

Ø nurturing (youth ministry geared toward growth)

 

Ø contact time (meeting students on their territory, hanging-out)

 

Ø spending time (going beyond contact to get into their lives)

 

Ø reaching out (not “cocooning” church kids, but looking out to all)

 

Chapter 2 follows with crucial attention to the lives of those who would do relational youth ministry. Balance in a leader’s life will combat both burnout and superficiality. The balances emphasized here are spiritual, family, relational, emotional, physical, and leadership (management.

 

Chapter 3, “Understanding Today’s Youth” encourages youth leaders to go on studying our times and society, dramatic changes or revolutions in the family, sexual mores and behaviors, media and technological, as well as the rise in anger and violence. Chapter 4 encourages “A Ministry that Lasts.”  It deals with critical issues/needs in the lives of young people today: Acceptance, Affirmation, Attention, Modeling, Hope and Healing, Responsibility, Community, Authentic Encounters with God and Spiritual Challenge.

 

Youth leaders who are not mere amateurs (just hanging out with kids) but interested in long-term results must get into their lives and concern themselves with the nature of growth at this stage in life. Chapter 5 is about “Adolescent Development.” Chapter 6 concludes Section I as it describes “Family-Based Youth Ministry.” It challenges us to meet, understand and to strengthen the families of students in our youth ministry.

 

The Foundation of youth ministry is laid in Section I. The chapter titles of Section 2 “The Framework: Blueprints for Ministry” allow you to grasp the scope of this book and realize your need to study it.

 

7. Relational Evangelism: Reaching a Generation in Need (types & nature of evangelism)

8. Building a Community Through Small Groups (10 great Commandments for groups)

9. Discipleship: Getting Kids Involved (some great helps on enabling and delegation)

10. Worship: Encountering the Living God (crucial, introductory, needs more)

11. Camps and Retreats (so significant in any youth ministry, important how-to’s)

12. Developing Student Leaders (leadership in church, peer ministry, ministry teams)

13. Missions and Service (Calling, Vision, Preparation, Planning)

14. Developing Dynamic Volunteer Team (no lone rangers, recruitment, equipping, etc.)

15. Developing an Internship Program (challenge, keys of training & supervision…)

16. Building Support Within Staff and Church Leadership (tensions & solutions)

17. Your Budget and You (general weakness of ours… personal & program finances)

Section III deals with “Programming—the Creative Spark of Ministry.” To begin with, there is no “quick fix” in great program ideas you hear from others as is stated in the beginning of Chapter 18, “Principles for Strategic Programming.” You must know your own group and situation and “develop programs to fulfill a purpose.” Each program demands creative and purposeful vision, careful planning, implementation and evaluation. Youth ministers are not only social workers, evangelists and pastors, they are also teachers. Chapter 19 “Creative Teaching—So They’ll Never Forget,” provides help for that task. Follow-up Chapter 20, “Ideas for Creative Communication” explains how students learn—with implications as to how you should teach. Chapter 21 deals with the critical issue of sexuality, “Teaching on Sex and Sexuality.” This chapter is packed with principles, statistics, and important suggestions.

 

The final Section IV is entitled “Personal Relationships—The Heart of Ministry.” It moves into personal issues among our students and is really a section on counseling in youth ministry—as the following chapter headings show.

 

22. Building Self-Image in Students (acknowledging the identity crisis and its challenges)

23. Counseling Youth—Compassionate Youth Ministry (non-professional counselors)

24. Working with Disrupted Families (the pain and prevalence of divorce and losses)

25. The Crisis of Substance Abuse (prevalence, why’s and what’s about drugs/alcohol)

26. The Crisis of Suicide (practical realities of suicide, youth minister’s response)

27. The Crisis of Sexual Abuse (facts, situations and responses to this “ugly truth)

 

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

 

1.   Has this overview helped you understand the contents of this book and convinced you of its importance?

2.   What comments, criticisms or questions do you have about this review or the book itself?

3.   From this overview or outline, where do you see your strengths and your weaknesses?  How would you like to strengthen areas of your life and ministry you see deficient?

4.   What chapter of the above would you like to take to your youth ministry team and/or youth ministry adult committee for discussion in the near future?

 

 

IMPLICATIONS       

 

1.   This book should be reviewed by every seasoned youth minister. It should be read and studied by everyone going into youth ministry.

2.   As you can see from this outline of the book’s contents, certain chapters could be combined for discussion and training purposes.

3.   David Elkind’s All Grown Up and No Place to Go, Wayne Rice’s Junior High Ministry, Duffy Robbin’s This Way to Youth Ministry, my When Kumbaya Is Not Enough, and Ginny Olson, et al.’s Youth Ministry Management Tools are good texts for training, for courses, and for a church library in youth ministry.