Purpose Driven Youth Ministry: 9 Essential Foundations for Healthy Growth

I am a relatively new youth leader for my church's youth group...our old leader left to attend seminary in North Carolina, and I offered to step up and replace him. About 3 months ago when I first started, I had absolutely no confidence in my abilities, nor much of a direction as to where God would lead me through this ministry. But through the work God has done in my life and through reading this book (which I received as a gift from my fellow youth leader Shelly I might add), things have done a complete 180. I am now more confident than ever, and I have come to realize that leading a youth group is not all about having big-budget, flashy programs and whatnot, but rather about empowering young people with the knowledge they need to become Godly men and women in the future. Doug Fields has written a great book here that I think any youth leader or potential youth leader, no matter what level of experience they might have, ought to read. I have definitely seen a change in the effectiveness of my leadership because of it, and my kids are becoming more receptive to me with each passing day.

This is an easy-to-read textbook on youth ministry by a proven professional. Drawing from the same principles as Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Church, Fields (who is Warren's youth pastor at Saddleback Community Church) gives the foundational principles for youth ministry, explaining the different stages of faith commitment in adolescents, and providing strategies for a complete youth ministry.Good: This book is an easy read, and doesn't require theological or professional ministry experience to understand, and yet is thorough. Any person who has basic relational skills and a heart to reach kids will be set to go after reading this book.Bad: Fields is constantly uses lists and acronyms to teach his points. Examples: the different stages of faith commitment (core, committed, congregation, crowd, and community); spiritual lifestyle H.A.B.I.T.S. (hang time with God, accountability with another believer, Bible memorization, involvement with the church body, tithing commitment, study of the scripture); his method for discovering spiritual gifts called S.H.A.P.E. (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences). A little of this goes a long way, and if you try to take it in too quickly it will fry your brain.Opinion: This is the best book on youth ministry that I've read. Fields leaves no bases uncovered, from working with parents to handling discipline. I wish I had read this book before my first youth pastorate. It would have saved me many mistakes.Best Quote: Two come to mind, but they're related to the same thing: "Leadership separates a purpose-driven youth ministry from an event-and-activity-driven youth ministry." The second one is this: "Better to have two high-standard student leaders than fifty students who want to plan activities while they live any lifestyle they please."

I highly recommend Purpose Driven Youth Ministry for anyone involved with youth ministry, whether a full-time minister or a part-time volunteer. Although examples are geared more towards a large ministry, the principles can be applied to any size ministry. Get the book and enjoy learning more about winning and discipling youth for Christ!

This book is a clearly written, organized and in-depth look at the foundations to youth ministry. The pillars of ministry are outlined and given in ways that can be applied to any ministry in any setting with proper leadership. Doug Fields is an experienced youth pastor with wisdom and knowledge which has spurred his ministry to dynamic growth. Why we do what we do, who we are trying to reach, how to best accomplish this, what we're trying to do, when to do it and where to do it is the general format of the book. The foundations laid out in this book, when applied to your ministry, will give you a base for growth and development. Keeping in mind that development is more important than growth. Drawing youth into a more personal and deeper relationship with God is the key to this book. A must read for every youth pastor, worker, volunteer and prospective leader.

Youth ministry is more than recreation. It is a way to reach out to the young generation and grow them in Christ through worship, outreach, ministry, fellowship, and recreation. It shows how to implement the full gospel of Christ into a teen in their formative years. Great job, Doug.