Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry: A personal and practical guide to starting right

This is a very down-to-earth guide on the practicalities of youth ministry. This book will remind you of things you knew, and show you where to use them. It will point out things your experiencing right now and help you make sense of them. The tips of the trade for how to work with teens, parents, senior pastors, etc., etc. Great resource! Would recommend to any new youth worker!

The beast of youth ministry is burnout, which is sadly a reality for so many youth leaders who start out strong, work tirelessly for the church, and fade into exhaustion-- and unfortunately, sometimes resentment. Youth ministry is difficult, and people who are just beginning their journey need advice from experience, advice that warns of those in the church who may hurt your feelings, advice that provides guidance in the planning of programs and curriculum... Advice that reminds you, "You will inevitably mess up; but you are human and you are learning. Don't give up!" This book is very insightful, and encourages people to take the long-term perspective, that youth ministry is about the marathon, not the short-distance race. Reading this book really is like sitting down with a mentor who knows the doubts and fears you possess- and those you have not yet embraced- and prepares you for reality, for better or worse. My suggestion: read it before you enter a YM position, and read it again six months into your position, and again 12 months into the position. The wisdom will be new every time you read it as you gain more experience, and you will value the reminder in times of confusion and concern, that Christ is with you always.

Mean parents? Not everybody will like me? Kids won't remember all of my message points? The elder board might not think turning the baptismal into a hot tub is a good idea!? OH MAN! Maybe you're like me (a new youth leader) and you have a crazy list of "must read" books and you have no idea where to start. I know the feeling folks (I'm there right now). But one book that everyone agreed that I start with was this book. I was stepping into a ministry where the demographic difference (education, church background, age) was so different I had no idea where to start. Do I host a huge event? Tell stories? Go through 1 Chronicles!? AHHH! Doug Fields put together a very helpful,practical and honest book. The entire book is put together in a readable way.With writings from both Doug Fields and other ministers from around the country who are in the battlefield right now. The contributing writers do more than validate, but they relate the topics to their real world experience. Finally a book with more than just concepts and theories! First you'll probably read it straight through, but afterwards it will turn into a quick reference book. If anything just to re-affirm how you're going to handle a difficult situation. As a single new minister, I felt absolutely clueless about parents. What do they really want from me? A couseler? A listener? A babysitter? Doug very clearly lays out what parents need from you and how you can pour your life into their's without telling them how to raise your kids. I loved it when he talked about parents being experts on their children, so don't treat them like an idiot when you don't agree with how they want to raise their own children. It is because of this book that I have already learned ways of forming relationships with distant parents, learned how to find the needs of my attending kids, and build a foundation for a relationship based ministry. I would have paid 10 times the price for this book. The wisdom of these pages are truly beyond value for me a new minister to kids.

As a college student, jumping into the vocation of youth ministry is frightening to say the least. This book puts many fears to rest and provides great instruction on how to build a strong healthy youth group while working through the inevitable problems of being new to the field. An excellent book that will be even better to read the second time around. Highly recommended for everyone in the youth ministry battlefield!

This book seems to cover everything! New and even veteran youth leaders when from reading this book. If the material itself was not powerful enough, Doug includes additional insights from Jim Burns, Steve Gerali, Mike Yaconelli, Helen Musick, Chap Clark, Marv Penner, Rick Warren, Jana L. Sundene, Bo Boshers, Duffy Robbins, Tony Campolo, and Richard Ross. Each is an expert in the field, and together make this one of my top ten youth ministry books ever.If you have already read Doug's Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, you'll be surprised that this book is even better. More personal, more outside help, more stories, just plain better. Don't borrow this one. Buy it!

This book is wonderful for anyone interested or involved in youth ministry. It provides an amazing Biblical foundation, as well as a plethora of advice from seasoned ministers. I would surely recommend this book to anyone in youth ministry.