Tuesday, June 26, 2007

A New Kind of Youth Ministry (Book Review)

I recently finished the book A New Kind of Youth Ministry by Chris Folmsbee and I am beginning to realize that I need to stop reading, because the books I have been reading lately are messing me up (in a good way). Chris did not write this book because he feels that everyone else out there is doing it wrong and his way is the right way. He wrote it because he believes that youth ministry has not sufficiently changed to adapt to the current culture. And I whole-heartedly agree with him.

Chris' ideas for re-culturing the youth ministries in our churches is revolutionary, but yet so simple. In many ways his ideas are to take youth ministry from a point where we entertain, lecture, teach, do mission trips and meet others needs; to where help them learn how to live missional lives, learn about God in an environment that is centered around them and not a curriculum, and where it is not about how big and flashy our programs can be but instead how deep.

I do not believe that this book should be limited to just people in youth ministry, but a valuable tool for all ministries in the church. I think that the more the church realizes that we can learn from one another the better the church can and will be. So whether you are in youth ministry, children's ministry, adult ministry, small group ministry, etc. I recommend this book for you. Chris' humility in this book is refreshing and I hope you will get as much out of it as I did.

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