Presence-Centered Youth Ministry - by Mike King (Paperback)

About the Book

Mike King proposes a youth ministry centered in the presence of God. Here, young people encounter Christ not in the flash and pop of arena ministry, but in the sacred shadow of his presence. This book gives shape to such ministry through the classic disciplines and potent symbols and practices that have sustained the church over the centuries.

Book Synopsis

Mike King proposes a youth ministry centered in the presence of God. Here, young people encounter Christ not in the flash and pop of arena ministry, but in the sacred shadow of his presence. This book gives shape to such ministry through the classic disciplines and potent symbols and practices that have sustained the church over the centuries.

Review Quotes

Presence-Centered Youth Ministry is an excellent supplemental text useful for challenging some long-standing youth ministry thinking and practice. . . . his larger contribution may be in naming the specific task of youth ministers as bringing youth into the presence of God.

"Make no mistake: Presence-Centered Youth Ministry is about God's presence, not ours--which right away puts Mike King's approach to youth ministry in a class of its own. King transcends 'liberal/conservative' stereotypes by putting ancient spiritual practices at the heart of our ministry with young people--practices that center us in the presence of God. If you're not won by the teenagers you meet in these pages, you'll be won by the glimpses of how King's own ministry helps youth 'practice the presence of God.' If Brother Lawrence had been a youth pastor, this book would have been his favorite resource."

"Mike King has started a conversation that's long overdue and frequently ignored in youth ministry circles. In this thoughtful book he tells his own story with humble vulnerability, exposes the sacred cows we've let graze for far too long on the youth ministry landscape, and helps us see that ministry isn't about facilitating and teaching outward behavorial conformity. I'm sure this book will make many uncomfortable because of its subject and recommendations. Pick it up. Don't put it down. Prayerfully wrestle with Mike and his message. Keep reading. This book just might take you out of your comfort zone, but that's right where many of us need to be led in order to be able to carefully and faithfully lead young people into the life-changing presence of God."

"Wow. Talk about stirring the pot! Mike King gets way out on some beautiful and truthful thin ice, naming many of the closely held wrong assumptions and faulty practices of modern youth ministry. Then he crosses to the other side of this thin ice, and suggests a path forward. Congrats to Mike, and to anyone willing to thoughtfully consider the ideas in this book!"

Mentioned as a Recommended Resource

Mike King is old enough to have washed ashore with all the trends in the last 40 years or so in evangelicalism. He's tired of the programs and the catchy theories. He calls us back to the center, to knowing God, to being known by God, and living - and ministering to youth - out of that knowing and being known. With pastors like Mike King we've got glimpses of changes that will speak the gospel into the next generation.

This book has great value. Highly recommended!

Though the job of youth ministers is challenging, this book's easy-to-read format offers suggestions and solutions for them that are both theoretical and pragmatic.

Whether a person has been working with youth for years or is trying to decide whether to lead a group for the first time, he or she will discover in this book an approach to helping young people mature spiritually.

About the Author

Mike King serves as president of YouthFront (www.YouthFrontZone.com), an organization creating environments for youth to experience spiritual transformation, and providing support to churches and youth workers. Mike also serves on the pastoral staff of Jacob's Well Church in Kansas City and is a frequent speaker at conferences and conventions. He and his wife, Vicki, have two sons, a daughter and two daughters-in-law. Read Mike's blog at www.king.typepad.com.