Sustainable Youth Ministry - by Mark DeVries (Paperback)

About the Book

One of the biggest problems in youth ministry is the constant turnover of youth ministers. DeVries addresses the problem with a systematic answer: churches need to take corporate responsibility for establishing a vision and structure for effective ministry, rather than leaving it all up to the youth minister.

Book Synopsis

You're looking for a youth pastor. Again.What goes wrong? Why do youth ministries crumble? And what is the cost to students, parents, volunteers and church staff?Is a sustainable youth ministry possible, even after a youth pastor leaves?Youth ministry expert Mark DeVries knows the answer is yes, because he helps build sustainable youth ministries through his coaching service called Youth Ministry Architects. So take heart: No matter what state the youth ministry at your church is in--in need of a leader and volunteers, full of battles and stress, large or small in number--it can be built to survive and to last for the long haul.Based on his own experience and on his many conversations and interviews with churches in crisis, DeVries pinpoints problems that cause division and burnout and dispels strongly held myths. He then provides the practical tools and structures pastors and church leaders need to lay a strong foundation for your ministry so that it isn't built on a person or the latest, greatest student ministry trend.His accessible guidance

• helps senior pastors and search committees create a realistic job description for a youth pastor
• provides tips for making wise hiring decisions
• equips youth pastors to build a strong volunteer team
• offers creative solutions to help youth pastors set and keep boundaries
• gives a road map for navigating church politics
• and more

Building a sustainable youth ministry is not easy, and it's not quick. But with commitment to the process, hard work and DeVries's guidance, you can put together a healthy youth ministry--one that fits your church and lasts for the long haul. Youth ministry can last. Here's how.

Review Quotes

"Sustainable Youth Ministry may be the closest thing to a gold mine for the encouragement that your youth leader needs. This is one resource that you should not go without, for you and your youth pastor."

--Worship Leader, May 2009

"DeVries offers a treasure of practical wisdom on the cultural and institutional prerequisites for youth ministry. This book should be required reading for any search committee that thinks it can solve all youth ministry problems with the next great hire. DeVries reveals how hard work, curiosity and hope make it possible to learn from inevitable failures."

--Fred Edie, Christian Century, May 3, 2011

"If you want to read a book that will challenge you to develop the gifts God has entrusted to you, whether you will be personally involved in ministry or not, you will find practical advice in it to help you and your church build a strong, sustainable youth ministry."

--Russ Laughlin, Ministry, July 2009

"In Sustainable Youth Ministry, Mark DeVries presents a systems approach to youth ministry. Too many churches focus on short-term numbers, which pushes them toward superstar youth pastors and amped-up programs. Sustainable youth ministry focuses on a leadership team that builds relationships among youth and between youth and the entire congregation. Before hiring a new youth minister, the pastor and board members should read this book."

--George P. Wood, AGThinkTank (agthinktank.com), March 2009

"Mark DeVries's Sustainable Youth Ministry may well be one of the most important books written on youth ministry in years. As the founder of Youth Ministry Architects, a coaching service for church leaders and youth ministers, DeVries has been allowed to develop and test the ideas he sets forth for the reader. 'Building Right' (Chapter 5) and 'Searching Right' (Chapter 7) are worth the price of the book alone."

--C. E. Moore, The Christian Manifesto (thechristianmanifesto.wordpress.com), December 31, 2009

"Not just for youth workers. An essential read for senior pastors, elders, deacons and search committees. Unless church leaders take seriously the wisdom and experience unleashed in this book they will continue to roll the dice in hope of landing on a sustainable youth ministry--this time around."

--Mark Cannister, YouthWorker Journal, May/June 2009

"Readers will find much practical information in this book."

--Rae McCartney, Congregations, Summer 2009

Every now and then a resource comes along that reshapes how we think about youth ministry. Mark's is exactly that kind of book. More than just a bunch of ideas that work; it's a combination of philosophy and ideology that will shape the future of your ministry. There's something for everyone in this fantastic read.

--The Journal of Student Ministries, Winter 2009

If you want to read a book that will challenge you to develop the gifts God has entrusted to you, whether you will be personally involved in youth ministry or not, you will find practical advice in it to help you and your church build a strong, sustainable youth ministry.

--Russ Laughlin, Ministry, July 2009

Until senior pastors and elders take the wisdom and experience unleashed in this book seriously, they will continue to roll the dice in hope of landing on a sustainable youth ministry.

--Mark Cannister, Youth Worker Journal, January/February 2010

About the Author

Mark DeVries is the founder of Youth Ministry Architects, a coaching service which has allowed him to develop and test the ideas in this book as he has worked together with church leaders and youth ministers. He also oversees the youth ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His books include Family-Based Youth Ministry.