Surviving And Thriving In The Mad House Of Youth Ministry

What this book is not: You won’t find Bible verses and theological statements. It isn’t filled with game ideas or club topics. What this book will offer you: 40 years of timeless lessons learned by real live youth leaders. You’ll read topics like these: 1. How to figure out if youth ministry is actually your calling 2. Insights for your spouse 3. How to turn what you thought were weaknesses into strengths 4. How to motivate teens in your group 5. How to make sure you are getting your value from the right things 6. Good ways to recruit and maintain quality volunteer leaders 7. How to avoid burn out in ministry 8. The importance of holding your ground on issues 9. Understanding the human nature of teenagers 10. The importance of knowing your own limits 11. How to know if or when you’re too old for ministry 12. Keeping true to ministry as culture changes 13. “I don’t know” can be a ministry opportunity 14. How to connect with that trouble maker student 15. Why little old ladies can break the stereotypical youth volunteer mold......and MORE!

It’s more common in youth ministry than we want to admit—burnout and failure. Exhaustion, frustration, disappointment, and conflict bring many youth workers to a point where they either choose a new church, a new career, or someone makes that choice for them. After thirty years of youth ministry experience, Len Kageler wants to help youth workers avoid the pitfalls that are common to their calling, and give them the tools to not only survive, but also to thrive in youth ministry. Along with his own wisdom, Len offers insights gained from his 2006 survey of more than 300 burned out or fired youth workers who come from a variety of ministry contexts and denominations. If you’re new to youth ministry, or you’ve been at it for a while and feel like you may be on the verge of burnout, The Youth Ministry Survival Guide will help you: • deal with conflict and compromise • determine the causes of burnout (and how to avoid them!) • discover how your personality, and the personality of those you work with, affects the dynamics of your ministry experience • develop the best plan for working with senior pastors, church leadership, parents, and students, so you can… • do youth ministry in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond! Don’t let burnout force you out! Inside this book you’ll find steps you can take to help build fences against failure, and you’ll learn what it takes to survive and thrive in youth ministry.

Follow God's process for growth and find hope in life's darkest moments with Bishop T.D. Jakes's uplifting stories and advice from his own faith journey. In this insightful book, #1 New York Times bestselling author T.D. Jakes wrestles with age-old questions: Why do the righteous suffer? Where is God in all the injustice? Bishop Jakes tells crushing personal stories from his own journey -- the painful experience of learning his young teenage daughter was pregnant, the agony of watching his mother succumb to Alzheimer's, and the shock and helplessness he felt when his son had a heart attack. Bishop Jakes wants to show you how God uses difficult, crushing experiences to prepare you for unexpected blessings. If you are faithful through suffering, you will be surprised by God's joy, comforted by His peace, and fulfilled with His purpose. Crushing will inspire you to have hope, even in your most difficult moments. If you trust in God and lean on Him during setbacks, He will lead you through.

A survey of life on the nation's campuses offers detailed profiles of the best colleges and rankings of colleges in sixty-two different categories, along with a wealth of information and applications tips.

Includes music.