The Youth Minister S Survival Guide

This wonderful and easy read helps new and future youth workers set patterns in life and ministry that will keep them whole and healthy, and away from burnout.

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.

Ever wonder why the average career in youth ministry is so short-lived? Its not because the youth minister grows up into real ministry. Too often, it is becausewithout adequate boundariesthe youth minister is swept away, burned out, or chewed up. From someone that has been there, author Joel Lund brings the ultimate guide for a healthier ministry and a healthier you.

Youth Ministry Bi-Vocational Survival Guide is written specifically for the bi-vocational pastor and is chock-full of nuggets of gold. Authors Rick Flann and Chris Pope explain how to manage time well, prioritize effectively and lead in a way that empowers both the bi-vocational pastor and those they lead and care for on a daily basis. The Apostle Paul, a tent maker, was one of the greatest people ever to walk the face of this earth. He knew what his mission was and he was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish the task that God had set before him. Paul was bi-vocational. He proclaimed the Gospel, planted churches and pastored people, yet he never demanded his right to a paycheck from the church (1 Cor 9:12). Maybe you are a modern day tent maker, but unlike the Apostle Paul who always seemed to come out on top as a spiritual super star, you are sinking under the pressures of multiple jobs (both inside and outside of the church), school, family, or countless other obligations that you face each and every day. Take courage and know that you are not alone! The Youth Ministry Bi-Vocational Survival Guide was developed especially with you in mind, to enable you to succeed and still minster effectively to those you are leading.

A Survival Guide to Working with Students in PainThis book provides a wide range of appropriate interventions and fundamental people-helping skills, as well as critical help for youth workers to recognize their limitations and learn the principles of effective referral. This practical and informative book is essential for any untrained youth worker, and will be a vital tool for any youth pastor to share with their staff.

Youth Ministry Bi-Vocational Survival Guide is written specifically for the bi-vocational pastor and is chock-full of nuggets of gold. Authors Rick Flann and Chris Pope explain how to manage time well, prioritize effectively and lead in a way that empowers both the bi-vocational pastor and those they lead and care for on a daily basis. The Apostle Paul, a tent maker, was one of the greatest people ever to walk the face of this earth. He knew what his mission was and he was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish the task that God had set before him. Paul was bi-vocational. He proclaimed the Gospel, planted churches and pastored people, yet he never demanded his right to a paycheck from the church (1 Cor 9:12). Maybe you are a modern day tent maker, but unlike the Apostle Paul who always seemed to come out on top as a spiritual super star, you are sinking under the pressures of multiple jobs (both inside and outside of the church), school, family, or countless other obligations that you face each and every day. Take courage and know that you are not alone! The Youth Ministry Bi-Vocational Survival Guide was developed especially with you in mind, to enable you to succeed and still minster effectively to those you are leading.

So you are a Youth Pastor or Youth Worker, and someone dies. It could be the grandparent, or parent of a youth in your ministry. Or it could be a youth in your youth who is killed in a terrible accident, or it could be a student in a local high school or middle school. How will you respond to help the families, the individuals in your youth group or the youth in the local high school? Could it be that God has put you in the situation for a divine purpose? I think that is why you are reading this now. I don’t believe in accidents. I’d venture to guess that there is a reason behind why you are reading this even now! This is not the typical book for a youth pastor. But this book is about real life problems that happen everyday and in some way affects many of the youth in your group and could be a way to come to know others deeply in a matter of hours.

A much needed source of information and Biblical solutions for dealing with the struggles and pitfalls of urban youth ministry--peer pressure, street violence, sexual activity, drug abuse, and more.