Growing Young by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder and Brad Griffen

Who should read it

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Related resource

Growing Young is a broadly accessible book that will benefit youth ministers, youth ministry leaders and church leaders.

Building resilient faith in young people

What practices lead to thriving faith in young people after adolescence?

This resource from Youthworks’ Ministry Support team reviews all the latest thinking on how to build lasting faith in young people under God.

Free Download

Why

How can a church Grow young not old? What can churches do to help young people passionately connect with God through a faith community? These are the questions Growing Young, from the Fuller Youth Institute, explores by researching churches in the USA where the average median age of the church is dropping, not increasing. Their research discovered 6 priorities that are common in churches who are growing young. Each priority is analysed and then a variety of actions are explored. It offers up-to-date information and interpretation on how churches are engaging young people well, and it’s full of suggestions from those findings. Each chapter ends with pages of “Ideas for Action” and tools to gauge the health of your church in its efforts to grow young. Whilst it does not offer a rigorous theological or Biblical defence of each priority, the book functions well as a discussion starter for those who want to engage young people in their church.

Publisher
Grand Rapids: Baker, 2016

Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry by Michael McGarry

Who should read it

This book is designed for those who want to approach youth ministry from a biblical foundation. It presents a fairly comprehensive overview of the biblical and historical material regarding young people and their place amongst the people of God.

Why

Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry gives an overview of where and how ministry to young people has featured in the life of the people of God. It presents Five Pillars of Gospel Centred Youth Ministry which outline how the gospel shapes youth ministry. McGarry starts by outlining what he considers to be three foundational problems facing modern youth ministry - the dropout rate, the influence on teenagers that the broader culture of apathy towards Christianity has, and the fragmentation of youth ministry, family and church.

He then sets out on a tour of the Old and New Testaments, as well as church history and theology to show how God's people have traditionally approached ministry to young people. McGarry then outlines his 'Five Pillars of Gospel-Centred Youth Ministry':

1) gospel centrality

2) theological depth through expository, biblical teaching

3) relational discipleship

4) partnership with parents

5) intergenerational integration.

The book concludes with McGarry suggesting that given the transient nature of youth ministry, the nature of the Church and the biblical mandate for parents to have the primary role of discipleship, the place of youth ministry is to act as a bridge between the church and the home.

Publisher

Randall House Publications, 2019

Adoptive Church by Chap Clark

Who should read it

If you're wanting to do some deep thinking about bringing youth ministry and the church together, I highly recommend this book.

Why

Adoptive youth ministry? What does that mean? Well according to Chap Clark in his 2018 book, the goal of Adoptive youth ministry is "To create an environment where young people are encouraged to live into their calling in Christ as agents of the kingdom within the household of God" (p60). Clark recognises three crises facing youth ministry today: 1. The church is losing young people, 2. Culture is increasingly secular, 3. Young people are hurting more than we realise. In the face of these crises, Clark argues that the whole church must be part of the answer. No matter how great your evangelism programs, or how compelling your ongoing discipleship, if young people can't find meaningful belonging in the household of God, flourishing in faith is an uphill battle. It is within a family of older and younger siblings in Christ where young people are encouraged to become who they already are in Christ, nurtured in their faith, valued in their contribution that they "live into" long lasting discipleship.

Publisher

Baker Academic, 2018

InterGenerate by Holly Catterton Allen

Who should read it

Useful for church leaders and senior staff that are looking to understand Intergenerational Ministry and begin to imagine what it may look like in their local context.

Why

InterGenerate is a wide selection of articles, essays and stories that present the case for Intergenerational Ministry. The authors come from a broad range of theological and ecclesiological traditions. However, the discerning reader will find value in the perspectives given, which flesh out the principles and possible practice of Intergenerational Ministry in the local church.

Publisher

Abilene Christian University Press, 2018