Family-Based Youth Ministry

Have you tried all the new youth programs? Have you planned one too many wacky activities? Are you frustrated about the size of the youth group? Here's an approach to ministry that takes youth work seriously.

Family-based youth ministry is about adults discipling teens one-on-one and in groups. It is about involving not just the nuclear family but the whole church family—from singles to older adults. More important, it's about incorporating youth into the life of your church.

So stop worrying about the size of your youth group or your budget. Mark DeVries's refreshing approach to youth ministry will show you how your church can reach today's teens and how you can keep them involved in the life of the church. Whether you are a parent, a youth pastor or a church member who cares about teens, you will find in this book an entirely different approach to youth ministry that will build mature Christian believers.

For everyone from youth pastors to discipleship and church growth coordinators, DeVries offers an approach to youth ministry that brings teens into one-to-one relationships with older Christians; involves the whole church family from singles to seniors; frees youth pastors and church leaders from worrying about attendance, budget and competition with other programs; and encourages and guides youth toward mature Christian commitment.

In a culture that worships youth even as it abandons its young, Family-Based Youth Ministry gets adults, families and congregations involved. This revised and updated edition continues to hold out its bold challenge: Young people belong in the life of their church, and the church belongs in the lives of its youth.

Mark DeVries (M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the founder of Youth Ministry Architects, a consulting team that assists churches in building sustainable youth ministries (www.ymarchitects.com).

DeVries has served since 1986 as associate pastor for youth and their families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He has trained youth workers on five continents and has taught courses or been a guest lecturer at a number of colleges and seminaries.

DeVries is the author of Family-Based Youth Ministry and coauthor of The Most Important Year in a Woman's Life/The Most Important Year in a Man's Life, and he has been a contributing writer for Josh McDowell's Youth Ministry Handbook, Starting Right and Reaching a Generation for Christ. In addition, his articles and reviews have been published in a variety of journals and magazines. He and his wife, Susan, have four grown children.