Youth Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry

by Houston Heflin

A youth pastor―whether paid or unpaid, full-time or part-time, right out of college or right out of retirement―has a big job to do. Actually, anyone who accepts God's call to help young people grow as disciples of Christ has several big jobs to do. The youth minister must be a teacher who can communicate the essentials of the faith; a friend who can listen to and be present with young people; a prophet who challenges teens to live lives of justice and righteousness; and an administrator who can manage the day-to-day logistics of youth ministry.

Youth The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry provides a biblical and theological grounding for the many jobs a youth minister does, explains what each of these jobs entails, and helps youth pastors identify where their gifts lie and where they still need to grow. Whether you are a first-time youth minister or a seasoned youth ministry veteran, Youth Pastor gives you valuable tools for evaluating your ministry and vocation. It also serves as an excellent text for undergraduate courses in youth ministry.
Table of


Introduction
Chapter 1 Becoming All Things in Ministry
Chapter 2 Discipling Teacher
Chapter 3 Evangelistic Missionary
Chapter 4 Pastoral Shepherd 
Chapter 5 Organized Administrator
Chapter 6 Bold Prophet
Chapter 7 Compassionate Priest 
Chapter 8 Spiritual Friend
Chapter 9 Equipping Recruiter
Chapter 10 Visionary Leader
Chapter 11 Faithful Teammate
Chapter 12 Discover Your Ministry Style
Character and Competence in Ministry
Youth Ministry Role Inventory

Genres: Theology

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The word "theology" in the title is pretty generous. Not very deep, but worth the references.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heflin presents the work of the youth minister in five pairs of roles a youth minister must play. Each pair includes tension. Am I primarily an evangelist with lost youth or a discipler or Christian youth? Am I primarily a spiritual friend to hurting teenagers or an equipping recruiter of adults who will invest in teenagers? Of course, the answer to each question is Yes. The youth minister is all of that. The book is a great addition to the literature available for those who are called to be youth ministers.

[Daryl Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heflin makes some interesting observations on five dichotomies of youth ministry. Over simplified, they deal mainly with use of time. Does the youth ministry spend time with prospects or members, with students or leaders, with people or in administration, leader or training other leaders, and being a priest (taking the people to God) or a prophet (taking God to the people).

[Jarrid Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some convicting things that remind us of areas where we need to focus on growth and get help. Great use of Scripture and biblical narrative to explain principles. Overall nothing groundbreaking or new. Concise (150+ page) job description for a youth minister and youth ministry team.

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for any youth minister who is willing to asses to assess their own strengths and weaknesses and then identify people to help do ministry collaboratively.