Customer Reviews

Purpose-Driven® Youth Ministry

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an easy-to-read textbook on youth ministry by a proven professional. Drawing from the same principles as Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Church, Fields (who is Warren's youth pastor at Saddleback Community Church) gives the foundational principles for youth ministry, explaining the different stages of faith commitment in adolescents, and providing strategies for a complete youth ministry.
Good: This book is an easy read, and doesn't require theological or professional ministry experience to understand, and yet is thorough. Any person who has basic relational skills and a heart to reach kids will be set to go after reading this book.
Bad: Fields is constantly uses lists and acronyms to teach his points. Examples: the different stages of faith commitment (core, committed, congregation, crowd, and community); spiritual lifestyle H.A.B.I.T.S. (hang time with God, accountability with another believer, Bible memorization, involvement with the church body, tithing commitment, study of the scripture); his method for discovering spiritual gifts called S.H.A.P.E. (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences). A little of this goes a long way, and if you try to take it in too quickly it will fry your brain.
Opinion: This is the best book on youth ministry that I've read. Fields leaves no bases uncovered, from working with parents to handling discipline. I wish I had read this book before my first youth pastorate. It would have saved me many mistakes.
Best Quote: Two come to mind, but they're related to the same thing: "Leadership separates a purpose-driven youth ministry from an event-and-activity-driven youth ministry." The second one is this: "Better to have two high-standard student leaders than fifty students who want to plan activities while they live any lifestyle they please."

Doug does a great job with this book. It has extremely practical teaching that is easy to apply to any cultural ministry scenario that a youth pastor can face. The problem, however, is that I can design a great program that humms like a machine and sends a message, but that doesn't change a teenager's heart. While I know, first hand, that Doug's ministry has changed thousands of hearts, if not more, I feel that his book understates some important issues: 1) Prayer is the key to any ministry's survival. 2) The issue of shepherding (relationships built with staff, and youth is far more important that simply having an airtight mission statement etc. BOTTOM LINE- This book is a great tool, but not the end-all ministry guide that many have made it in to. I would love to see a sequal by Doug that delves deeper into issues of prayer and shepherding.

This book is a clearly written, organized and in-depth look at the foundations to youth ministry. The pillars of ministry are outlined and given in ways that can be applied to any ministry in any setting with proper leadership. Doug Fields is an experienced youth pastor with wisdom and knowledge which has spurred his ministry to dynamic growth. Why we do what we do, who we are trying to reach, how to best accomplish this, what we're trying to do, when to do it and where to do it is the general format of the book. The foundations laid out in this book, when applied to your ministry, will give you a base for growth and development. Keeping in mind that development is more important than growth. Drawing youth into a more personal and deeper relationship with God is the key to this book. A must read for every youth pastor, worker, volunteer and prospective leader.

I was required to read this for a class and did not anticipate it at all. I thought it would simply be filled with a planned out to-do-list on how to make a successful youth ministry. After reading Rick Warrens (the head pastor of Field's church) book, "The Purpose Driven Life," I thought I would find the same structure. I must say that I was rather surprised and pleased to find the opening chapter to focus on the true purpose of youth ministry. That is: it isn't a compitition for success. Nevertheless it was still proceeded by explanations of successful youth ministry strategies. Of course, the intentions of reading the book probably is to learn them. I was much more willing to listen after reading the first chapter. There are helpful strategies mentioned in the book but it is not the best youth min. book I have read. The biggest fault is that Fields use his church for examples of all ministry. I find a problem in this because not all ministry is alike.

Youth ministry is more than recreation. It is a way to reach out to the young generation and grow them in Christ through worship, outreach, ministry, fellowship, and recreation. It shows how to implement the full gospel of Christ into a teen in their formative years. Great job, Doug.

This book is a must for all beginning youth ministries. Especially if you were thrown into it out of another profession like I was! The book is short enough to read through in just a week. It is also set up in a very "reference friendly" format for return visits. There are countless examples of forms and teaching ideas. You simply cannot go wrong with it! Fields' insight into ministry is priceless! If you're a youth minister just starting out, buy this book. A good companion book for it is "Family-Based Youth Ministry" by DeVries. No youth minister's book shelf is complete without both of these books.

God bless your ministry!

I highly recommend Purpose Driven Youth Ministry for anyone involved with youth ministry, whether a full-time minister or a part-time volunteer. Although examples are geared more towards a large ministry, the principles can be applied to any size ministry. Get the book and enjoy learning more about winning and discipling youth for Christ!

This is one awesome book. Our youth ministry for a along time has been stuck in the rutt of program after program after program. This book helped us take a step back and look over our youth ministry. Now we are begining to see wonderful healthy changes in our kids and I thank God for Doug Feilds,and his book PDYM. Every youth pastor or worker needs to read it! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR MINISTRY!

This book is phenominal for taking ministry and breaking it down to it's essential parts; fellowship, worship, evangelism, discipleship, and ministry. It teaches that "Youth Ministry" is more then ministry to youth, rather it is youth in ministry.

If you haven't read this book, then you've got to grab it NOW. This is changing the way youth ministry is done. Practical principles for implementing real, life-changing ministry!