Customer Reviews

The Slow Fade: Why You Matter in the Story of Twentysomethings (The Orange Series)

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"The Slow Fade" asks an intriguing question for those familiar with the typical church...has a significant error been made in terms of discipleship for young adults? I think it's safe to say that most churches focus on ministering to the following groups: children, youth, and adults (men/women). But with alarming stats coming in about the number of college students and young 20somethings leaving the church, Reggie Joiner, Chuck Bomar, and Abbie Smith seek to open our eyes to this neglected demographic. To rescue them from "The Slow Fade" out of the church.

I found "The Slow Fade" to be a compelling mix of challenging concepts with nice, simple practicality. The book isn't confined to a philosophy of ministry to college students, it gives real easy steps and tools that can be used to connect with college students and invest in their lives effectively. The book strips away the mystique that some might have with "ministry" - it can be as simple as just taking initiative and intentionally growing a relationship.

It's not all-encompassing, but this is still a helpful resource for those interested in starting and/or empowering others to connect with students in a pivotal stage of life.

This book spoke truth about the most effective ways to work with 20 somethings and help connect them to the body of Christ, personally. The slow fade is happening all around us, yet all of us can have an impact in changing it. They don't need large programs or charismatic speakers, they need real people who love Christ, care about them and love them enough to not try and fix them, but to do life with them. I hope this book encourages you as it did me, that we all can have an impact on the 20 somethings one relationship at a time. Great book! Thank you to Reggie, Chuck, and Abbie for valuing college-age individuals and for taking the time to equip members of the body of Christ to do the same.

I work in Collegiate Ministry and this book was a real eye-opener. The very first story set the tone for how we need to approach this generation in new and different ways. The authors have laid things out in a way that makes reaching college students and 20-something seem not only doable but necessary!

This is an excellent book for those who are interested in reaching the young age group(20 to 30 years) for the Lord. It is a guide for carrying out Titus 2
where it says for the old to teach the young.

If you care about the young adult/college age population in your church (or leaving your church/away from it), this is book that helps to understand the importance keeping them connected during those formative years. Our young adult ministry staff read it and use it as a base for our mentoring program.

The Slow Fade: Why You Matter in the Story of Twentysomethings (The Orange Series) comes from three authors with very different perspectives. Reggie Joiner has been on staff at Northpoint Community Church and now directs the reThink Group which provides resources for Children's and Student Ministries and leads the Orange Conferences. Joiner also has four children in or approaching their twenties. Chuck Bomar has led student and university ministries and founded Colossae in Portland, Oregon. Abbie Smith is a recent seminary graduate. The goal of these authors is to encourage churches to deal with the problem of twenty-somethings walking away from church and often away from faith in Jesus. This is the slow fade.

They argue that many churches have made graduation from high school a sort of finish line, but college age men and women are often left with few resources to continue their growth in faith. Pushing that finish line back to 21 and/or college graduation is a first step in ministering to this group so often ignored by the church. The best method for reaching this group is not another church program. These authors argue that relationships with other Christians are the key. While they are not fully comfortable with the word "mentor" in this kind of ministry, it communicates at least part of what they want to accomplish. Interaction between older Christians (read "not twenty-somethings") and younger Christians along with those considering a relationship with Jesus is the best path to ministry with this group. They point out that this interaction is beneficial for both groups and the church.

When I ordered this book, I was expecting five steps to college ministry. I was pleasantly surprised with a fresh, simple approach that could be effective in virtually any size church. I am looking forward to putting some of this into practice.

The Slow Fade addresses the very important reality that most of our church-going young people will stop going to church in college, and advises mature believers about how to stop the exodus. Positively, this team of writers encourages every adult to "get passionate about investing in one person." Negatively, Slow Fade enthusiastically promotes a "God who loves them, is for them, and died for them, but that much else about God is beyond our capacity to know."

The truth is that we know plenty about God; He wrote a book! Strong on the need to build relationships but weak on the need to infuse those relationship with person of Christ, Slow Fade misses the mark. Other than providing some ice-breaker ideas for those beyond the twentysomething age bracket, Slow Fade offers little toward stopping the exodus. If you can only read one book this month I don't recommend Slow Fade.