Sustainable Youth Ministry: Why Most Youth Ministry Doesn't Last and What Your Church Can Do About It (Paperback)

~ Mark Devries (Author)
Key Phrases: youth staff person, visioning documents, new youth director, Changing Culture, Searching Right, Building Right (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"How can I adequately describe the credibility, wisdom and authenticity that Mark DeVries brings to the table in his new book? Sustainable Youth Ministry is the byproduct of his decades of fruitful, Christ-honoring ministry. Like few people I know, Mark has the experience and perspective to deeply impact anyone serious about youth ministry. Even more pivotal, Mark is honestly one of the most authentic and refreshing Christians I have met in a long time. So grab a good cup of coffee and start reading!" -- --Jeanne Mayo, president, Youth Leader's Coach, speaker and author

"How can I adequately describe the credibility, wisdom and authenticity that Mark DeVries brings to the table in his new book? Sustainable Youth Ministry is the byproduct of his decades of fruitful, Christ-honoring ministry. Like few people I know, Mark has the experience and perspective to deeply impact anyone serious about youth ministry. Even more pivotal, Mark is honestly one of the most authentic and refreshing Christians I have met in a long time. So grab a good cup of coffee and start reading!" ----Jeanne Mayo, president, Youth Leader's Coach, speaker and author

"This is the youth ministry book we've all been waiting for. With wit and wisdom, Mark DeVries draws from a deep well of experience as both a youth pastor and youth ministry consultant to teach us how to build the 'dance floor' that will not only keep our youth ministries alive but help them to flourish. This is a hopeful, optimistic book that should be read by anyone who cares about youth ministry in the local church." --Wayne Rice, cofounder, Youth Specialties and author of Understanding Your Teenager

"Youth ministry is an all-church endeavor from start to finish. Sadly, most of our churches don't start with this understanding. The end result is a 'finish' that's far too often less than desirable. Mark DeVries offers a timely and practical challenge to the entire church--pastor, search committee and youth worker--that will foster an intentionality which brings great long-term dividends in a strong finish marked by spiritual maturity and kingdom growth." --Walt Mueller, president, Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, and author of Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture

Review

"This is the youth ministry book we've all been waiting for. With wit and wisdom, Mark DeVries draws from a deep well of experience as both a youth pastor and youth ministry consultant to teach us how to build the 'dance floor' that will not only keep our youth ministries alive but help them to flourish. This is a hopeful, optimistic book that should be read by anyone who cares about youth ministry in the local church."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Intervarsity Press (December 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830833617
• ISBN-13: 978-0830833610
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,248 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sustainable Youth Ministry, November 20, 2008

By	J. Dieringer "Aaron D" (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm glad to give a very positive review of this resource. I've been impressed by the depth of Mark Devries experience at auditing and advising youth ministries ever since I attended his workshop at the 2008 National Youth Ministry Conference where he whetted my appetite with memorable material from this book such as 'Eat that Frog' and 'Juggling Monkeys.'
Devries has written this book not only to full-time youth ministers (like me) but to lay-leaders, senior pastors, search committee members, and parents of youth. He outlines the nitty-gritty work of 'building the dance floor' that must happen for a youth ministry to grow, remain healthy, and out-last its current leaders. Devries includes valuable statistical information related to budgeting, salaries, and polls. In a nutshell, every chapter contains trial-proven strategies that benefits the building of a healthy youth ministry. There are no trends or easy formulas here, only practical guidelines for implementation. This resource will guide my volunteer training meetings from now through the foreseeable future. I have already recommended that my local association purchase and gift this book to all of the local churches to read, keep, and follow, and I recommend this recommendation to you, too!
Aaron D. Honolulu, HI

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Youth Ministry Needs, October 24, 2008

By	J. DeJong (Belleville, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mark DeVries uses real experiences and stories to explain what it takes to have a successful and sustainable youth ministry. This is an essential book for any youth minister, not just for the bookshelf but to be worn out, read through, and implemented. No matter what kind of church you are in, your youth ministry could benefit from the wisdom found in Sustainable Youth Ministry.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DeVries' Book is Both Empathetic Hug and Kick in the Pants., March 11, 2009

By	Daniel P. Strandlund "I'm Huge on Facebook" (The Dirty Dirty South) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a paid youth minister in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, and I've been doing youth ministry of one kind or another for a couple years (including the infamous "camp counsellor" position). Lots of my friends are youth ministers, or are involved in ministry in one way or another, and our Diocesan coordinator gave us all a copy of this book. The following is a copy of a message I sent out to our friends after reading DeVries' book.

"Dear Yute Minister Types,

...I'm just writing to STRONGLY encourage you all to read _Sustainable Youth Ministry_ by Mark Devries...if you haven't already. I'm about 2/3 of the way through it, and other than the knowledge that Jesus loves me even when I screw up, this might be the single most important thing I've ever read/heard in furthering my ability to minister to people. It's honest, to the point, empowering in a very practical way, and creates a vision of what a healthy youth program is/can be that is bigger than the one I've always had, I think. It's also called me out on one of my bigger shortcomings as a youth minister, which is my tendency to create myself as a "victim" of church politics, poor volunteer turnouts, etc., and using that as an excuse whenever I need to. Anyway, I can't recommend this book enough, and we should probably all buy copies for all of our clergy AND another one to make available to parents. AND I think it's a good thing for the Episcopal Diocese in AL to read anyway since generally our view of youth ministry is to vamp young, able-bodied and enthusiastic people of their energy for 18 months or so until they're all used up and quit, and then hire somebody else.

Plus, the book has this really fun analogy about having to 'eat that frog' that is both entertaining and to the point."

So, if you're involved in youth ministry or are thinking about it, if you're a senior or associate priest/pastor at a church that has or wants to have a youth program, if you're a volunteer in a youth program (but not necessarily if you're a volunteer firefighter), or if you've ever thought about having kids who are involved in a youth program, first I'd recommend reading the Gospels, but after that, pick up this book. And if you have time, reading _Where the Wild Things Are_ would be a good idea, too.

The End. Love Daniel.