Jesus-Centered Youth Ministry

by Rick Lawrence

This book is for anyone who wants to renew the raw energy of Christ in his or her life, but it is written for youth pastors who have been at it awhile; who are ready to evaluate what they are doing...why they are doing it...and what impact their programs are having on youth. Readers will also find the results of exclusive research commissioned by Group magazine--thoughtfully explored by the editor of Group magazine. This research sheds light on how teenagers really feel about their faith...and how youth pastors really feel about their ministries.

Genres: Young Adult, Christian, Faith, Religion

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2007

About the author

Rick Lawrence is the long-time editor of GROUP magazine and co-leader of the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. He also speaks frequently for conferences and workshops, consults for national research organizations, and publishes prolifically—with 31 books (authored, coauthored or edited), hundreds of articles, and a small-group curriculum to his credit.

Reviews

[Sam Thrasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book and, upon finishing the first chapter, I was estatic. So much of what Lawrence said spoke to me. I wanted to know more about centering my youth ministry on Jesus, about putting Him front and center.

As you can probably guess from the three star rating, my excitement was short lived. It’s not that this is a bad book, I just found it very repetitive. Lawrence spends the first almost 100 pages of this 200~ page book simple restating the premise over and over again.

Not only that, but sometimes I found myself wondering if he was taking the premise a little too far. Yes we need Jesus, but if the story of Jesus was all we needed, than why didn’t God just give us the gospels? There’s room for discussion of the Holy Spirit, discipleship, prayer, etc. alongside our discussions of Jesus, and I feel like “bee lining”(a phrase from Spurgen that regularly comes up) every text to Jesus can lead to some cases of Eisegesis.

Overall, this is an ok book. It has some good ideas, neat practices, and a fantastic premise. It just stumbles a lot getting there at times

[Max · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful and out of touch

The author obviously has spent his life with children who were churched their entire lives. And he too was churched his entire life. It is my understanding that he cannot relate to those outside the church. And that's what we should be concentrating on, isn't it? I felt like I was reading a book written by Growing Pains guy. And any teenager I know would smell the phony 10 miles away.

[Matt Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tsk tsk I expected so much more. It came heavily recommended as part of my discipleship pastor duties include youth ministry. Warning the author is a product of Warren’s Saddleback church . He states the problem well enough: youth ministry does not communicate the biblical Christ. He says we need to follow the model of Spurgeon: make a beeline for the cross. But then he offers solutions that are no different that what produced the original premise.
Ugh... had promise but more of the same.

[Josh Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great lens to think about youth ministry through

This book was full of ideas for how to focus our youth ministry efforts on Jesus. I enjoyed that each chapter ended with an article by someone else on the topic.

[Andrew Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book together with the youth leaders at the church I pastor at. I’m glad I did. The basic premise of the book is what drew me and our youth leaders to it: Jesus is not to be taken “for granted” in youth ministry. Jesus Christ is not a “given,” and far too many students come out of youth group with an impoverished life with Christ as a result of that underlying assumption.

The two critical questions around which “Jesus-centered” youth ministry circulates are - Who do I say Jesus is? Who does Jesus say I am? I think this is a helpful way of thinking about it. We discover who Jesus is, and in so doing discover who we are. Youth ministry in this paradigm is less about “don’t have sex, don’t do drugs, don’t listen to rock and roll,” and more about teaching students to live into what is true of them in Christ.

I give three stars because many of the stories Lawrence tells as nauseatingly self-congratulatory. Some readers can work through those. I find it off putting. I’m much more inspired by stories of transformation in the life of students than I am stories of how impressive the author him or herself is.

[Joshua Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a good resource as it nears 15 years old. A bit redundant at times.

[Marci · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This book has sparked a revival of sorts in my life. A quest to know Jesus and him in his fullness. I am not a youth pastor, but this is one of the best books I have read in a long time about Christianity. The author Rick Lawerence is transparent and real as a writer, sharing his own discovery that Jesus wasn't the focus of his faith. Read it!

[Kyle Alt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has helped me set aside the distractions that I often substitute for Jesus when teaching or leading students in their faith journey. I expected this book to be overly simplistic. Instead, it's the most refreshing book on ministry I have read to date. I am blessed to have come across it.

[Bill Holbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great study / practical application of what Jesus can do with a ministry that is focused on Him. Great read for anyone who wants to get back to the "Why" in ministry...

[Mike Steinsdoerfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for people who minister to teenagers, or anyone of any age for that matter.

[Tyler Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Challenging for YMers to focus on whats most important.