Raising the Bar: Ministry to Youth in the New Millennium

by Alvin L. Reid

"We know how to be teenagers. We want [the church] to show us how to be adults." --Kristin, aged 17

Two-thirds of today's teens are interested in having a meaningful relationship with God, yet less than one-third of them are active in a local church. Alvin Reid--an experienced pastor, professor, evangelist, and youth ministry speaker--suggests these statistics are more an indictment of the way the church does youth ministry than of the teens they try to reach.

Today's generation of teens, the Millennial generation, is marked by teamwork, authenticity, and a "can-do" attitude. They are much more than kids finishing childhood--a perspective many in the church have and that drives what often happens in youth group--they are young adults with incredible potential who need to learn how to be Christian adults. This compelling book provides an impassioned plea for the church to set a higher standard; to reinvent the fundamental ways we have ministered to teens and their families. Author is a recognized authority and sought-after speaker on youth ministryViews teens positively, but not naivelyEncourages and shows youth ministers and workers how to have a biblically successful ministryWritten with passion and expert knowledge

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2004

About the author

DR. ALVIN L. REID, best known for his student-given nickname “Doc,” has been a professor for over 20 years, over 17 of them spent at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

He has written over a dozen books, most on subjects like evangelism, spiritual awakenings, missional Christianity, and student ministry, and has taught young leaders on four continents and on scores of college campuses from the University of North Carolina to Harvard.

Reviews

[Miguel Benitez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very dated as it was published in 2004. 2004 was the year I graduated high school. It is interesting to read his predictions of the millennials, many of which were quite wrong.

This book was recommended to me, by a trusted source, but it is also my understanding that Reid had a moral failure and left the ministry.

So, why 3 stars? I think back to the context Reid was writing in and I think his critique was a needed one. In some ways he fell short, not recognizing the shortcomings of the purity culture, and pushing for greater biblical and theological literacy but not offering a lot of theological depth in the book itself. Yet, is overall thesis, that we should treat teens with greater respect and expectation in the church, I think is correct even to this day.

[Ryan Lovelace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good concepts, very dated now

[Daryl Watts · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me a couple of years ago by Alan Jackson, a youth ministry professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (not the county music artist).

Admittedly, I read the book a full four years after it was published, so I might be a little harsh when I say that much of the book is already a little outdated or at least not new. Reid says little that hasn't been said several times already.
His general premise is that current youth ministry is too much fun and games and not concerned enough with the spiritual maturity of teens. I wholeheartedly agree. I am associated with about 2,000 churches in California and work directly is about two dozen youth ministries each year. I more often see ministries that set the bar too low.

Reid also makes a strong case for the formal education of youth ministers. He rightly says that many youth ministers learned youth ministry from other youth ministers who learned it from their youth ministers. In other words, youth ministers who don’t have formal training will tend to duplicate the youth ministry they grew up with. I would add that youth ministers who have a senior pastor who mentors them also get mentoring based on an older, outdated form of youth ministry that their senior pastor used when he was a youth minister in his early years.

So, do I recommend the book? Yes, especially if one is looking for help in encouraging an youth ministry to move from fun and games to spiritual formation. But, if one has much background in formal student ministry or has done much reading on the subject, it might be a waste of time. The book is a great secondary source for an introduction to student ministry class.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premise is that we far underestimate the capacity of teenagers, treating them more like overgrown children than as burgeoning adults.

[Andy Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

keep the standards high for youth, they can do it... encourage them to go higher for God...