Changing the world through effective youth ministry

Author

Ken Moser

Who should read it

Youth ministers and anyone interested in understanding the foundations of church-based youth ministry.

Why

Changing the world through effective youth ministry is for people who need concrete help with organisation and management of a church-based youth group.

In his book, Moser outlines a strategy for a discipleship model of youth ministry and provides tips for constructing a youth ministry program which aims for and achieves effective discipleship of young people.

Moser argues that churches and youth ministry workers ought not be too focused on seeing hundreds of young people coming to youth group simply for a great time, but rather that their youth ministry programs would be geared towards the effective discipleship of young people as they engage with God through His word.

This book seeks to reconfigure an ‘attraction first (through fun activities), Christian content second’ approach to youth ministry, to ‘one that is committed to building strong Christians and then reaching their non-Christian friends through them. ‘ (pp.7-8).

This model involves a three-part strategy which Moser calls ‘Building… Reaching…. Flowing’ (p.32). The first priority is to build those in your group into strong disciples of Jesus. These disciples form a strong base of believers who will then reach out to their non-Christian friends who are become disciples of Jesus too. Together young people are a part of an intentional discipleship system which is structured to flow into progressive stages of discipleship as the young people grow older and more mature in the faith.

Publisher

Aquilla Press, Sydney, 2000