REVIEW: Seven Myths Of Youth Ministry…
I often think that reading a good book is all about timing. If the book covers a particular topic or theme that is relevant to your current situation then it can have far more impact and significance than it would otherwise have achieved. This is true for ‘Seven Myths of Youth Ministry: How To Re-ignite Your Passion‘ by Nigel James (with Gary Smith), because I am currently thinking through my own approach to youth ministry and the book raises some valuable points.
To its credit, it is an easy-to-read and straightforward book that approaches some of the issues within youth ministry in a refreshingly honest and no-nonsense way. Unsurprisingly, it focuses on seven ‘myths’ that seem to have arisen within the field of church youth work and tackles each one seperately in bite-size chunks that explain the concepts well before offering possible solutions or biblical perspectives. The seven myths covered are:
- We really make a difference in our one hour a week
- Size isn’t important
- We don’t preach – we are just sowing the seeds
- You have to ask them what they want
- Young People lack commitment
- Young people are the future of the church
- We aren’t in the entertainment business
Personally I found very little fault with the content here; it is well presented, it got me thinking and has even prompted me to make some changes in my own work. However my big criticism is that the book doesn’t actually expel any myths, rather it gives seven practical tips for what the authors believe should be part of effective youth ministry (In my view, the whole ‘myth’ approach seems to be more about giving the book an angle and catchy title). As it turns out though this isn’t actually a hindrance to what the book is saying, it just confuses how you initially approach it.
In all, this book is a helpful little tool for youth ministers and workers to quickly remind themselves of some important approaches and attitudes in their work. Worth a quick read.
