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    Youth Ministry is Easy,.. and nine other lies
    Youth Ministry is Easy,.. and nine other lies
    Youth Ministry is Easy,.. and nine other lies
    Ebook90 pages1 hour

    Youth Ministry is Easy,.. and nine other lies

    By Aaron Shaver

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    About this ebook

    There are a number of common misconceptions or, more frankly, lies about youth ministry. During his years serving as a youth minister in several different churches, Aaron Shaver encounter a multitude of misconceptions, myths, un-truths, and outright lies about what a youth pastor is and does.

    Most of these myths and lies were never intentionally created by any one person, Aaron says. Rather, false assumptions and romanticized expectations from so many pastors, and so many would-be youth pastors, and so many parents, and so many teens,
    over so many years have created...well, so many lies. And most of us don’t realize we are all repeating these lies about this relatively new institution called ‘youth ministry.’
    In his book, "Youth Ministry is Easy, and nine other lies," Aaron attempts to clear the air and give youth pastors, adult volunteers, parents and anyone else with the desire to work in youth ministry an honest look at what they are getting themselves into.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWordCrafts Press
    Release dateJul 19, 2013
    ISBN9781301425839
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      Book preview

      Youth Ministry is Easy,.. and nine other lies - Aaron Shaver

      Youth Ministry Is Easy...and nine other lies is both practical and inspiring! Aaron Shaver writes with the wisdom of personal experience and the passion of divine calling. I hope this book finds its place in the hands of many a youth pastor and all those who love youth!

      Pastor Jim Thomas

      The Village Chapel

      Nashville, TN

      Aaron Shaver has brought together the wisdom of years of youth ministry, experienced for several different perspectives, and condensed it into this highly readable book. This is a sure footed guide. There is not a single misstep in his observations. Everything is solid and essential. Anyone interested in ministering to youth will find this an invaluable resource.

      Pastor Ronnie Meek

      Springhouse Worship and Arts Center

      Smyrna, TN

      Youth Ministry Is Easy

      ...and nine other lies

      by

      Aaron Shaver

      Published by WordCrafts Press at Smashwords

      Copyright © 2013 Aaron Shaver

      Cover art by Ted Woods

      Cover design & photography by David Warren

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      CONTENTS

      Introduction

      Youth Ministry Is Easy!

      Parents Are Your Worst Enemy

      You Can’t Expect Much from Teens

      Great Youth Pastors Go Solo

      Teens Hate Learning About the Bible

      Losing Cool Points with the Teens is Fatal

      Your Personal Spiritual Health Can Wait

      Bigger, Faster and Louder Equals Better

      Youth Ministry is Just a Stepping Stone to a Real Pastor’s Job

      Youth Ministry is a Failed Experiment

      Thanks

      To Elaina, my wife, who discovered that ministry would always be a part of our journey from the first day she met me. And, she still said, Yes.

      INTRODUCTION

      So here is how this book works. Each chapter heading is a common misconception about youth ministry.

      Or to be perfectly frank, a lie.

      I hope to debunk those lies and give you some tips that might help you to be a better minister, parent, youth worker or church member who wonders, What’s up with the kids these days?

      During my years serving as a youth minister in a variety of different churches - from small to large, fundamental to more, shall we say, expressive, - one thing has remained constant: there are plenty of misconceptions, myths, half-truths, un-truths and outright lies about what a youth pastor is, and what he or she is supposed to do.

      Most of these attitudes, misconceptions and... -alright, let’s just say it, lies - are not the result of some evil conspiracy. Nor are they the intentional manipulations of a single person. Instead, they are the natural outgrowth of preconceived notions, false assumptions and romanticized expectations of people who are already in professional ministry.

      And would-be youth pastors.

      And church members.

      And parents.

      And teens.

      Over the years these preconceived notions, false assumptions and romanticized expectations have taken on the weight of gravitas of age until they are accepted as Gospel. We have become so accustomed to the drone of the oft-repeated that we don’t realize we are all repeating the same lies about this relatively new institution we call Youth Ministry.¹

      This book is an attempt to clear the air and provide you - the youth pastor, adult volunteer, parent or anyone who desires to work in youth ministry - with an honest look at what you are getting yourself into.

      In this book, you will read anecdotes from my own personal experiences in youth ministry. But I’m not narcissistic enough to believe my experiences are the be-all-and-end-all of youth ministry. I also draw on the plethora of experience from a host of other youth pastors who were gracious enough to share some of the lessons they learned in the trenches.

      Before we get started, this is probably a good place to tell you what this book is not. It’s not a doctrinal thesis. You won’t find me musing over the finer points of God’s sovereignty versus man’s free will or pondering the merits of topical preaching versus exegetical preaching. Those are great discussions, to be sure, but there are plenty of fine books on those subjects written by people who are far better qualified to speak to those issues.

      What you will find are practical and applicable lessons for your ministry.

      You’ll discover tried-and-true tools and techniques that have already been used in the field by successful youth pastors. Maybe even better - we’ll tell you what didn’t work for us.

      Sure, you could learn it the hard way. There are still plenty of ditches out there for you to fall in. But the truth is, we’ll already stepped in those holes, and we’re happy to tell you where they are, so you can avoid them. Let’s face it, experience is a great teacher but failure is the most memorable.

      As you read this book, I think you’ll find your call to work with teens is much more challenging - and much more rewarding - than you anticipated.

      Let’s get started, shall we?

      LIE #1

      Youth Ministry Is Easy!

      You may have been shocked by the title of the book when you first picked it up. I certainly hope so. That was my intent.

      Shock is a perfectly understandable reaction to such an assertion, but the truth is, youth ministry is not easy. Youth ministry is hard work.

      Why would a youth minister tell other youth workers and potential youth workers that doing youth ministry is hard, you might wonder. That doesn’t sound very encouraging.

      Well, yes and no.

      No one, particularly those of us in the ministry, should hide from the truth. And the truth is, no one is encouraged by a lie.

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