In a straightforward way, simple student ministry- a clear process for strategic youth discipleship is a great read. The authors do a good job of pushing the concepts from co-author Eric Geiger’s earlier work, Simple Church down to a practical understanding and application.
The book lays out a simply process to help assist evaluation of a student ministry program in the local church. Its a reminding of the task Although the principles can be applied in any other ministry area its all about clarity, movement, alignment and focus.
Personally I was anxious to read and see how Geiger and Jeff Borton took the ideas and pushed them down, as that always seems to be the challenge. The last chapter on “transition to simple” is a clean and clear and offers a process that can begin to shape a ministry.
Nestled somewhere in the middle was a crucial reminder about our focus in ministry (student or otherwise). Looking at the life of John the baptist and being reminded that we “have been invited to be part of God’s mission of expanding His kingdom through the ministry to students. It is the greatest cause to join, the best battle to be in, and the greatest fight of your life. And the kingdom of God is not for the faint of heart. Forceful men lay hold of it (Matt 11:12). The mission requires our deep commitment because the stakes are so high. People’s eternal destiny hangs in the balance. The mission requires forceful focus.”
The above reminder is direction enough to look at what we’re doing as pastors and leaders…in any size or context of ministry to youth ”our calling is deeper than running programs to keep kids busy.”
The multitude of case studies, although not exhaustive, are useful to see how other churches – small, medium, large and multi-site are adopting the principles of a simple strategic process. A chapter on para-church groups is also useful.
I highly recommend you purchase the book, read it, study it, practice it, and purchase a copy for a friend(s).
For more information about the authors –
Eric Geiger blog
Jeff Borton blog twitter: @jeffborton