“Perhaps the biggest issue facing the church today may be our lack of preparing the next generation to be people of influence.”
“My experience has shown me that typical youth ministries are giving our kids short devotionals instead of the life-changing meat of God’s Word. Many, many students are indicating that the church is not relevant and that they do not feel prepared to face a life of adulthood as a solid and sound follower of Christ. It’s time to quit running youth programs and instead build ministries that are producing God-honoring spiritual leaders.”
Just a few months ago Mike Calhoun and I released our second anthology of youth ministry The Greenhouse Project: Cultivating Students of Influence – which leading youth ministry experts from across the country are describing as a call to “intentional ministry that is focused on life-change!"
This important new book is now available from Vision For Youth (http://www.visionforyouth.com/) for only $15.99 (postage included!). It contains key chapters from several leading voices of youth ministry from around the country who represent a strong local church and Bible-believing perspective of youth ministry, including: Glenn Amos from Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, PA; Tim Ahlgrim & Cheryl Fawcett representing Vision For Youth; Ken Rudolph (well-known speaker in Empire State churches) from Lake Ann Camp; and a host of other renowned youth ministry specialists such as: Greg Stier, Jay Strack, Steve Vandegriff, Ed Lewis, and more.
Mike and I have collected a series of significant chapters in The Greenhouse Project to adequately address this important church-wide issue of developing student leaders. As the introduction of the book states they selected the analogy of a greenhouse for the title because, “The basic purpose of a greenhouse is to prepare plants for life outside of the greenhouse. Plants are given food, water, sunshine and heat to grow enough so that they can survive and thrive outside of the greenhouse. We realize that like any analogy, our comparison between church youth ministry and greenhouses will undoubtedly break down somewhere along the line. But, the basic illustration is sound. The greenhouse is not the end result. It is a place of growth and maturity. It is a place of safety and security. The ultimate objective of a greenhouse is for the plants to make it outside of the environment inside. Life outside is the goal. A lifetime of strength and maturity is the objective.”
Readers will certainly appreciate the analogy of a greenhouse. Churches must be about the grand task of developing people with the spiritual maturity to go on for God. We want our young people to grow up strong – strong enough to live for God as adults, long after they graduate from high school.
This new book is must reading for all church leaders – not just youth workers. Our churches must refocus our attention on implementing Biblical principles into the fabric of our ministries. It’s not about programming – it must be about “cultivating people of influence.” This book will show you how it’s done. Order your copy today from: http://www.visionforyouth.com/. (Your purchase of the book directly from VFY helps support our ministry of training and encouraging youth workers & students for effective ministry.) The VFY mailing address is: PO Box 501; Chinchilla, PA 18410.
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