Book Review: Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry: A Practical Guide
In my job to teach future youth ministers, I come across a myriad of different youth ministry resources. The majority focus on the practical: how to equip volunteers, how to organize amazing lock-ins, etc. In their own right, these books are often very helpful. However, a variety of these books focus on the theological side. These often offer helpful, theological principles for ministry, but they often fail to lead the reader into a helpful ministry practice. As you might guess, theology and practicality can often occupy two ends of the spectrum where youth ministry philosophy is concerned. Thus, finding a book that combines these vital elements of ministry is a rare treasure for those working specifically with youth.
In Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry we find such a book. The authors have offered a careful, practical guide for youth ministry, while concurrently beginning where Scripture starts: theological truth. This book is a collaborative effort, tallying a total of 14 different contributors, and includes two editors, Cameron Cole and Joe Nielson. Cole is the director of youth ministries at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama and also the chairman of Rooted Ministries, a youth ministry organization that hosts both a resource blog and conference.[1] Nielson is the ministry director for Christian Union at Princeton University. He formerly served as the college pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Nielson is currently completing his Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). He has authored two books: Bible Study: A Student’s Guide and The Story: God’s Grand Narrative of Redemption.[2]
The purpose of Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry is clear. In the author’s own words, “This book champions the gospel as the core of effective youth ministry. It argues that the message and reality of Christ’s victory over sin and death should permeate every single facet of ministry to young people.” Furthermore, it seeks to show “. . . how the gospel relates to the major categories of youth ministry”.[3] This purpose drives the organization of the text.
Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry is separated into three major sections: Foundations, Practical Applications, and The Fruit of a Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry. These sections thoughtfully build upon each other. Rightfully so, the first section, and each of its chapters, discusses the seven facets—as proposed by the authors—to a Gospel-centered foundation: (1) Gospel centrality, (2) discipleship, (3) expository teaching, (4) relationships, (5) community, (6) partnering with parents and (7) generational integration. Section two discusses four practical elements of youth ministry, each receiving its own chapter. These include Bible study, volunteer training, music, and retreats/events. Making up the third section are three chapters centering on arenas in which students can “bear fruit”: evangelism, serving the poor, and short-term missions trips. Finally, chapters are structured much in the same manner as the book—having equal parts theology and practicality. Each chapter begins with a theological proposal of the chapter’s subject matter, discussing how the theological principle might be integrated into youth ministry and ends with practical considerations for youth ministry.
As is the case with any book that is a collaboration of writers, the quality of writing varies throughout the book. While the overall quality of the volume is high, some chapters, and thus authors, stand out amid the others. This is especially true of the first and most foundational chapter by Cameron Cole: “The Gospel at the Heart of All Things.” In this forceful chapter, Cole contends that teenagers’ struggles (and answers) are those not only shared by all of humanity today, but also those addressed in the opening chapters of Genesis. He concisely argues that the most important thing a youth minister can possess is an accurate appraisal of these fundamental problems: a wrong source of truth, a wrong view of self, and a wrong view of God.[4] He maintains that students have the same spiritual problems and the same glorious solution that our original parents had. Cole grounds these in the fall narrative and within redemptive history. And he wonderfully demonstrates that a ministry based in and centered around the Gospel is the sole solution to these original dilemmas.
Ultimately, the value of this book is two-fold. First, it succeeds in building a foundation for youth ministry where Scripture is the foundation. Youth ministry resources are overflowing with adjective-laden ministry concepts. Yet many fail in laying a foundation for ministry that effects and propagates a holistic ministry philosophy. That is to say, when a foundation is unbalanced, the youth ministry will inevitably experience some form of ecclesial atrophy and degradation. Thankfully, this book lays a foundation that helps avoid such troubles. It intentionally offers an approach to ministry that is both grounded and holistic.
Second, this book succeeds in addressing the major elements/categories of a Gospel-centered youth ministry. Of particular notice are the chapters on expository teaching and music in youth ministry. While the majority of youth/family ministry books deal with issues of parental integration, volunteering, activities, etc., they often assume (unfortunately) the major elements in ministry: proclamation of the Word and musical worship. This book, delightfully I might add, places these two elements in the context of youth ministry, while at the same time keeping them founded on the Good News of Christ.
Writing on themes that echo John Stott, contributor Eric McKiddie argues that the goal of a youth minister’s sermon is to (1) interpret the passage and (2) communicate that truth clearly and simply to one’s students.[5] Similarly, Tom Olson provides a great chapter on “Singing That Flows from the Gospel.” In a brief space, Olson lays a great theological and biblical groundwork for music in youth ministry. In my personal experience, this area has been woefully overlooked. However, this book does a wonderful job addressing this element of worship. What is especially helpful is Olson’s practical applications: walking ministers through the difficult task of choosing biblically and theologically rich songs for their students.[6]
For those youth ministers who are like me and yearn for a deeper, thoroughly biblical approach to youth ministry, this volume is a helpful starting point. It is an accessible read that lays out a practical, biblically-based paradigm for youth ministry. By providing a strong foundation and an eye for detail on perennial characteristics of youth ministry, this book will prove to be a staple among youth ministry resources for years to come.
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[1] Cameron Cole and Jon Nielson, Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015), 205.
[2] Cole and Nielson, 204-205.
[3] Ibid., 18
[4] Ibid., 25-26.
[5] Ibid., 55.
[6] Ibid., 144-147.
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