Your First Two Years In Youth Ministry

Youth ministry guru, Doug Fields, translates his passion, insight, and vision for his beloved “rookies” by helping them to not only survive, but to thrive, during the most crucial phase of youth ministry. 

Doug relates stories and principles from his own successes and failures over 20 years in youth ministry. This resource offers practical advice, all in the hope that new youth workers can travel a smoother path and achieve real longevity in a church culture that all too often chews them up and spits them out. This resource covers: 

• Dealing with discouragement 
• Establishing a solid spiritual foundation 
• Building effective relationships with students 
• Resolving conflict 
• Ministering to parents and families 
• Trailblazing change 
• Working with volunteers 
• Defining a realistic job description 
• And many others

In addition, a chorus of insightful sidebar voices joins the conversation with Doug, among them ministry veterans Jim Burns, Steve Gerali, Mike Yaconelli, Helen Musick, Chap Clark, Marv Penner, Rick Warren, Jana L. Sundene, Bo Boshers, Duffy Robbins, Tony Campolo, and Richard Ross, all who've composed extensive, topical essays for each of the dozen chapters.

Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry is a must-have tool for new youth workers, volunteers, seminary professors and students, senior pastors, elders, church boards—even veteran youth workers who have been ministering in unstructured environments and are now asking, "What did I miss? What can I still learn?"