Purpose-Driven® Youth Ministry

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Summary: Foundational for growth
Review: This book is a clearly written, organized and in-depth look at the foundations to youth ministry. The pillars of ministry are outlined and given in ways that can be applied to any ministry in any setting with proper leadership. Doug Fields is an experienced youth pastor with wisdom and knowledge which has spurred his ministry to dynamic growth. Why we do what we do, who we are trying to reach, how to best accomplish this, what we're trying to do, when to do it and where to do it is the general format of the book. The foundations laid out in this book, when applied to your ministry, will give you a base for growth and development. Keeping in mind that development is more important than growth. Drawing youth into a more personal and deeper relationship with God is the key to this book. A must read for every youth pastor, worker, volunteer and prospective leader.

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Summary: The Crash Course for all Youth Ministers
Review: This book is a must for all beginning youth ministries. Especially if you were thrown into it out of another profession like I was! The book is short enough to read through in just a week. It is also set up in a very "reference friendly" format for return visits. There are countless examples of forms and teaching ideas. You simply cannot go wrong with it! Fields' insight into ministry is priceless! If you're a youth minister just starting out, buy this book. A good companion book for it is "Family-Based Youth Ministry" by DeVries. No youth minister's book shelf is complete without both of these books.

God bless your ministry!

Rating:
Summary: The Crash Course for all Youth Ministers
Review: This book is a must for all beginning youth ministries. Especially if you were thrown into it out of another profession like I was! The book is short enough to read through in just a week. It is also set up in a very "reference friendly" format for return visits. There are countless examples of forms and teaching ideas. You simply cannot go wrong with it! Fields' insight into ministry is priceless! If you're a youth minister just starting out, buy this book. A good companion book for it is "Family-Based Youth Ministry" by DeVries. No youth minister's book shelf is complete without both of these books.

God bless your ministry!

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This book is full of great tips which can help in youth ministry and even secular groups which desire greater organization and structure without putting yourself in a box.
This is a great book which I would suggest anybody read, but if you are in the youth ministry or our helping in the youth ministry get a hold of this book.
The book is highly repetitive, but certainly gets the point acrossed. Get this book it will help any leader. Doug writes with wisdom, going through many years of experience before writing this book. It's always been said, "If you want to know how to do something, ask somebody who did it." Don't allow structure to bring you down.

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Summary: "Youth Ministry" is youth in minstry.
Review: This book is phenominal for taking ministry and breaking it down to it's essential parts; fellowship, worship, evangelism, discipleship, and ministry. It teaches that "Youth Ministry" is more then ministry to youth, rather it is youth in ministry.

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Summary: Good Concepts
Review: This book was required reading in a seminary youth ministry class I took last year. Doug Fields has done a ton for youth ministry during the past decade and he deserves to be applauded for his dedication, and development of students and leaders in Southern California and across the country. This book is a modern approach to youth ministry, yet it still helps define where people are at in your youth ministry, whether they are in the crowd, the committed, etc.

I think the best thing about this book is the fact that Doug picked students to spend time with and invest, and that is youth minstry. Setting up programs that everyone can be involved with, but more importantly, having leaders mentor 3-5 students at a time and really make a personal impact on their lives. Doug worked with a core group, and that is key, no matter where you are or who you are working with. You have to "go with the goers" and Doug works that out in this book.

This book is a good record of what Doug has done at Saddleback, and is a nice look at 90's youth ministry from a modern perspective.

Rating:
Summary: Good Concepts
Review: This book was required reading in a seminary youth ministry class I took last year. Doug Fields has done a ton for youth ministry during the past decade and he deserves to be applauded for his dedication, and development of students and leaders in Southern California and across the country. This book is a modern approach to youth ministry, yet it still helps define where people are at in your youth ministry, whether they are in the crowd, the committed, etc.

I think the best thing about this book is the fact that Doug picked students to spend time with and invest, and that is youth minstry. Setting up programs that everyone can be involved with, but more importantly, having leaders mentor 3-5 students at a time and really make a personal impact on their lives. Doug worked with a core group, and that is key, no matter where you are or who you are working with. You have to "go with the goers" and Doug works that out in this book.

This book is a good record of what Doug has done at Saddleback, and is a nice look at 90's youth ministry from a modern perspective.

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: This is an awesome book for youth pastors and youth workers. it is very good. i would suggest this to any college student who is called to youth ministry

Rating:
Summary: Wish I had read it sooner
Review: This is an easy-to-read textbook on youth ministry by a proven professional. Drawing from the same principles as Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Church, Fields (who is Warren's youth pastor at Saddleback Community Church) gives the foundational principles for youth ministry, explaining the different stages of faith commitment in adolescents, and providing strategies for a complete youth ministry.
Good: This book is an easy read, and doesn't require theological or professional ministry experience to understand, and yet is thorough. Any person who has basic relational skills and a heart to reach kids will be set to go after reading this book.
Bad: Fields is constantly uses lists and acronyms to teach his points. Examples: the different stages of faith commitment (core, committed, congregation, crowd, and community); spiritual lifestyle H.A.B.I.T.S. (hang time with God, accountability with another believer, Bible memorization, involvement with the church body, tithing commitment, study of the scripture); his method for discovering spiritual gifts called S.H.A.P.E. (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences). A little of this goes a long way, and if you try to take it in too quickly it will fry your brain.
Opinion: This is the best book on youth ministry that I've read. Fields leaves no bases uncovered, from working with parents to handling discipline. I wish I had read this book before my first youth pastorate. It would have saved me many mistakes.
Best Quote: Two come to mind, but they're related to the same thing: "Leadership separates a purpose-driven youth ministry from an event-and-activity-driven youth ministry." The second one is this: "Better to have two high-standard student leaders than fifty students who want to plan activities while they live any lifestyle they please."

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Summary: This book totaly changed and helped grow our youth ministry
Review: This is one awesome book. Our youth ministry for a along time has been stuck in the rutt of program after program after program. This book helped us take a step back and look over our youth ministry. Now we are begining to see wonderful healthy changes in our kids and I thank God for Doug Feilds,and his book PDYM. Every youth pastor or worker needs to read it! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR MINISTRY!