Out from Under: equipping kids for life out of the shelter of youth group This book dives into our youth ministries, helping youth workers think intentionally about developing a ministry that is geared toward helping prepare kids for what’s to come. This begins by helping them intentionally think through what it is kids will be facing and then helping them think through preparation for those times. This book dives into ministry philosophies that help or hinder this preparation.

18-25-year-olds are trying to find their place in society while living through an array of experiences that force them to reevaluate beliefs and assumptions they were raised with, which leads many students to disconnect from the church after high school. College Ministry 101 will help church leaders understand the college-age-stage in order to better minister to their needs. This book will provide leaders with practical ministry philosophies about how to effectively minister to college students through mentor relationships, what students need in their day-to-day lives, how to work with volunteers in college ministry, and how to turn college-age students into genuine disciples.

Models and Methods for Youth and Young Adult Ministry is a rare book on young adult and youth ministry in that it weaves sound theology and solid pastoral practice. It invites pastoral practitioners, scholars in the field, and university-ministry students to envision various models and methods for doing youth and young adult ministry in a collaborative and ecumenical way. Through rich, concrete examples and strategies, the reader will grasp the significance of each model and the various methods to integrate and implement these robust approaches. The result is this book will empower readers toward a more meaningful understanding of youth and young adult ministry, which will in turn engage the young church of Christ.

"Starting a new organization is risky business. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, most startups fail; half of them do not reach the five-year mark. Protestant churches are not immune to these trends. Most new churches are not established with denominational support-more than 50% are actually non-denominational-and, therefore, have many of the same vulnerabilities other infant organizations must overcome. Research on both congregants and congregations has shown that millions of Americans are leaving churches, half of all churches do not add any new members, and thousands of churches shutter their doors each year. These numbers suggest that American religion is not a growth industry. Yet, more than 1000 new churches are started in any given year. What are the forces that move people who might otherwise be satisfied working for churches to the more risky role of starting one as a religion entrepreneur? In Church Planters, sociologist Richard Pitt uses more than 125 in-depth interviews with church planters to understand their motivations. First, he uncovers themes in their sometimes miraculous, sometimes mundane answers to the question: "why take on these risks?" Then he examines how they approach three common entrepreneurial challenges-recognizing opportunities, marshalling resources, and framing success-in ways that reduce uncertainty and lead them to believe they will be successful. The book combines their evocative stories with insights from research on commercial and social entrepreneurship to explain how these religion entrepreneurs come to believe their organizational goals must be accomplished, that they are capable of being accomplished, and that they would accomplish them over time"--