Resources
Group, May/Jun 2001
Youth Ministry Management Tools
What it is: This CD-ROM written by Ginny Olson, Diane Elliot, and Mike Work helps youth workers organize their lives and ministries.
The scoop: Organization is not a dirty word, it's just a word that the typically spontaneous, busy, and breathless youth worker finds difficult to put into operation. With that in mind, Olson, Elliot, and Work offer more than 300 pagee worth of ideas that include sample budgets, checklists, forms, and tips for youth ministers of all ages and experience levels. We're talking about management of all kinds: time, office space, calendar, finances, events, and more. The bonus is a "special edition" of The Youth Assistant, a student contact software with dozens of editable forms and checklists that will help you keep track of your teenagers and make you look good at the next leadership meeting. What's the catch? It's still up to you to put these suggestions to work.
Cost: $39.99
Available from: Youth Specialties, Zondervan Publishing House, 800-776-8008, (610) 532-1249. Reviewer John Cutshall has 23 years of youth ministry experience.
The Top 20 Messages for Youth Ministry
What it is: Youth ministry veteran Jim Kochenburger offers a collection of challenging, multi-element messages that include family devotions.
The scoop: The pressures of youth ministry's daily grind make it difficult to consistently provide creative, relevant messages. The Top 20 Messages for Youth Ministry can save you countless hours of preparation because not only will you find topical message outlines but also introduction ideas, Scripture references, active-learning suggestions, illustrations, real-life stories, Internet resources, movie clips, dramas, and more. In fact, there's so much more than can be used in one meeting that you may have difficulty choosing what to use and what to leave out. Each of the topics addresses a high-priority need for today's young people. Twenty bonus Web-based family devotions available only to those who buy this book-give parents and teenagers creative and fun ways to address these message topics.
Cost: $14.99
Available from: Group Publishing, Inc., 800-447-1070, (970) 669-3836.
Reviewer Douglas Miller has 13 years of youth ministry experience.
Crosspoint Youth Scripts
What it is: Dave McClellan's subscription-based, bimonthly drama resource is designed specifically for youth groups.
The scoop: Crosspoint Youth Scripts contain not only scripts but also tools that help director wanna-bes develop thought-- provoking drama ministries. In addition to four scripts, each issue includes a newsletter section with teambuilding tips, fun and games, and drama-related articles, such as "Why Drama Deserves a Place in Your Youth Ministry" and "Adding Drama to Your Youth Choir." The dramas can be used in connection with Bible studies, to enhance a church service, as discussion starters, or as small-group exercises. The scripts' User Guides feature Scripture links and discussion questions. I find the scripts' content to be very relevant to youth culture. My only frustration is that the stage setup seems directed to churches with large stages.
Cost: $69.95, six issues per year, with four scripts in each issue.
Available from: Crosspoint Scripts, 877-627-6468.
Reviewer Kim Murphy has 20 years of youth ministry experience.
QUICK PICKS
FaithWeaver(TM) Youth Bible Studies: Outrageous Obedience-The latest release in a series of quarterly leader guides offers 13 Bible studies focused on responding to God with joyful obedience. Cost is $19.99. Available from Group Publishing, Inc., 800-447-1070, (970) 669-3836.
So What Am I Gonna Do With My Life?-This four-session curriculum helps teenagers discern what they enjoy doing and how to make a career out of it. Cost is $39.99 for leader's guide and five student journals. Available from Youth Specialties, Zondervan Publishing House, 800-776-- 8008, (610) 532-1249.
What's the Big Deal About Sex-- Jim Burgen's award-winning book for teenagers gives real answers to questions about dating, sexuality, and loving God's way. Cost is $9.99. Available from Standard Publishing, 800-543-- 1353, (513) 931-4050.
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