Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of Jesus

Contemplative Youth Ministry is refreshing rain for dry youth workers and barren youth ministries. More than the same old youth ministry tips and tricks, it gives principles and practices to soak in God s grace, love, and power. I wish I had read it 15 years ago. - Kara Powell, Ph.D., executive director, Center for Youth Ministry and Family Ministry, Fuller Theological Seminary Mark invites readers to be encountered by the presence of Jesus who is always near. This book is transparent about the challenges that churches and families face as they desire to be effective in youth ministry. The book is filled with the honest stories of different kinds of youth ministries representing the breadth of Christianity in the United States. I heartily endorse Contemplative Youth Ministry as a rich encounter with the souls of youth and adults whose lives have been transformed by our very present God. - Bill Kees, director of youth ministries, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Mark Yaconelli not only reminds us of some of the long-forgotten pathways of faith, he shares with us how it actually looks when men and women who love God practice it with young people. I especially appreciate Mark s optimism in his perspective of today s kids, for his insights are grounded in God s view of them. - Chap Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of youth, family, and culture, Fuller Theological Seminary Mark Yaconelli was experimenting with contemplative youth ministry practices before contemplative youth ministry practices became cool. This book has about it the unique air of authenticity. He shares with us in these pages his own journey as a youth worker who actually believes that God s still small voice speaks louder than the roaring windstorm of our busy youth ministry calendars. It s a book about creating for our students places of silence and opening up spaces for God to speak. - Duffy Robbins, professor of youth ministry, Eastern University; author of Enjoy the Silence and This Way to Youth Ministry Mark Yaconelli has emerged as one of youth ministry s most provocative voices in the wilderness, calling us back to our theological taproots: The contemplative practices that bind our lives to the life of Christ. If Mark s research has taught us anything, it s that these practices do not cause youth ministry to take fl ight into a spiritual never-never land; rather they anchor young people and their churches in the fertile soil of Christian tradition, in the nitty-gritty of daily life, and in the explosive transformation that awaits us when we wait upon God. - Kenda Creasy Dean, parent, pastor, and professor of youth, Princeton Theological Seminary; author of Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church"