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.

The heartbeat of every local community is found in its local schools. Yet many Christians have little to no connection with school leaders, and few churches have an active ministry presence. If you want to effectively reach your community, you must take the time to invest in school administrators, teachers, and families. Not having a relationship just isn’t an option.Many schools today are facing budget crises’ and financial shortfalls or declining enrollment. School leaders and te...

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 stu...

The life stage of 18-25-year-olds is completely different than it was in previous eras. In just one generation, we see contrasts that used to take two to three generations to surface. This massive shift has created frustration with older generations. Parents recognize this is a completely different world and struggle to relate. Others throw their arms up in bewilderment, assuming they’ll never understand. And many church leaders wish they’d “just grow up.” In this book, Chuck Bomar brings ...

According to Jesus Himself, even better than having Jesus with us is having the Holy Spirit within us. Yet many believers have trouble, just as Jesus's disciples did, understanding how this could be. Better Off Without Jesus takes readers on a journey toward embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit within and guides them as they seek to understand and obey the voice of the Spirit in their lives. Readers will construct a biblical grid for discerning God's voice and get the tools t...

Many Christians feel as if something is missing in their relationship with God. They long to find an in-depth, authentic relationship with God. Instead, many believers find themselves living out a results-oriented "behavior management system" of spiritual growth. Unfortunately, rather than leading to an intimate relationship with God, this behavior-based system does just the opposite. It produces an unsatisfying life full of inner turmoil and doubt as Christians wonder whether or not they ...

We’ve all heard that Christianity isn’t a religion — it’s a relationship. But a lot of us practice a Christianity that’s really a behavior management system . . . in other words, a religion — one that nobody longs to be a part of! How can we stop confusing behavior management with the life-giving faith into which Jesus invites us? How do we move past having behavioral standards and habits as our only measures of maturity? Losing Your Religion will help you identify where beliefs m...

Many of the statistics you read about teenagers and faith can be alarming. Recent studies show that 40-50 percent of kids who are connected to a youth group throughout their senior year will fail to stick with their faith in college. As youth workers are pouring their time and energy into the students in their ministries, they are often left wondering if they’ve done enough to equip their students to carry their faith into adulthood. Fuller Youth Institute has done extensive research in th...

“A man cannot be passive about what Scripture tells him to do for his family and expect to be found faithful to God in the end. He must see with spiritual eyes and realize that future generations are directly impacted by his daily decisions.”—The Resolution for MenThe Resolution for Men is the inspiring book born out of Courageous, a new film by the makers of Fireproof coming to theaters nationwide in fall 2011. The movie, which presents a...

Do you find yourself picking through circumstances like children plucking daisy petals attempting to figure out whether or not God loves you? If you find yourself least certain of his love in those critical moments when you most need to trust him, there is hope for you. Where? At the one event in human history that forever secured your place in the Father’s heart—the cross where Jesus allowed sin and shame to be consumed in his own body so that you could freely embrace a relationship with ...

ONCE UPON A TIME… Marriage was forever. It was a covenant that knit one man and one woman together. This weaving made both stronger, nobler, and more vibrant expressions of who they were created to be. They were better together than either had been on their own. The wedding ceremony was but a beginning. It was the gateway to build their happily ever after. Each choice and action was designed to construct the life their union represented. Husband and wife walked into the gre...

The mainline church in the past few decades has witnessed a ghettoization of youth within the church, segregating them off to a particular room, perhaps in the basement, where they engage in ministry in isolation from the rest of the congregation. They are assigned a “youth minister” or “youth director,” often the staff person with the least experience, freeing up the “real” ministers to serve the adults in the church. They seldom serve on church boards or governing bodies in anything othe...