Giving Up Gimmicks: Reclaiming Youth Ministry from an Entertainment Culture - Softcover

Cosby, Brian H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1596383941 ISBN 13: 9781596383944

Publisher: P&R Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

The lights dim . . . the smoke rises . . . the band starts playing. It's a familiar scene, as youth ministries everywhere use entertaining and trendy approaches to draw in teens. But when the lights come on and the fog clears, what do we find?

Far too many teenagers raised in Christian homes drift away from the church after high school. Why is this true? Could it be because youth groups, in seeking to elevate experience over truth, have left teens dissatisfied and hungry for that truth?

Brian Cosby demonstrates a ministry approach that nurtures teens and brings them back for more -- one solidly grounded in Christ and patterned after the means of grace: the Word, sacraments, prayer, service, and community. Learn how much teenagers not only need a deeper ministry, but want one too.

About this title

About the Author

Brian H. Cosby has been serving in youth ministry for over a decade.  He is the Associate Pastor of Youth and Families at Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City, Georgia and author of several books.

From the Back Cover

If you want true success in your ministry, here is the thought-through operational blueprint.
--R. Kent Hughes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois

Brian Cosby demonstrates a ministry approach that nurtures teens and brings them back for more--one solidly grounded in Christ and patterned after the means of grace: the Word, sacraments, prayer, service, and community. Learn how much teenagers not only need a deeper ministry, but want one too.
--Harry Reeder, Senior Pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama

Many youth ministry books are outdated almost as soon as they are published. . . . This book is different, grounding a vision of gospel-focused youth ministry in the permanent things of apostolic Christianity.
--Russell D. Moore, Dean, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

For more than a generation now we have sought to attract and entertain our precious youth rather than nurture them by grace. The majority have responded by turning their backs on the church. Brian Cosby has listened to their heart and is offering us the best biblical guidance we could ever hope to receive.
--Michael Card, award-winning singer, songwriter, and author

Brian Cosby steps forward . . . and does something that has been unheard of: marrying solid biblical theology to youth ministry methodology. If you are concerned on any level about seeing young people in your church build a faith that will last, then I highly recommend this book to you.
--Danny Mitchell, Coordinator of Youth and Family Ministries, Presbyterian Church in America

As a former youth pastor, I know that most models of American youth ministry are systems of the bench and are not saturated with the Word, sacraments, and prayer. Yet these are precisely the anchors the souls of our youth need. These are precisely what Brian Cosby calls us back to. I thank God for this book.
--Daniel R. Hyde, Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church, Oceanside, California

If you are serious about making a lasting impact in the lives of your youth and preparing them for the long haul of life, Means of Grace Youth Ministry is a must read. Brian Cosby understands how the ordinary means of grace changes young people, draws them closer to Christ and builds a foundation that will last.
--Rod Culbertson, Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina

Brian Cosby believes that youth ministry should be based on the same means of grace that nurture the whole church. This book contains good theology that reflects his conviction that strong biblical doctrine will grip and transform the lives of youth (and others). So don't read this volume just as a handbook on how to minister to others--you will find yourself challenged and strengthened by reading it! I commend him for writing it, and recommend it to youth workers and others for their personal growth as well as effective ministry.
--Joseph Martin, Professor of Biblical Studies and Ministries, Belhaven University, Jackson, Mississippi

In these pages, Cosby provides us with something exceedingly rare; namely, a clear, cogent and compelling articulation of biblical youth ministry! I warmly commend this book.
--Jon Payne, Senior Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church, Douglasville, Georgia

In our entertainment culture in which the church often looks like the world in order to draw the world into the church, Brian Cosby offers us a much-needed word about the identity, purpose, and strategy of effective, God-centered youth ministry. A pleasure to read, this book brims over with winsome anecdotes, gospel-driven applications, and passionate pleas to recover biblical understandings on Holy Scripture, sacraments, spiritual discipline, and Christ-like community. For those who desire the gospel of Jesus Christ to permeate the lives of a new generation, this book is a must-read.
--Christian George, Jewell and Joe L. Huitt Assistant Professor of Religious Education, Oklahoma Baptist University

The percentage of students walking away from the church after High School is staggering. This book not only identifies the "why's" but gives applicable, biblical, ways for the church and youth leaders to address this challenge head-on. I would recommend this as a must read for anyone concerned about the next generation.
--Jay Shaw, Youth Pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama

Edition details

• Publisher: P&R Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1596383941
• ISBN 13: 9781596383944
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160