Mark E. Strong
IVP, 2012, 184 pp., $15
I did not attend a church that catered/programmed to fatherless kids, but I wish I had. It would have made my life a little easier. Fatherhood and manhood seemed to be reserved for one Sunday in June. It makes me wonder how many kids are still waiting for their churches not only to talk about this subject, but to do something about it. Pastor Strong makes this argument in Church for the Fatherless: A Ministry Model for Society’s Most Pressing Problem, and his passion bleeds out on every page; but Pastor Strong does more than argue it, he inspires and equips his readers, who have such a desire to execute it.
I like this book for the same reason I like UPS: logistics. The book has a good balance between the theology of helping the fatherless to practical ways to implement a strategy. There are tons of ideas such as a preaching calendar, a mentoring strategy and a generous amount of stories of those helped by these strategies. Fatherlessness is not a deadly disease, but is a nagging cough that won’t go away. If you want to train your church to reach, mentor and empower the fatherless teens in your youth ministry, this book is for you.
