Brian H. Cosby
P&R Publishing, 2012, 160 pp., $12.99
Now and again we encounter a book that has transformative potential for youth ministry—or perhaps enough depth and backbone to create a discussion—and this is the kind of nudge Brian Cosby offers youth leaders (and the church) through Giving Up Gimmicks. Cosby’s practical, in-the-trenches experience is well-conceived and finely articulated—and he is qualified to challenge some of the most widely accepted approaches in youth ministry, namely that the church cannot afford to build a youth ministry on the foundation of entertainment or shallow, unchallenging theology.
Cosby provides many up-front examples of how the church has failed to reach the younger generations and then launches into the deep waters of theology by offering a new course for youth ministry. Although Cosby speaks from a Reformed tradition, he uses the Wesleyan “means of grace” to offer a rich plan of action. The book, in fact, will find receptive and agreeable admirers from any tradition.
The means Cosby outlines include a deeper dependence on the gospel, finding a stronger center for prayer, helping teens stay nourished through the sacraments, service in the name of Christ, and deepening community. The author explores all five in convincing fashion—not just theologically—but in practicalities that any youth ministry can adopt while working alongside church leadership.
In short, this is not a book based on gimmicks, but on the means of grace that make the presence of Christ real to teenagers.
