Youth Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Youth Ministry
Houston Heflin
Abingdon Press, 2009, 160 pp., $15.00
abingdonpress.com
Every youth worker eventually will encounter a vocational identity crisis by asking: Who am I as a youth worker? Am I a shepherd, administrator, evangelist, teacher, prophet, recruiter, trainer, leader or social worker? You feel like you need to choose just one or two roles because keeping all these plates spinning isn’t sustainable, and you can’t do it all.
Heflin offers hope in the midst of our fragmented vocation. He clearly packages our roles into five areas: Education, Time, Advocacy, Relationships and Responsibilities. In addition, he carefully contrasts the extremes of each category, which is very helpful in understanding where your natural gifts and talents lie. By the end of the book you will discover your Youth Ministry Style Profile and be better equipped to balance all the demands coming your way.
This would be an excellent read for a group of youth workers to discuss together during the course of a dozen network meetings.
