Student Ministry By The Book (Review)

"A commitment to a biblical foundation doesn’t mean student ministry should have a stained glass feel to it."

​Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Student Ministry by the Book by Ed Newton and R. Scott Pace will help you build, rebuild, or maintain a healthy student ministry. You won’t find trendy techniques or statistics for stacking your student ministry. Newton and Pace write solely to display God’s plan for your student ministry.

A commitment to a biblical foundation doesn’t mean student ministry should have a stained glass feel to it. Knowledgeable of the complex and digital world of our students, Newton and Pace address our students' identity confusions and crises with ancient truth that is steadfastly contemporary.

Student Ministry by the Book is laid out in three distinct and fitting sections. The first section sheds light on issues that plague all of our lives, but especially today’s students. As I pictured the students in my classroom, their struggles didn't seem so foreign to the person I see in the mirror each day.

The second section is all about sustainability through discipleship and delegation. Away with the bug zapper model of youth ministry where everyone flows to the charismatic youth pastor only to be stung by the electric jolt of idolatry. The biblical model is to fill cups that overflow into other cups until all the cups are full—this is discipleship.

The final section puts boots on the ground. For student ministry to be effective, our students have to develop their own spiritual disciplines and biblical worldview. Without these, student ministry will impede their spiritual progress and send them into a volatile world without the necessary tools to fight the world, flesh, and Satan.

I devoured this book in an afternoon, marking page after page with “amen!”, circles, illustrations, and underlines. If I ever get the chance to assist in selecting a student minister or developing a student ministry for a local church, I’ll be consulting this short volume as a foundational part of the process. If you need to build or rebuild a student ministry, let Student Ministry by the Book serve as a blueprint!