This book was written to address some of the chaos or disorder often associated with youth ministries. It evolved as a result of my own experiences working with young people for the last sixteen years. I was convinced that there had to be way to structure the youth program so that any one aspect is not sacrificed at the expense of another.I came to realize that in my attempt to satisfy the desires of the youth, who could not get enough fun activities, I sacrificed order, purpose, and aim. It appeared that we were, for many years, shooting the air - shooting at nothing, hitting nothing.I had to come around to asking myself the question, "Why was I doing what I did with the youth ministry." In examining that question, I discovered we had no structure, no guiding principles, and no core values. This book attempts to address the confusion that is often associated with youth ministries lacking in these areas, and suggests an action-driven style without losing sight of these orderly components. This work for youth leaders is unique, not only because of its unusual format but also because of its biblical basis, philosophical positions, practicality, and simplicity.It breaks with the black and white style in which youth materials are usually written, and it adopts a new color approach based on acrostics.As a template or model, this work will assist youth leaders with the flexibility of structuring programs that can be unique to their own ministry needs without ignoring core values and guiding principles, and/or afford them the availability of a youth ministry resource as is. It presents activity ideas to instill the core values of the Christian faith in youth in these modern times when the foundations of such values are being shaken and undermined.It includes colorful, illustrative diagrams and graphics in the interior, making it different and appealing to youth workers and other readers.It is goal-focused. That is, it lays out goals and sub-goals that should be common to all youth ministries to some degree, and presents activity ideas, as well as instructions, in some cases, to meet targets.With its concise, outline format and intervening comments, it makes for easy reading while conveying what the author has in mind on some subjects. These features should allow not only youth leaders, but also youth, themselves, to discharge meaningful and leadership duties in an environment geared for them and their peers.
