Sometimes life gives you way more questions than answers. And yet it seems like everyone expects you to just figure it all out! Whether you're looking toward your future or wrestling to get through today, it doesn't have to be so stressful. Just three big questions will help you find clarity about all the rest: * Who am I? * Where do I fit? * What difference can I make? This 60-day exploration breaks down those big questions into manageable pieces and helps you embrace God's best answers for you. Backed by Scripture and informed by years of research with teens just like you, this book does more than help you figure out what to do with your life; it will help you understand what your life means to the world--no matter who your friends are, what career you end up with, what kind of family you come from or will have in the future, what obstacles you may face, or what doubts trouble you along the way. YOU are one-of-a-kind, and you can find faithful answers to life's biggest questions.

Most typical youth ministries today produce nice, obedient kids who behave themselves--and then leave the church and the faith. Even those who remain struggle to extend their own faith beyond youth group. They seem like "good kids," but their lives and decisions outside youth group aren't oriented towards Jesus. Clearly that is not our goal. So what are we doing wrong? And how can we better serve the unique needs of the most anxious, adaptive, and diverse generation in history? If you're tired of youth ministry that fails to change lives, it's time to change youth ministry. Building on two decades of the Fuller Youth Institute's work and incorporating extensive new research and interviews, Faith Beyond Youth Group identifies the reasons youth ministry often fails both short-term and long-term, and offers five ways adult youth leaders can cultivate character for a lifetime of growing closer to Jesus rather than drifting away. It shows leaders how to cultivate trust, model growth, teach for transformation, practice together, and make meaning so that the teenagers can become adults who hold fast to the truth 24/7 and boldly live out a robust faith in a watching world.

Sticky Faith delivers positive and practical ideas to nurture within your kids a living, loving faith that lasts a lifetime. Research indicates that almost half of high school seniors drift from their faith after graduation. Struck by this staggering statistic, and recognizing its ramifications, the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) conducted the "College Transition Project" in an effort to identify the relationships and best practices that can set young people on a trajectory of lifelong faith and service. This easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children's spiritual growth so that it will stick with them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. Written by Fuller Youth Institute Executive Director Dr. Kara E. Powell and youth expert Chap Clark--authors known for the integrity of their research and the intensity of their passion for young people--Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages. Further engage your family and church with the Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith curriculum, and Sticky Faith youth worker edition. Sticky Faith is also available in Spanish, Como criar jovenes de fe solida.

Deep Ministry in a Shallow World will show you a new way to prayerfully reflect on the questions you face in your youth ministry every day so you can find the answers that will take it to deeper places. That's because authors Chap Clark and Kara Powell have gathered significant research findings that will help shift your ministry paradigm. Did you know that: * the typical strategies we use to build relationships with kids might actually cause them to trust us less because of what this generation has endured? * recent research on communication could help us move past the witty talks and funny stories we work so hard to develop and instead actually connect the Bible to kids' lives? * studies show that offering students "just Jesus" and not helping them at home, school, and in their neighborhoods might not help them very much at all? The authors' research also led to their development of the Deep Design problem-solving process-a revolutionary model that will give you better tools than ever before to address every last issue you'll encounter in youth ministry.

Unleashing the Passion of Young People in Your Church Is Possible! Churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage. Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation's leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15- to 29-year-olds and as a result are growing--spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically. Packed with both research and practical ideas, Growing Young shows pastors and ministry leaders how to position their churches to engage younger generations in a way that breathes vitality, life, and energy into the whole church. Visit www.churchesgrowingyoung.org for more information.

Unleashing the Passion of Young People in Your Church Is Possible! Churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage. Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation's leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15- to 29-year-olds and as a result are growing--spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically. Packed with both research and practical ideas, Growing Young shows pastors and ministry leaders how to position their churches to engage younger generations in a way that breathes vitality, life, and energy into the whole church. Visit www.churchesgrowingyoung.org for more information.

The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family addresses one of the top current concerns about youth and the church: the reality that nearly half of all young people raised in Christian families walk away from their faith when they graduate from high school. That s the bad news. But here s the good news: research also shows that parents are one of the primary influences on their child s faith. This book arises from the innovative, research-based, and extensively field-tested project known as Sticky Faith, designed to equip parents with insights and ideas for nurturing long-term faith in children and young people. Because of the Fuller Youth Institute s six years of research with more than 500 young people, 100 churches, and 50 families, four of this guidebook s unique qualities make it a must have for families eager to point their young people toward long-term faith First, it s grounded in sophisticated, academically verified data. While Dr. Powell is a parent of three children who authentically weaves her own experiences throughout the book, the chapter topics correlate with parenting principles proven in national research. Second, it is positive. Amid gloomy and theoretical resources, this book leaves parents empowered and hopeful that even little tweaks to their family rhythms can make a big difference. Third, it is practical. Readers get what they want most: more than 100 ideas from other parents they can try today, this week, or this month. Fourth, its guidebook format is accessible. For busy parents who don t have time and inclination to read, this format is a welcome resource that they can return to time and time again for fresh ideas and inspiration."

Que padre cristiano no querria encontrar un recurso para infundirles a sus hijos una fe dinamica, profunda y permanente? Casi la mitad de los jovenes que se graduan de secundaria tienen fuertes luchas con su fe. El Instituto Fuller para la Juventud, teniendo en cuenta esta situacion, desarrollo el 'Proyecto de transicion a la Universidad', en un esfuerzo hallar maneras de ayudar a los jovenes a desarrollar una vida de fe y servicio. Esta guia de facil lectura se basa en sus hallazgos, presentando una poderosa estrategia para ensenarles a los padres como favorecer el crecimiento espiritual de sus hijos y hacerlo permanente. Escrita por autores conocidos por su integridad y su pasion por los jovenes, les da esos medios para desarrollar una fe robusta en sus hijos."

Buscas respuestas a tu vida y tu ministerio desde tu perspectiva femenina? Dirigido a profesionales y voluntarias, ' Ayudenme Soy una mujer en el ministerio juvenil ' estudia los problemas con los que luchas a diario en el ministerio: El desafio de ser soltera, el matrimonio, la madre como mentora y consejera, lograr que te escuchen, recibir un trato imparcial y una paga equitativa, trabajar con hombres y mucho mas Cualesquiera que sean tu edad y estado civil, el tamano de tu iglesia o tu denominacion, ' Ayudenme Soy una mujer en el ministerio juvenil ' transformara tu manera de enfocar el lugar exclusivo y vital que tienes en el mundo del ministerio con los jovenes."

Many of the statistics you read about teenagers and faith can be alarming. Recent studies show that 40-50 percent of kids who are connected to a youth group throughout their senior year will fail to stick with their faith in college. As youth workers are pouring their time and energy into the students in their ministries, they are often left wondering if they've done enough to equip their students to carry their faith into adulthood. Fuller Youth Institute has done extensive research in the area of youth ministry and teenage development. In Sticky Faith, the team at FYI presents youth workers with both a theological/philosophical framework and practical programming ideas that develop long-term faith in teenagers. Each chapter presents a summary of FYI's quantitative and qualitative research, along with the implications of this research, including program ideas suggested and tested by youth ministries nationwide. This resource will give youth pastors what they need to help foster a faith that sticks with all the teenagers in their group long after they've left the youth room.

Sex saturates the world our students are growing up in. Everywhere they look (or listen) they can hear all kinds of messages about sexuality, and most of it probably isn t helping them develop a healthy understanding of how their own sexuality fits into God s plan for their lives. In Good Sex 2.0: A Whole-Person Approach to Teenage Sexuality and God, you ll find tools to help you (and parents of teens) involve your students in understanding, enjoying, and taking responsibility for their sexuality---all without lecturing, intimidating, or moralizing. The Good Sex 2.0 curriculum gives you everything you need to help your students process and understand: * Sexual Identity * Desire * Responsibility * Sex Messaging * Intimacy * Boundaries * Do-Overs This Leader s Guide gives you tools to walk students through the seven sessions of the Good Sex 2.0 curriculum, and is organized in such a way that without much preparation you can lead it yourself or hand it off to a volunteer to use in a large or small group setting. Good Sex 2.0 also includes several appendices and other helpful resources you can consult for further teaching."

It doesn t take a long list of statistics to convince you that our world is broken. Mission trips, service projects, and supporting children through relief organizations are just a few of the ways that many youth workers engage their students in serving the least, the last, and the lost. As good and helpful as these things may be on the surface, that s where they remain---at the surface. The problems run far deeper than an occasional paint job or fundraising project can solve. But it s not hopeless. Deep social justice is possible in your youth ministry. Following their bestselling book, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, Kara Powell and Chap Clark provide you with research and insights that will help your ministry get to the next level. In addition to helping you further understand the Deep Design method (introduced in their previous book), their practical Kingdom of God theology will help you go beyond simply trying to motivate your students to serve those in need, and invite your students (and maybe even your leaders) to wrestle with why those people are in need in the first place. You ll hear from well-known social justice leaders and youth workers who are making a difference in urban, suburban, and small town settings including: * Jim Wallis (Sojourners) * Tony Campolo (Eastern University) * Lina Thompson (World Vision/Vision Youth) * John Perkins (Christian Community Development Association) * Shane Claiborne (The Simple Way) * Larry Acosta (Urban Youth Workers Institute) * Rudy Carrasco (Harambee Christian Family Center) * Jeremy Del Rio (Community Solutions, Inc.) * Noel Castellanos (Christian Community Development Association), and more In addition to expanding your personal justice commitments, Deep Justice in a Broken World will help you reflect with your own leadership team, and will provide you with online resources to take you even deeper into the journey. So go ahead, dig deeper into what it means to heal the broken world in which we live. Take your ministry deeper into social justice."

So you're on fire, you want to make a difference, you want to change the world...but how? Signing up for a service project or mission trip is a great first step. But you probably have a lot of questions. Are you ready for the different cultures you may encounter? How are you going to really connect with the people you serve? And what about when you come home-how do you make sense of all the things you've experienced? Will any of it make a lasting difference for anyone? It turns out that if you really want to change the world, you have to change too. The only way that's going to happen is if you spend time before, during, and after your trip preparing for and processing your work. This Journal will help you think about: * Why you're going * The people you're serving * Your relationship with your teammates * How God factors into your service project * The impact your experience has had on you * How you can keep making a difference back at home If you think you're fired up to serve now, just wait! This hands-on Journal will equip you to serve in a way that sticks-both for you and those you serve. * How you can keep making a difference back at home If you think you're fired up to serve now, just wait! This hands-on Journal will equip you to serve in a way that sticks-both for you and those you serve.