Matt Murphy and Brad Widstrom’s book 99 Thoughts on Caring for Your Youth Group: From Coffee Shop Counseling
to Crisis Care is an excellent resource that every youth leader ought to
read and reference repeatedly. That said, it is not merely a handbook for youth
pastors who desire to grow in their role as caregivers. Indeed, it is an
effective eye-opener for anyone interacting with today’s teenagers.
The significant issues facing teens in contemporary culture (e.g.,
drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse, unexpected pregnancies, suicide, bullying, cutting,
sexting, and school shootings) justify Murphy and Widstrom’s rather startling
claim that “In today’s society, all kids are at-risk” (12). The bold manner in
which the authors consistently confront these all-too-prevalent problems is in
keeping with the seriousness of the threat to the well-being of individual
teenagers and the youth groups they belong to. They rightly refuse to shy away
from the most difficult ministry situations or soft-pedal the stark realities
that youth workers will face as they seek to disciple students satiated by the relativistic
postmodern milieu. The consequence is that the book appropriately communicates
the actual depth of youth ministry.
In short, if concerned Christian adults implement the clear advise contained within this youth ministry preparedness manual, they will be strategically equipped to provide Christ-like care in any situation and in so doing they will positively impact the lives of teenagers for the kingdom of God.
In short, if concerned Christian adults implement the clear advise contained within this youth ministry preparedness manual, they will be strategically equipped to provide Christ-like care in any situation and in so doing they will positively impact the lives of teenagers for the kingdom of God.
