“Youth workers as spiritual guides will resist being so consumed with planning and executing programs that they can’t guide their youth. The way of the kingdom is through relationships, not events. Youth workers who serve as spiritual guides for youth nurture a presence-centred youth ministry by engaging in the hard work of creating an environment of authentic community.” pp69Hot off the heals of Yaconelli’s “Contemplative Youth Ministry” comes Mike King’s new book “Presence Centred Youth Ministry.” Where Yaconelli’s book comes from a project that lasted a number of years allowing him time to explore, experiment and reflect Mike’s comes from years of experience and experimentation in a variety of youth ministry placements.

Interestingly enough, while both books come from different starting points they both also seem to end in similar places, calling for a revolution (of sorts) in the way that the church practices it’s ministry with young people.

What I liked about Mike’s writing was that I was able to get the impression that he was sharing something about himself with the reader, that over the space of reading the book I was able to hear the testimony of a youth worker who has been there and done that, and who has learnt through experience and reflection and prayer.

He explores what I like to call the Mal-Practice of youth ministry in a remarkable chapter titled “dysfunctional evangelical youth ministry” a chapter title that could quite easily offend people. In this chapter and beyond we are challenged to think over and over again about our role, about our definition of success, our mission in our ministry with young people. Are we there to change people or to provide a space where they can be changed by the Holy Spirit, are we Spiritual directors or program directors?

Mike not only asks some of the hard questions as he shares some of the insights from his many years in youth ministry, but also starts to give instruction and descriptions of a number of spiritual practices that could be used in order to introduce our youth ministries to spiritual practices. Mike speaks of Lectio Divinia (which I note has become the flavour of the month, even Tony Jones has written a new book on it) and the spiritual practices of Ignatius as both prayer practices and ways to use the scripture in our ministries. This book is not just a list of things that we should do, but it’s also a book that provides instructions on how to start doing many of the things that he speaks about.

Presence Centred Youth Ministry is more than a quick fix to many of our youth ministries, infact it’s anything but a quick fix to anything, instead its a recognition that our ministries are for the long haul, that we need to see further than the short term, fast food, quick fix ministry. This is what Mike calls the art of the long view, this book is almost the anti-mcdonalds based youth ministry which many people still subscribe to and still wonder why it fails…

And with people supporting this book like Kenda Creasy Dean, Walt Mueller, Mark Oestreicher and now myself this book should be on the bookshelves of all youth workers, sitting right beside “Contemplative Youth Ministry” and “Practicing Passion” and “Deep Ministry In a Shallow World” and “Tune In Chill Out” and “Way To Live” and Eugene Peterson’s new book “Eat This Book.”

Check Out Mike’s Blog: Mike King
Check Out Mike’s Ministry “Youth Front”: Youth Front

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