Nurturing the Soul of the Youth Worker - Softcover

Smith, Tim

3.17

6 ratings by Goodreads

9780764421358: Nurturing the Soul of the Youth Worker

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764421352 ISBN 13: 9780764421358

Publisher: Group Pub Inc, 1999

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Veteran youth worker Tim Smith explores 8 principles for spiritual and character development, plus gives practical suggestions, discussion questions, and helpful tools for personal and group study. Essential reading for staying excited and committed in ministry over the long haul!

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From the Back Cover:

Youth Workers: Develop and nurture your personal life and make your ministry more effective.

Here's How...
In Nurturing the Soul of the Youth Worker, author and veteran youth worker Tim Smith gives you 8 ways to keep your soul on fire...and make an impact on other people's lives. These energizing suggestions will challenge you to develop further your own personal spirituality and character.

You'll discover these 8 keys, and why they're vital to your life...
-Committing to lifelong learning
-Serving others
-Radiating the positive light of the Holy Spirit
-Believing in others and their growth
-Leading a balanced life
-Seeking life as an adventure
-Depending on teamwork and synergy
-Committing to personal renewal

Challenge yourself to become a better youth worker...Apply the 8 keys of Nurturing the Soul of the Youth Worker to your life today!

Foreword

I had just walked off the stage at what the sponsors called one of the largest youth events ever held in their state. The music had been wonderful. The spirit of excitement in the crowd was electric. I believe I felt God's spirit in my message, and the response to a call to commitment was absolutely overwhelming. What a night!

The wife of an old friend came right up to me afterwards. Her husband had been a spiritual mentor in my life, and he had recently had to leave his position of leadership because of sexual immorality. She gave me a hug, and, with tears in her eyes, she said, "Jim, untended fires soon become nothing but a pile of ashes."

Her words threw me. I had expected "Isn't God wonderful?" or "Good job." Instead, I got "Untended fires soon become nothing but a pile of ashes."

My friend had experienced the same youth event I had. She had seen the excitement of the kids. She had watched the intense response of the students as they made beautiful commitments to our Lord Jesus Christ. But frankly, she had been there before. Hers and her husband's lifework had been to serve Jesus, and, for most of their years, the couple had experienced phenomenal fruit in the area of youth ministry. She also knew firsthand the depth of pain of a broken relationship, sin, and failure in the ministry. In a sense she had experienced "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."

Now she was approaching me with what I believe was a word from God: Untended fires soon become nothing but a pile of ashes.

As I read Tim Smith's wonderful book, I couldn't help but think back to the days of very few youth ministry resources and only a handful of "professional" youth workers. They were days with no youth ministry magazines, few conferences, little training, and a lot of prayer. Those who chose youth work were the weird ones. (Perhaps they still are today!) I look at those times as a season of burning desire to reach students with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We would do anything to get their attention. I remember swallowing goldfish and shaving my beard just to get students out to an event! Needless to say, the programs have changed; we have quality resources, and the training is outstanding.

It's a new millennium of youth work with new problems and changing issues. Nurturing the Soul of the Youth Worker is one of the first books to be written for youth work in the new millennium. It's very much a holistic approach to reaching and ministering to kids. The focus on the inner life of the youth worker is wonderful. Tim is helping youth workers see that untended fires soon become nothing but a pile of ashes.

In case you haven't had the privilege of meeting Tim Smith, he is an exceptional leader on the cutting edge of youth and family ministry. He knows what he is talking about and is ministering today in a fresh new format. Tim's approach to family ministry, culture, team ministry, and administration is refreshingly fresh material.

It was a joy to read this book. I know it will nurture your soul as you walk the path Tim takes you on. All of us in youth work need this book. Youth ministry is one of the most exciting and influential areas of the church, and we must have healthy souls in order to face the daily battle for the lives of our kids. Thank you for your commitment to student ministry, and thank God for people such as you who are influencing more students for eternity than you ever will imagine. -Jim Burns, President, National Institute of Youth Ministry

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