I had a chance to read Do They Run When They See You Coming?: Reaching Out to Unchurched Teenagers (affiliate link) by Jonathan McKee this weekend. It was a great read full of practical insights and wisdom on reaching out to unchurched teens. Its well written, easy to read on non-threatening to people who struggle to read.

The first half of the book is great and you can tell that McKee is writing about his passion (reaching unchurched teenagers). It is full of pithy one-liners that are pregnant with meaning and carry the message of the chapter well beyond the initial reading. In the chapter entitled, “Youth Ministry in one word,” McKee states, “We don’t need to bring people to Christ; we need to bring Christ to them.” In the chapter with the same title as the book, he sums up Jesus’ message to the woman at the well, “I don’t care where you have been, I care where you are going.”

The later half of the book is more technical and will seem very familiar to those who have been around the student ministry world for any length of time. Though the second half is technical, it is practical and will serve as a great refresher for veteran youth pastors as well as a primer for volunteer workers and those who are new to the world of student ministry.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously looking to reach out to unchurched teenagers in today’s culture. The book is both passionate and practical, I just wish it had been around in the late 90’s when I began working with students. I would have learned quicker some of the lessons I have had to learn through experience.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Do They Run When They See You Coming?: Reaching Out to Unchurched Teenagers (affiliate link) the retail price is $9.99 (paperback), and is worth every penny. I purchased my copy at Amazon.com (affiliate link) in the used section for about $5.00. I gave it five stars.