Tag: unchurched

Do They Run When They See You Coming (Book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, student ministryLeave a comment

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.

Review: Lost and Found

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and The Churches That Reach Them, is a book by Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes.  In it, the authors provide a great analysis of who eighteen-to-twenty-somethings are and what churches are doing to reach them.  It’s no secret that many young adults leave or never enter the fellowship of a local church. This book seeks to find the answer not only to why congregations are not reaching them, but how they can effectively reach out to them.  It is full of surprises and challenges.  I highly recommend it to pastors, church leaders, and anyone with an interest in reaching the young adult population.

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The book is divided into three main categories.

  • Polling. Which covers the raw data and the reasoning for the survey.  The author’s do a great job of breaking the data down into charts and statistics that can easily be interpreted and understood.
  • Listening. In addition to polls, the research team also invested in over 5oo personal interviews with young adults across the polling spectrum in order to gain more valuable information.  The findings of the interviews are shared in chapter format covering the generalities in regular text and setting out key images that often rose to the top.
  • Reaching. In this section of the book the authors’ turn their attention to the churches that are reaching this segment of the population in seemingly unprecedented numbers.  In doing so they breakdown what seem to be the similarities among how they appeal to young adults and the practical steps they are taking to be even more diligent in reaching this generation.

Lost and Found is a great read and the authors  include several good features.  The authors strive to present the material in such a way as to engage the reader not only with where young adults are, but  how to reach them.  They infuse the book with enough stories and quotes to ensure that the reader has not only heard the statistics, but has also heard the voice of this generation.  I give it five star rating.