Jeanne Mayo | delighted to share.

Great Student Ministry Resource

Ok. So this resource is a book, but I didn’t want to post it as yet another book review. This particular book is not one of the many sent to me from publishers for preview, it has actually been on the self in my office for two years. I picked it up at the National Youth Ministry Conference (now called Simply Youth Ministry Conference) in Columbus, Ohio in 2009, only to lose it in a well intentioned pile of “stuff to read.” I finally rediscovered it a couple days ago.

This book is an easy, interesting read, that is of course if your interested or maybe even obsessed with youth ministry. It outlines what should be common-sense student ministry strategy, but is so often overlooked. The author, Jeanne Mayo spend the entire book urging readers to build a “friendship culture” in their student ministries. As lame as that sounds, it really, really makes sense when you read it.

We youth workers are armed with the best intentions, but I know if I’m being honest with you and myself, it can be very intimidating for a teenager to visit our student ministry. When a new student walks in I make sure I go greet them. Tell them how great it is that they are here. Make sure that they fill out the student info card, which we all know is high on the Lord’s priority list. But then what. Maybe they are with a friend, and at least they have someone to sit with and follow around when everyone else know’s exactly what’s happening when. But what if they are solo? The very next Wednesday night after reading this book a new, not there with a friend student walked into our youth building a few minutes before the service began. An adult youth worker came to get me to let me know she was there, and I rushed out to say hello and meet mom. With Jeanne’s words fresh in my mind, I decided to behave exactly as I normally would, and watch things play out. Kind of a pop-quiz, gauging how effective we are as a student ministry to newcomers. Truthfully, it didn’t look good. After our exchange, no one greeted her. No one offered to sit next to her. No one asked her name. I can only hang my head when I consider how awkward it must have been for her.

After a call and a facebook to the new girl after the service doing my very best to communicate to her how much we enjoyed having her visit and how we hope she will be back again, with the insight of this book in tow, I have determined to COMPLETELY change the way I do ministry. If your in student ministry, I strongly recommend you grab this book and actually read it, like I should have two years ago, and let Jeanne Mayo point out the should be obvious.