Growing Young: 6 Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church

With the numbers of congregations declining in rapid succession in the recent years it can only be said that something had to be done. In comes Growing Young by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, Brad Griffin and the most inspirational and readable book to get the young to attend church and love all it has to offer. It may seem to be for a certain type of person but you can use so many of the prompts in real in general and get the same outcome. I think this book has so much to offer to any reader and it will also be the seed that will grow a nurturing relationship between the youth and the church. Such a relief to have a book devoted to the next generation that needs to connect before it is to late. Such an amazing book. I received a copy for this review from Baker Books and all opinions are my own.

This is a tremendous book for anyone who cares about young people and the Christian faith. In chapter one you will find an insightful list of ten things that churches do not need in order to connect with young adults. This in itself is enormously thought-provoking and helpful. The rest of the book outlines findings from research that highlight attitudes and actions which are present in churches that are successfully connecting with and integrating young people. I have been involved in youth ministry for almost thirty years and I know of no other single book that I believe will be as helpful to the church as this one. Christian churches all over the world rise and fall based on their effectiveness with reaching the younger generations. This book is a call to action that is based on solid research and filled with practical insights.

This well-researched and well-written book comes from the Fuller Youth Institute, one of the most trusted groups in youth ministry today, and that reputation is well-deserved. I found this book full of exceptional information, statistics are paired with real-life stories (even from a church or two that I'm familiar with!), and written in a style that is very accessible to anyone.

The most valuable part of the book, however, is that each chapter ends with not just one or two but many suggestions that can be put in place in the local church. Many of the suggestions can be enacted right away. Some of the suggestions sparked other things in my spirit that I want to try out in my local church. And I was able to begin sharing in sermons right away some of the information in the book and challenge my congregation to begin to think in terms of "growing young." After finishing the book, I am excited to see what might yet happen here.

You will not regret time spent with this book. I am keeping it on my desk rather than filing it away on the shelf because I know I will go back to this many times in the weeks and months to come.

I am a senior pastor of a local church and plan to also share this book with my youth director. In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided a copy of the this book in advance in return for an honest review, but I also purchased another copy to give away.