Acknowledgments

I’m not all that original; I just seem to be able to get the tune out of my head and onto my lips a little before others do. When I hum it, others often say, “That tune was in my mind already, but I just couldn’t access it.”

Brian McLaren

This book is a culmination of countless conversations with partners in ministry who have been bold enough to join in this adventure of failing forward. This book would have been undeniably less without the influence, support and loyal opposition of a wide assortment of companions on the journey:

The dream team youth staff at First Presbyterian Church of Nashville (B. J., Ellie, Erika, Linda, Mary Lee, Matt, Trey and Becky), who know the reality of trying to build a sustainable youth ministry and how often we fall short of our own dreams.

The youth and adult leaders of FPC who have, again and again, surprised us with the ways that they have embraced a deeper, richer, more honest journey with Christ than any of our great ideas could have ever produced.

Tom and Lisa’s Youth Leader Parent group, who dedicated months to reading, reviewing and giving the kind of input that has hopefully made these pages just a little more useful to the people who need them most.

The curious cohort of holy friends on our Youth Ministry Architects lead staff (Jeff, Colyer, Lesleigh, Jen, Lynn, Sara, Dave, Jack and Marie), who lived the principles of this book years before we had time to put them in writing. We all know that for everything in these pages that works, there were countless half-baked ideas that, thanks to you, never made it out of the laboratory.

Our growing family of YMA churches, who have entrusted us with the awesome privilege of mentoring, befriending and partnering in this journey of building sustainable youth ministries one church at a time.

The team at the Center for Youth Ministry Training (Deech, Keeley, Will, Lesleigh, the CYMT board of directors and the Lilly Foundation), for their relentless commitment to dream big dreams for the future of youth ministry and for the bridges they are building between the academy and those of us who find ourselves working with youth every day.

My own great cloud of witnesses, including

my pastor, Todd Jones, and the elders and staff of First Presbyterian Church, who grant me much more freedom and honor than I deserve

Rick, Doug, Andy, and the folks at Group, Simply and youthministry .com

Kenda, Amy, Dayle, Kendy, Emily, Pat and all the folks in the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, who have provided a forum for turning vague, fragmented ideas into systemic ways of conceptualizing youth ministry

Jim, Wayne, Mary and our friends at Homeword

Chan Sheppard, my running buddy and number one counselor who solidifies my thinking and listens deeply through my labored breathing, and his wife, Ginger, who has a way of turning my chaos into order

Anne, Kristen, David, Ian and Julian, for your role in YMA’s incremental revolution

George and Trish, Kirk and Debbie, Chuck and Penny, Craig and Sherri, Karl, Scott and Elaine, Andy and Sue, Dan, Steve and Mary Lee, Billy and Cathryn, Robert and Bobbie, Mark and Kate, Mom, Dad, Louise, Gene and Bernice, John and Delia, Rick, the Mat Friends, and the Nashville Youth Ministry Geezers

My faithful and forgiving editor, Cindy Bunch, who always has a way of making me sound better than I ever could have without her.

Adam, Sara, Debbie and Leigh, who have long since moved from being our children to being our dearest friends and partners in the gospel.

My bride, Susan. You’re right. No man ever had it so good.

And to the God who has a way of working best through those broken enough to allow the light of Christ to shine through the cracks.

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