Book Reflection: Deep Justice in a Broken World

Chap Clark and Kara E. Powell of the Fuller Youth Institute published a book in 2007 that, I hope, makes the pursuit of justice within the reach and understanding of every youth minister. There are solid development principals throughout this book (or so my wife tells me), but the language is simplified. The content of this book is also multi-disciplinary. The authors employ basic biblical studies, education theory, ministry experience and more. Topics explored include racial reconciliation, economic justice and very practical, useful, advice on how to mobilize youth.
The greatest strength of this book is how clear it makes it that moving toward justice with youth means more than service projects and short term mission trips. Not only do the authors call these practices into question, but they provide tangible steps toward helping youth find their own ways to right wrongs.
I also especially enjoyed the interviews in the book. At the end of every chapter, the authors ask a leader in the field a few questions regarding the topic of that chapter. Some contributors are experienced youth leaders; others are experts in development or famous church leaders. Their contributions put heart into the very practical content of the book. They also share some very moving stories.
This book, and its companion, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, are not the most well written books about youth ministry available, but they are must reads. The conversations that can come from this content can help us to develop healthy youth ministries that shape young lives and serve the communities around us.

Book Reflection: Deep Ministry in a Shallow World

I recently read a book called Deep Ministry in a Shallow World by Chap Clark and Kara E. Powell. This book was published in 2006, but I read it recently after perusing the website of the Fuller Youth Institute. Our church has been having some exciting conversations about the youth ministry recently, and it was necessary that I do some reading on the subject.
While the writing is not great, and the design of the book is obnoxious, the content is quite valuable. For example, in the first chapter the authors explore the usual shallow solutions to the challenges faced in youth ministry. Their first observation of common shallow solutions: more of the same. The authors provide an example of the thought process that may lead to a fallacy such as this. “Small groups on Sunday’s aren’t clicking, but that’s because the students don’t know one another all that well. If they met on Tuesday nights, then we could move past pseudo-community and into real life relationships” We often decide what we need is more; more leaders, more money, more time, etc. In reality, most of us simply need to stop and listen. We need to listen to students, parents, and the Lord. In my assessment, the most valuable aspect of this book is the way it causes the reader to look into the mirror. This text also provides many practical examples of what a youth leader might be able to do in order to move into a deeper ministry.
There are two glaring omissions from this book, and they are not the weird sidebar prompts or the overuse of the infinity symbol in their diagrams (though both are glaring). First, there is little call for personal growth and deep change in the youth minister. For this subject, I would recommend a short book by Eugene Peterson (author of The Message) called Working the Angles. The other glaring omission is the call of the church, and youth ministry, to work towards justice. For this, I would recommend a book by the same authors, Chap Clark and Kara E. Powell. In 2007, they published Deep Justice in a Broken World. I will be reflecting on this book next.