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I received 10 Mistakes I Made in Youth Ministry compliments of New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review.
10 Mistakes I Made in Youth Ministry is the debut title by pastor and former youth minister Steve Eatmon. The book takes readers through ten mistakes Eatmon made as a youth pastor and helps readers learn from them. The book’s intended audience is youth pastors, but as a youth ministry leader, I identified with many of the anecdotes shared. Each of the book’s chapters explores one of the ten mistakes, which are:
#1: Not Tending to My Own Garden
#2: Missing the Heart of the Matter
#3: Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees
#4: Living in a Bubble
#5: Making It About the Ones and the Twos, Not the Emmas and the Drews
#6: Sidelining Parents
#7: Not Enforcing Discipline
#8: Harboring a Savior Complex
#9: Using a Poor Vetting Process
#10: Lacking Attention to Detail
Overall, the book is a helpful reminder that while we plant and water as ministry leaders, it truly is God who causes the growth. Many of the mistakes were relatable, as I’ve made them myself. While the book brought to mind moments where I made similar mistakes, it also encouraged me with God’s sovereignty over them.
I appreciated the reminder for leaders to invest in and appreciate the other adults they serve with. I am primarily responsible for the administrative work for my church’s youth ministry, so I particularly enjoyed chapter ten. This book is just 110 pages, making it a quick read. I finished it in a weekend and highly recommend it to anyone who serves in youth ministry.
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