Why the Endless Pursuit of "More" Won't Save the ChurchIn an era of church decline, pastors and ministry leaders face intense pressure to grow--more attendance, more influence, more reach, more budget. But what if this relentless pursuit of "more" is actually a form of modern idolatry?In Baal and the Gods of More, leading practical theologian Andrew Root challenges everything you thought you knew about church growth and success. You'll discover how...

A Hopeful Approach to Evangelism"Evangelism" is a contested, even conflicted word. But churches are declining in numbers and resources. What if we aren't thinking about evangelism in the right way, culturally or theologically? This book contextualizes evangelism in our late modern times and reimagines what the call to outreach means in today's world.Our sad times are made sadder by the realization that our all-out pursuit of happiness has made us stressed, ...

Youth ministers were once missionaries, meeting teenagers where they gathered in schools, malls, and parking lots. But over the past decade, something changed. Youth workers have struggled to connect with anxious kids glued to their phones and have found themselves filling the role of therapist for adolescents coming of age on the internet.We need a new approach. A veteran in youth ministry, Andrew Root explains how the church got here--and why soothing teenagers hasn't alleviated ...

What is youth ministry actually for? And does it have a future?Andrew Root, a leading scholar in youth ministry and practical theology, went on a one-year journey to answer these questions. In this book, Root weaves together an innovative first-person fictional narrative to diagnose the challenges facing the church today and to offer a new vision for youth ministry in the 21st century.Informed by interviews that Root conducted with parents, this book explor...

A New Vision for Pastoral Ministry TodayIn Faith Formation in a Secular Age, the first book in his Ministry in a Secular Age trilogy, Andrew Root offered an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulated how faith can be formed in our secular age. In The Pastor in a Secular Age, Root explores how this secular age has impacted the identity and practice of the pastor, obscuring his or her core vocation: to call ...

A New Vision for Faith Formation in a Secular AgeThe loss or disaffiliation of young adults is a much-discussed topic in churches today. Many faith-formation programs focus on keeping the young, believing the youthful spirit will save the church. But do these programs have more to do with an obsession with youthfulness than with helping young people encounter the living God?Leading practical theologian Andrew Root offers an alternative take on the issue of ...

Why does divorce cause so much strain and long-term distress for children of all ages?Andrew Root, a recognized authority on youth ministry and a child of divorce himself, explains that divorce causes children to question their core identity. Since a child is the product of the union of a mother and father, when that union ends, he or she experiences a baffling sense of loss of self--a loss of his or her very sense of being. Root redirects efforts for assisting chi...

Even if you know you’re called to youth ministry and are passionate about the students in your group, you’ve probably had a few of those moments when you’ve wondered why you’re doing certain things in your ministry, or wondered why you’re even doing youth ministry in the first place.If you’ve ever stopped to ask, “What’s the point of youth ministry?” …In Taking Theology to Youth Ministry, Andrew Root invites you along on a journey with Nadia—a fictional yo...

Named a 2014 Jesus Creed **Book of the Year (Biography)Best New Contribution to Bonhoeffer Studies & Best Youth Ministry Book for 2014,** Hearts & Minds BooksThe youth ministry focus of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life is often forgotten or overlooked, even though he did much work with young people and wrote a number of papers, sermons, and addresses about or for the youth of the church. However, youth ministry ...

Think about sin and the cross—the way that salvation changes who we are and how God sees us. It’s a central part of our faith, and yet it’s one of the most confusing and difficult things to teach. Especially to a room full of teenagers.In Taking the Cross to Youth Ministry, Andrew Root invites you along on a journey with Nadia—a fictional youth worker who is wrestling with how to present the cross to her own students in a meaningful way. Using Nadia’s narrative, along with...

Unpacking Scripture in Youth Ministry focuses on how to teach and present the Bible in the lives of teenagers. Andrew Root argues that teens are constant interpreters – always asking the questions, who am I? and what do others think of me? – and so youth ministers must teach them to interpret the actions of God as revealed in the Bible. This view is different than teaching biblical knowledge – memory verses and Bible facts – and it’s different than teaching them to interpret the B...

In the bestselling tradition of Inside of a Dog and Marley & Me, a smart, illuminating, and entertaining read on why the dog-human relationship is unique--and possibly even "spiritual."Dr. Andrew Root's search for the canine soul began the day his eight-year-old son led the family in a moving Christian ritual at the burial service for Kirby, their beloved black lab. In the coming weeks, Root found himself wondering: What was this thing we'd experi...