Pushing the Limits: Unleashing The Potential of Student Ministry
Thomas Nelson, 2006, 224 pp., $18.99
www.thomasnelson.com
Mike Calhoun and Mel Walker collected contributions from 16 authors to create this anthology of youth ministry issues. The combined years of experience among these authors provides a deep experiential base. Pushing the Limits is an overview of important issues in youth ministry: leadership, teaching, worship, evangelism, event preparation and the role of women in ministry. I appreciate the challenge to conduct “spiritual diagnosis” in chapter 3, and a strategic curriculum in chapter 7. There are wonderful lists and steps included throughout the book for those who seek them. However, from my perspective, Pushing the Limits didn’t … push the limits.
Many of the citations and illustrations convinced me this book would be a wonderful tool for youth pastors working in more conservative settings. Others may find little here.