If you’re a youth pastor, chances are you have to get up in front of a group of teens and speak. It doesn’t take more than once to realize how difficult a task that can be. Some teens could care less what you say, others might be interested in what you’re saying but never hear you because they’re distracted by a group of peers goofing off. Are we just to teach them the Gospel over and over again, hoping and praying that the Holy Spirit will take over from there, helping kids to “catch” a nugget or two of what we’re trying to communicate?

Doug Fields and Duffy Robbins have teamed together and combined their years of youth ministry expertise to bring us Speaking to Teenagers: How to Think About, Create, & Deliver Effective Messages (Zondervan/YouthSpecialties, 2007, ISBN-0-310-27376-5). Both men write to us with years of experience of speaking to teens themselves. Their insight is a valuable tool for any youth worker looking to improve their communication efforts with teens.

Speaking to Teenagers begins with a basic understanding of communications theory and how those ideas play themselves out in a youth ministry setting. Then Fields and Robbins help us learn how to create, plan and study for our message. The humorous anecdotes jump out from every page, keeping this title from ever feeling like a Speech and Communications 101 text book.

Everyone who communicates with teens, especially in a group setting, will benefit from this book. The section about preparing and studying for a message is information that must be heard by the youth pastor crowd, who all too often neglect this part of their teaching ministry. Heeding the advice of Doug and Duffy will allow youth workers to reach teenagers in a more effective manner, persuading students to take what they’ve learned and put it into action.

—Chris Wagner

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For more information on resources to help you understand today's rapidly changing youth culture, contact the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding.

                ©2007, The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding