David Hertweck - Good Kids, Big Events, and Matching Tshirts: Changing the Conversation on Health in Youth Ministry

David Hertweck captures the struggle many of us have in youth ministry as we try to define the metrics by which we evaluate the success of our ministries. He provides practical steps to go beyond behavior to a deeper, transformative practice of youth ministry. Whether youre new to youth ministry or a veteran, youll find something here that will encourage and inspire you to better youth ministry.

Mark Matlock

president, Youth Specialties; author of many books including
Raising Wise Children and Living A Life That Matters;
www.youthspecialties.com

Leadership isnt the task of simply providing answers. Often, its about reframing questions. Thats exactly what David does in a heartfelt way in Good Kids. I trust this book will be one you go back to time and time again as a needed reminder of what questions to ask. I hope you go through it with your team and help them to think, grow, and lead more effectively. I also pray that this will make a difference not only in your ministry but in your heart.

Doug Fields

bestselling author of multiple books, including Purpose-Driven Youth
Ministry; cofounder of Downloadyouthministry.com

Good Kids doesnt promise easy answers it delivers on biblical ones. It doesnt promise a sexy splash that magnetizes a teenagers interest it delivers Spirit-directed motivation that will endure the test of time. And perhaps even more life-giving, it doesnt call for the youth leader to be a talented, golden-tongued orator who is a standup comic during off hours. Instead, it calls for every youth leader to carefully align their priorities and patterns in youth ministry up against the New Testament and take their cues solely from there.

Jeanne Mayo

president, youth leaders coach, director and founder, The Cadre;
director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, Victory World Church, Atlanta,
Georgia; speaker, leadership coach, and author

Im thankful that my friend, David Hertweck, is talking about the need to evaluate the health of youth ministry. In Good Kids he challenges us to go deeper to really know if were making lifelong disciples of our students. The challenge isnt easy. We might not like what we find. But as David says, students lives are at stake. We cant afford not to take this challenge and change this conversation.

Scotty Gibbons

national youth ministries strategist, National Leadership and Resource
Center, General Council of Assemblies of God, author of The Big Ten: A
Quick-Access Guide to Youth Ministry Essentials

How does something so primary to the church as the gospel message of Jesus get lost along the way? Dave Hertweck skillfully and compassionately points the church back to the true good news: the person of Jesus Christ. Church leaders need to put this book on their must-read list and then apply the principles in their ministries to generate spiritual transformation in every Christ-follower.

Garland Owensby, DED Min

Professor, Bible & Church Ministries,
Southwestern Assemblies of God University

For youth leaders everywhere, David Hertweck has given us a tool that will help us be honest about how we engage with the ministry God has given us. From behavior modification to the music we use in our worship services, David sheds light on some of the reasons teenagers find our meetings less than compelling. If youre ready to take an honest look at what your work is actually producing, get out your pen and paper while you read this. Together, we can set higher standards for our gatherings that will ultimately help students see Jesus.

Andy Braner

president, KIVU, author of ALONE: Finding Connection in a
Lonely World, speaker and dreamer

Have you ever asked yourself as a youth pastor or youth leader, Are we building a student ministry thats actually making disciples? If that question resonates with you, read this book! In Good Kids, Big Events, & Matching T-Shirts, David Hertweck explores how we evaluate success in youth ministry by bringing it back to the main point: making disciples. David provides questions that youth leaders should ask themselves about gospel fluency, Spirit dependency, and biblical community. I love the inclusion of concrete tips from youth leaders nationwide to help develop these three vital characteristics within a youth ministry context. Youll laugh, youll pause and reflect, and youll get hungry (Dave is a foodie!), but most importantly, youll be reminded of what a true gospel-centered youth ministry looks like!

Tyler Sollie

network youth director, Northwest Ministry Network

The conversation surrounding youth ministry changed a long time ago. The travesty is that many still arent addressing it. David provides a fresh perspective to those who are both engaged and disengaged from the landscape of faith and adolescence. The tension between the gospel and what we think we know will become either a challenge or a catalyst for the days ahead. In Good Kids David makes it clear that for leaders willing to ask the hard questions the days ahead are bright. Im immensely thankful for Davids voice in this evolving conversation. I highly recommend this book!

Heath Adamson

national youth director, National Leadership and Resource Center,
General Council of the Assemblies of God

David Hertweck has opened the door for an important conversation on the fundamental goals of youth ministry. We need to revisit the metrics and methods of the past in light of the shifting culture of the American church. The new metrics of gospel fluency, Spirit dependency, and biblical community this book offers will help focus the future of youth ministry in a healthy direction. While this new conversation will look different everywhere, the language David introduces in this new book can guide any youth ministry toward a fuller expression of what it looks like for students to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century. Im honored to call this gifted author a ministry friend and brother.

Matt Rule

district youth director, South Texas Youth Ministries

Throughout the years, weve seen several trends in youth ministries. Some have helped youth ministry; others have hurt it. But one thing is certain. Our congregations and communities are in extreme need of youth groups equipped with the essential Christ-centered tools needed to raise up generations of young leaders and servants willing to follow Jesus Christ and to lift up His name wherever they go. The future pastors, teachers, ministers, politicians, lawyers, doctors, mothers, and fathers will come from todays youth ministries. Thats why Bible-centered foundations are vital for the education and growth of these future leaders. In Good Kids David Hertweck provides youth ministries with imperative foundations to establish healthy youth groups for the present and the future.

Eddie Zaldana

district youth director, Spanish Eastern District

David Hertweck is a gifted leader, communicator, and author. This book is a must-read for every youth leader who wants their young people to embrace a lifelong pursuit of following Jesus. David brings an urgent, relevant, and much-needed message that will benefit every person who works with young people. Be prepared to be inspired, provoked, and equippedyou wont finish this book disappointed.

Kent Hulbert

Youth Alive

This book is a must-read for anyone serious about doing youth ministry in this culture. David is candid, sharing experiences from his personal life and years of youth ministry. Youll find the book both informative and transformational, as it offers practical ways to help students fall in love with Jesus. In short, this book is about grace; were helpless without the grace of God. David gets that. I recommend this book for every youth pastor and youth worker.