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Leaders who will lastStickers and lasters!FRUIT THAT WILL LAST & LEADERS WHO WILL LAST I have to confess that receiving these two books to review brought an internal groan to my heart! Two more 'how to' books for youth ministry when I've already read and encouraged many other youth leaders to read No Guts No Glory! More from the 'superhero' diocese of Sydney (do they do anything badly?). A fear that what I would find would be strategies and programme ideas that were hailed as dead-cert winners for every local church - except Tim Hawkins has never visited the inner-city housing estates of South Leeds! Having said all that I was heartened to see that the books set out to address the issue of lasting impact - it was the wise pastor who reminded me, 'Don't count your converts - weigh them'. I approve!Fruit that will last turned my cynical groans to nods of approval and encouragement in double-quick time. Without saying anything that is earth-shatteringly new, Tim Hawkins makes it absolutely clear that only youth ministry that is Bible-centred, and Bible-teaching undertaken by leaders who are humble learners and followers themselves, will have any lasting effect in the lives of 21st-century young people. His 'Biblical Plan' and model of 'Bringing In - Building Up - Sending Out' is very helpful, but best of all for me was the section given over to the youth worker's personal walk with God. To be a devoted disciple with a strong pastoral heart is the need of the hour for our church-based youth ministers. All gospel ministers (youth or otherwise) would benefit from the reminders given based on 1Thessalonians 2.6-12 - Care Gently, Love Genuinely, Work Hard, Live with Integrity and Encourage Firmly. The programming ideas are both realistic and practical and the appendices give helpful templates that could be adapted to your particular situation. The final chapter - Staying Fresh for the Long Haul - reflects Tim's 21 years of learning and ought to be read by youth leaders and those who appoint them. Why another book?Leaders who will last reflects the same biblical convictions but I was left wondering why Tim felt the need to write this second book. Much of the section on 'Grow your Leadership Character' appears to be merely a fleshing out of the material in the previous book. It is very good material, however, and his distinction between skills, qualities and character traits, along with an excellent eight-point spiritual health check for leaders, is particularly helpful. You can't get very far into either of these books without realising that Tim Hawkins sees youth ministry as anything but the domain of the 'super-hero'. Throughout, there are numerous references to servant hood and shepherd-leadership. Real ministry is not about the magnetic personality or the latest trendy sound bite. His much-needed assertion that youth leaders are primarily Bible teachers reflects his desire to make God the 'hero' - the most important bit, he says, is what is God really saying? Our prayer should be that God would bring fruit that will last to the youth ministries of our local churches. We should encourage our youth leaders to resist the temptation of quick fix substitutes that might be attractive in the short term but will prove ineffective in the long haul. And long haul ministry needs long haul ministers, with long haul support from the churches they serve. The Yorkshire shoe factory was right when it was looking for new recruits: 'We need stickers and lasters'! Mike Wildsmith,
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