Last August, about six of us, people who work with preteens, gathered together at Group publishing (At the invitation of Group) and for four days we participated in a Preteen Think Tank. As a result of that meeting, we contributed to the publishing of three books about preteen ministry. These books are packaged together to form what Group calls “Preteen Launchable kit”.

Here is a brief description of what you will find in “Preteen Launchables.”

Propel Your Preteens on an Unending Journey of Faith!

Whether you’re launching a new preteen ministry or refueling a current program, here’s everything you need to…

Understand how God wired your preteens – socially, spiritually, intellectually, physically, and emotionally

Connect with preteens – through great games, slammin’ service ideas, wow worship, powerful parent involvement, rockin’ retreats, and exciting events!

Plan to succeed with preteens – sure-fire, practical ministry solutions – including igniting to right vision, recruiting the right team, sharing the right message, and so much more!

Kit includes:

3 mini-books packed with tons of expert advice
3 discussion-starter game pieces–complete with 20 ideas for engaging discussion starters
70 proven ideas
100’s of insights
2 BONUS volunteer training sessions
And much more!

THIS IS A MUST READ!

This book a must read for single-parent mom of boys and for anyone who works with preteen boys that live in single-parent-mom house. In this book, author Donald Miller, reflects on his own life of growing-up with out a dad. He talks candidly about the effects it had on him and the struggles and trials that he has gone through.

Many people do not understand the power and effect of having an involved dad can have on a young man. When I was in undergraduate school, I remember hearing in one of my counseling classes, my professor make a statement that the father is the filter of the home. The father is the one who controls what words are used, what entertainment is aloud in the home, and etc… What he was essentially saying is that the father is the one who will ultimately dictate what the morals and values will be in the home – and when the father’s morals and values are out of whack or absent, the kids (Especially boys)will also take the shape or lack-of-shape as that of the father’s.

This book will help you be prepared to better help your son, or the young man that you minister to. It will help you understand his thought process and decision making and it will help you understand his heart! I stumbled upon this book last year and read it in a couple of days. It made me laugh and it made me bawl my eyes out (People who know me, know that I don’t cry easily). My wife also read it with me and said that through this book, she can understand me better. This book has helped me on my own personal journey and has also helped me in my ministry. I am deeply grateful for Donald Miller writing this book…

I must add hear that my senior minister at the church I minister at told me that we must remember that just because there is a dad in the house doesn’t necessarily mean that he is there.

This is a must read book for dads of preteen boys. This book answers the question – “what does it mean to be a man,” but more importantly it answers the question by showing fathers and sons what it means to be a godly man. The book, written by Dr. Robert Lewis (He is the teaching pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Ark.), gives great insight on a father’s role in guiding his son into “Authentic Manhood.” This book has influenced me as a dad of an 11 year old son and as a preteen pastor. It has also influenced our an event in our preteen ministry, that we have been doing for the past three years called Becoming a Modern Day Knight. This is an event that we do with our 6th grade boys and their dads. If you are a dad, I recommend this book to you.

If you have not read this book, then you need to read it! All the statistics on the home page of this website are from this book. This is a book that you will want to buy and give to fellow staff members, such as your senior pastor, youth pastor (If you are not the youth pastor), or your children’s pastor (If you are not the children’s pastor). You will also want to give it to the leadership of your church or organization that you work at (Such your elders, directors, ministry team leaders, and etc…).

If there is a book that calls for the a serious look as to why preteens are one of the most important age groups that we should focus our time and resources on, then this is it! There is not enough room on this page for me to tell how this book has influenced me both personally and professionally.

BUY IT – READ IT – SHARE IT!

I personally have not researched this book, but I do know that Vicki Courtney has done some really neat stuff in regards to purity issues for girls and their moms. I also heard she does a preteen purity event as well (It’s name is also “between”).

We have been doing a purity retreat for 5th -6th grade girls and their moms for three years (We call ours Unveiled), and it has been a huge hit with them. I would encourage you to take a look at the website (www.virtuousreality.com) or if you want to know what we do for our purity retreat, please contact me and I would love to share with you.

Description of book from website:
between

between is an insightful book for preteen girls that looks and reads like an irresistibly fun magazine.  between offers a wealth of wisdom to a booming and most impressionable audience. Through colorful articles, quizzes, games, and lists, girls age eight to twelve are encouraged to grow spiritually and socially in every major area of life. Still, most admirably, the book encourages girls to enjoy being their age rather than succumbing to modern culture’s temptations to grow up too fast.