Don't gamble on finding the right youth pastor for your church. Invest the time and energy in a deliberate, intentional plan for conducting the best search possible!

Finding the right youth pastor for your congregation can be a daunting task. Where do you find the best applicants? How should you structure the search process? Which people from your church should interview the candidates?

You'll find answers to those questions in Before You Hire a Youth Pastor, along with insights and strategies from Mark DeVries and Jeff Dunn-Rankin. These veteran youth workers and consultants know that the healthiest congregations take responsibility for their student ministries and hire youth pastors who can steward those ministries effectively.

Avoid a "normal" search that produces predictable, average resultsÑa youth worker who isn't aligned to the church's vision, a youth pastor who doesn't stay around long, or any number of other outcomes that limit the vitality of your youth ministry. Instead, use this book as a guide for conducting an "abnormal" search that leads you to the right person for your congregation.

This book is the ideal resource for senior pastors and church leaders responsible for hiring a new youth pastor. Before You Hire a Youth Pastor delivers advice and strategies on such topics as:

• Preparing for an exceptional search
• Building and structuring your search team
• Screening and researching candidates
• Conducting effective interviews
• Setting up your new youth pastor to succeed
• Communicating proactively

Before You Hire a Youth Pastor offers a field-tested, step-by-step alternative to rolling the dice. You don't have to settle.


Mark DeVries is the founder of Youth Ministry Architects (ymarchitects.com), a consulting team specializing in working with youth ministries in transition. Mark is the author of Sustainable Youth Ministry and Family-Based Youth Ministry, and, since 1986, he has served as the Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jeff Dunn-Rankin is Vice President of Consulting for Youth Ministry Architects. Since the late 90s, he has also been the Director of Youth at Christ United Methodist Church in Venice, Florida. Other writing projects include his GROUP Magazine column and co-writing The Indispensable Youth Pastor with Mark DeVries.