Foundations for Youth Ministry

“A must for anyone involved in youth ministry. Dean Borgman is a man who has done his homework and paid his dues. This book gives the crucial theological framework necessary for youth ministry. It is relevant and accurate in its understanding of youth culture, particularly of urban youth culture.”

Allen A. Belton

“Dean Borgman has been around since the early days of Young Life. He started Young Life’s suburban ministry in New England in the 1950s and helped begin Young Life’s overall urban thrust in the United States in the 1960s. He has been deeply involved in training and research and has taught hundreds of Young Life staff and management personnel on adolescent culture and youth ministry in the last several decades. In the last decade, Dean has been involved in the coordination and expansion of Young Life’s ministry in Africa and the Middle East. On the subject of youth ministry Dean brings wisdom, a lifetime of experience, and a great track record. I highly recommend his book.”

Denny Rydberg

“Dean Borgman has been a wonderful mentor and teacher for hundreds of youth workers throughout the years. In this excellent work he brings theological integrity, depth, and years of wisdom like nothing else I have seen in our field.”

Jim Burns

“In youth ministry it’s not enough to know what to do. We must know why we do it. Dean Borgman’s book gives us the why with depth. This is practical theology at its best.”

Tony Campolo

“Writing with the lens of a theologian, the heart of a pastor, and welcome doctrinal breadth, Dean Borgman has provided a field book of pastoral theologies that take seriously the social systems shaping the lives of adolescents—never mind that Borgman knows more about youth culture than anybody alive. This book is a significant step toward the long-awaited conversation about theology and youth ministry in postmodern culture.”

Kenda Creasy Dean