LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
It’s Just a Phase So Don’t Miss It
Reading Report #1
CHMN 301 – D01
Foundations of Next Gen Ministry
Submitted to Dr. Steve Vandegriff
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
Summary
Conclusion
Introduction
Personal Response
Contents
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Introduction
Adolescents are the future. Just as children, and even more apparent, babies, are the
future. Although few people would disagree with those statements, most evangelical churches
and their ministry plans are void of meaningful and well-crafted plans to reach into the lives of
developing adults. This lapse is usually not because of ill intent or any maliciousness but simply
because most adults do not know how to relate to and connect with a younger demographic.
The church's structure is very adult-centric, and often, student and children's ministry are
afterthoughts or add-ons to the main event or service. This author believes that overlooking
and undervaluing children and student ministry is a tragedy that needs to become extinct.
Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivey wrote "It's Just a Phase So Don't Miss It" in an attempt to help
children and student leaders understand the different phases that their students experience. If
this resource is applied appropriately by student leaders, it will lead to a more intimate
understanding of their students' unique challenges.
Summary
As both a spiritual leader and a parent of children in several of the distinct phases
addressed by Mrs. Joiner and Mrs. Ivey, this author found this resource to be an invaluable one.
The resource leads its readers on a journey through the phases that begin at birth and span
approximately 936 weeks [Reggie Joiner (2019). (p. 15). A child's life span from birth through
graduation from high school is only 926 weeks; that is a sobering thought as a parent and a
pastor. Mrs. Joiner and Mrs. Ivey begin with an overview of the different phases, including their
unique advantages and disadvantages. They quickly move into explaining that one of the most
important concepts to remember is influence. Each phase and group have individuals within
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that can be influenced and that influence leveraged to reach others. Church leaders need to
focus on keeping all the staff on the same page so that as the children move through the
different areas and ministries, they feel consistency and, therefore, stability throughout their
career in the student ministries area.
Personal Response
One area that stood out to this author was the thought of influencing whoever has the
influence. "You can't champion a better future for kids unless you constantly challenge the
priorities of adults." [Reggie Joiner (2019). (p. 53). Student ministry leaders lead their students
and lead their parents, other staff members, and their influencers. Student leaders need to
constantly remind their peers of the importance of student ministry because it is easy to
marginalize.
Another simply profound concept taught is "You can't influence someone you don't
know" [Reggie Joiner (2019). (p. 78). This concept that the corporate world understands, yet the
church world tends to miss. This concept reminded this author that to communicate for change,
one needs to seek to understand before communicating. As leaders seek to help guide their
students through an endless stream of dilemmas, they need to understand their present
realities. Those realities are Mental, Physical, Relational, Cultural, Emotional, and
Moral. "Relationships help a kid resolve those challenges in a way that shapes their emotional
and moral responses." [Reggie Joiner (2019). (p. 86).
Conclusion
Lastly, the resource teaches its readers that every phase has unique opportunities that
leaders can leverage. Essentially this is the climax of the book; Lead like Love Matters. Leaders
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need to understand that one needs to lead like love matters above all else. Even Jesus, when
asked what the most important commandment was, He responded, "The greatest
commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and
strength." [Reggie Joiner (2019). (p. 172).
Throughout the book, Mrs. Joiner and Mrs. Ivey stress the importance of genuinely
studying to understand the developing student across all phases of their development. As a
parent and a spiritual leader, one needs to seek knowledge as a single strategy to help more
youth find and follow Jesus. When leaders genuinely seek to understand the phases that
students are going through, the student leader can cater their message to be best received by
the child and student. Ultimately, the goal is to bring more students into the Kingdom through
empathetic, strategic, and impactful ministry. This resource is a great help to understanding how
to accomplish that goal properly.
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Bibliography
[Reggie Joiner (2019). It's Just a Phase So Don't Miss It: Why Every Life Stage of a Kid
Matters and at Least 13 Things Your Church Should Do About It. Retrieved from
https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com]
