Book review: Reimagining the student experience by Brian Jensen and Sarah Visser

Abstract

through online resources. Others, like myself, will benefit from learning more how this can be done--the kinds of tools available for church leaders and teachers to create digital resources. Chapters nine through twelve offer practical counsel on how to integrate these seven elements into a ministry model to support lifelong faith formation and equip church members to develop and offer their own ministry “recipe.” This very practical section shows Roberto’s penchant for carefully thought out steps. There are a few things I love about this book, including Roberto’s passion and commitment to help the church develop strong faith formation ministries, addressing the family, intergenerational efforts, age/life-stage efforts, and individual approaches. I also love his challenge that we embrace a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid ministry models. I do believe that life on the other side of COVID-19 will indeed show the wisdom of this. I am challenged to expand my thinking about ways that digital resources might be utilized in ministry in many different ways. Some areas I need to think more about include how well Roberto’s description of a mature disciple fits my understanding of Scripture’s priorities for Christ’s followers. There is much here I can agree with, but perhaps some gaps that reflect my own understanding of the marks of a mature disciple. I also wonder about how far to go in developing resources for individualized pathways of growth, given the communal life, body imagery, and family language of the New Testament. I suspect our western tendencies toward self-fulfillment are in tension with a commitment to being part of a congregation and at times subordinating our own fulfillment to the needs of others. I think this is an excellent book for church ministry leaders to reflect upon, and see what they can learn to strengthen their churches” ministry efforts. I also think this would be an excellent text, both for undergraduate and graduate ministry courses, to help students think through the process of identifying ministry goals, understanding ministry contexts that support faith formation, and try out developing ministry strategies and resources that integrate online resources into their ministry design. It’s not a recipe book, but a ministry strategy book designed to help students and ministry leaders consider the essential elements of ministry to promote spiritual growth and maturity, something sorely needed in our churches today.