Author’s Tranquility Press Examines What It Takes to Build a Youth Ministry That Lasts
MARIETTA, GA – September 22, 2026 – Keeping young people engaged in church takes more than filling a Sunday evening with games, music and activities. A youth group may begin with a meeting place and a few willing volunteers, but building a ministry that young people genuinely want to be part of requires something deeper.
That is the territory Alan J. Kobs explores in Growing A Youth Group: Building a Leadership Team from Scratch, published in its 2026 edition by Author’s Tranquility Press. Drawing from 47 years in Christian education and youth ministry, Kobs brings together lessons, programs and approaches shaped by decades of working with young people and churches.
At the heart of the book is a straightforward idea: lasting youth ministry begins with relationships. Kobs treats relationship building as central to the work, emphasizing the importance of knowing young people, listening to them and creating an environment where they can participate meaningfully in the life of the church.
That also means giving teenagers room to lead. Kobs describes an approach in which adults remain actively involved while young people take on genuine responsibilities. Adult leaders guide discussions, provide perspective, look after safety and help teenagers navigate both successes and failures without taking over the ministry themselves. Kobs states, “I really believe young people can own their ministry — leading, serving, praying, making decisions, fundraising, and teaching outward — when adults create the right environment.”
The book stays close to the realities of ministry, moving from youth-led ministry and meeting planning to communication, fellowship, service, prayer, fundraising and peer mentoring. Practical resources are included as well, including forms Kobs used to learn more about young people and their families.
For churches starting with only a handful of teenagers, Kobs does not treat small numbers as a reason to wait. His approach is to work with the young people already present and consider what the ministry could become as relationships and participation develop.
For pastors, youth leaders and volunteers, Growing A Youth Group brings Kobs’s decades of experience into a practical discussion of what can give youth ministry deeper roots: relationships, responsibility, faith and meaningful participation by young people themselves.
Growing A Youth Group: Building a Leadership Team from Scratch is available for purchase on Amazon.
About the Author
Alan J. Kobs has spent 47 years working in Christian education and youth ministry. He began as a youth adviser in a local church and later pursued Christian education in seminary with an emphasis in youth ministry. His experience includes teaching workshops, helping develop a youth leadership conference for his presbytery, conducting workshops with Group Publishing, Inc., and consulting with local churches on their work with young people.
About Author’s Tranquility Press
Author’s Tranquility Press helps authors bring books to market through publishing, publicity, marketing, and distribution services.
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