Published by Battle Ground Creative, in association with Youth Alive North Texas, this book was a collaboration between Kyle Embry, myself, and 18 other youth pastors and leaders from across the nation. I served as Senior Editor, Project Manager, and contributed 5 chapters, including a fictional story called Faces in the Crowd. What I liked best about this project was that it was a team effort; no one person gets all of the credit for producing this excellent youth ministry resource.
Youth Alive is a nationwide school outreach ministry that is committed to reaching students in public schools. Youth Alive works with churches, pastors, students, parents, and teachers to inspire students to live better and be better. In the last three years, thousands of students have committed their lives to Jesus Christ through the ministries of Youth Alive in North Texas alone.
Many followers of Jesus long to reach their communities, but have no idea where to start. What if it was as simple as showing up at your local school?
The Gospel of Matthew concludes with Jesus calling His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations.” We’ve heard this Scripture hundreds of times, and it often scares us. The idea of making disciples of all nations is daunting. Just reaching our own cities seems impossible. With our culture becoming more and more turned off to the idea of a Higher Power, the public schools have truly become “America’s Unreached Mission Field.” That is why the local outreach strategy of every church must include the schools.
Hidden in Plain Sight was written by twenty leaders who possess a rich history of school outreach. They are not well-known individuals or the next big celebrity preachers. They are ordinary people who have felt the call to meet students where they are and encourage them to become fully committed followers of Christ who in turn reach out to others. These are the heroes of the faith who often remain in the shadows.
If you are a pastor, youth leader, student, or parent who desires to share Jesus within the context of your normal, every day life, this book is for you. It will inspire, challenge, and equip you with practical tools to “make disciples of all nations” without ever leaving your neighborhood.
