Welcome to the new school year! Here at Rooted, we know that the fall can be one of the busiest times of the year for a youth minister. With this in mind, we want to help equip you with resources to share with parents for any upcoming Fall Kickoff or Back-to-School Nights you might be planning. We are passionate about helping you partner with parents to disciple teenagers both in the church and at home, so we hope these resources are helpful, encouraging, and edifying for you, the parents, and their children.
For Parents:
Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp: As a ministry to parents and youth pastors, Rooted could not be more excited about the update and re-release of a parenting classic, Paul David Tripp’s Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens. Because the principles in the original are founded on Scripture, the core of the book is timeless and as helpful as ever. But Tripp and the good folks at P&R Publishing have taken this new volume a step further, applying those biblical principles to contemporary challenges such as social media, pornography, and the debates around sexuality and gender which are such a part of our teenagers’ lives in this current moment. Be sure to check out our interview with Tripp on the Rooted Parent Podcast, as well.
Podcast: “Ministry to Parents: a Youth Worker Roundtable Discussion” In this episode of the Youth Culture Matters Podcast, youth culture expert Walt Mueller and current youth workers discuss how to effectively partner with parents in youth ministry. This episode includes tips, strategies, and helpful resources for doing ministry with parents as you begin a new school year.
Ruth Cho Simmons and Troy Simmons on “4 Truths To Preach to Yourself This Back-to-School Season” In this video, Ruth and Troy Simmons encourage parents with 4 biblical truths for a new year at school: 1) Kids are shaped more by how we handle stress than how we prevent it. 2)You and your kids are works in progress. 3)You are not behind. Start stewarding what you’ve been given today. 4) Because God designed us for a relationship with him, we can learn!
We hope this video can be used to encourage parents in your youth group and point them to the Truth of God’s Word as they—and their children—face a new school year.
Why Families Should Prioritize the Local Church by Katie Polski, article on Rooted blog. “Most places of community are not intended to last a lifetime. We lose connectedness in school and sports communities when our kids graduate or move on to a different team. The church’s relationships are different.”
Teenagers, Parents, and the Anxiety Epidemic: What a Counselor Wants You to Know. It’s a new school year, and you no doubt have parents who are eager to help their anxious teenagers. In this article, counselor Lisa Clay instructs parents on how to relate to and care for their anxious child. She writes: “Listening to our anxious teen and allowing ourselves to have a soft, but not raw, posture creates connection. This is vital to anxiety management. Remember that a crying baby is usually soothed by contact with someone they love. That same powerful love still binds the anxious teenager and their parent.”
Ask Alice: What if My Child Doesn’t Like Youth Group? Rooted podcast producer Davis Lacey and host Alice Churnock dive into this week’s questions, including, “Should I force my child to go to youth group?”, “Is it OK for my child to attend another church’s youth group?”, “How can I support my child’s youth leaders while respecting my child’s space?”, and more.
Rooted Reservoir Family Ministry- Coming Soon!!
Do parents in your church ever have questions about how they can disciple their child at home? Do you wish you had a resource for them to learn what it looks like to raise children in a faithful and biblical way? We at Rooted certainly have, so we are very excited to announce the launch of Rooted Reservoir Family Ministry online video courses—set to launch on September 15, 2022.
In these courses, parents will have the opportunity to learn about prevalent topics related to at-home discipleship such as: Bible reading, family worship, pornography, idolatry, cross-cultural discipleship, and much more.
Each course is comprised of 2-10 classes designed for parents to watch in a small group or Sunday School setting. Additionally, every class includes an inductive, Bible-based curriculum for parents to complete as they watch these videos.
We hope you will encourage the parents in your ministry to watch these videos as a way for them to be encouraged and equipped as they seek to point their children to a life-long faith in Jesus.
Click here to receive a free sneak peek of some of the classes offered in this new product!
To Share With Teenagers:
The Jesus I Wish I Knew in High School- edited by Charlotte Getz and Cameron Cole
Let’s face it: the high school days are tough. They can be made even tougher if teenagers are facing it without the hope, peace, and joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this book, thirty different authors of various ages, backgrounds, and contexts share how their encounters with Jesus brought healing, rest, and purpose to their lives. Each writer reveals what they wish they knew earlier: when you know Jesus, you know what it’s like to be perfectly loved and accepted, you have hope for the future, and you experience grace and mercy when you mess up.
Whether you read this book with a small group, gift it to a teenager you love, or recommend it to a parent to read with their high schooler, we hope that it encourages you to know and love Jesus more.
And For You, Youth Leader:
Rooted Reservoir Curriculum: If you’re leading a Bible study this Fall, we hope you will check out our Bible-based curriculum on Rooted Reservoir. We offer curriculum packages on multiple books of the Bible, as well as “Foundations of Grace”, “Biblical Worldview” and “Gospel Foundations.” These curricula are great tools for both youth ministers and youth volunteers, as each comes with both a student guide and a leader guide. We hope these help you and your students to grow in knowledge and love of God and his Word this school year.
May God bless you and your students in this newest season of ministry!
