Four Plumblines to Parent with Grace

What does it mean to be a gospel-centered parent? As a youth minister who is also a parent, I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I may have a bit of insight. At our church, we often…

We Must Never Forget Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

Over a decade ago, Christian Smith published a groundbreaking study about the religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers. The researchers coined the terminology, moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD), which became a buzzword in youth ministry circles for several…

Katy Perry Missed the Gospel of Grace

While the Rooted Blog Team enjoys some end-of the year time off, enjoy these past articles from 2017. Each of these are worth both a first and a second read. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I…

Faithful Are the Wounds of a Friend in Ministry

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Proverbs 27:6 “Some kids will never hear your voice, and that’s ok.” I remember fighting against the truth of those words even as they were coming from the lips of my…

Confessions of a Struggling Youth Minister

“How are you doing?” I don’t know about you, but in my Bible Belt ministry context, this combination of words poses as a friendly greeting at best, and at worst represents a question that one rarely answers truthfully….

To Inspire Awe, You Must be in Awe

After playing a show dedicated to the work of Rich Mullins, musician Andrew Peterson wrote a beautiful article on the impact Mullins made in his own life. In that article, Peterson includes this memory of seeing Mullins perform…