“I wish I was how I appear, because I despise the man in the mirror.” Benjamin Tod, “Using Again” I don’t know exactly how my anatomy began to be replaced by the anatomy of addiction, but it did….
I attended my first pastor’s conference back in 2011 at The Gospel Coalition National Conference in Chicago. I was still in seminary, fresh in ministry, and looking for help as a young (and very naïve) Youth Pastor. I…
One of the hardest things to deal with as a human being is unexplainable difficulty. It is not abnormal throughout the teenage years to lack confidence or hope as you navigate forward in a world that is becoming…
I’m about to dive into Numbers, Joshua, and then (oh joy) Judges. In our church, we teach middle, high schoolers, and parents as one big group during our Sunday School hour. We do this for the sake of…
Early in my youth ministry career, I remember reading an article by a really successful youth pastor claiming that each youth ministry event could have one and only one purpose. So for any given event, a youth leader…
Each month we compile a Top 10 list for the Rooted community. This list represents ten articles we believe will encourage and equip you to continue in your ministry to students and their families. If you have an…
I grew up in a small town outside of Boston. The friends you built Lego towers with in kindergarten were the same friends you walked with across the make-shift graduation stage in the gymnasium. That is why, at…
Walk into a room full of teenagers and quite possibly every one of them will be on their phone, more engaged online than with each other. Believe me, I know. I’ve seen it happening in my own house,…
We asked several experienced student ministers how they practically set and keep emotional boundaries – like getting too close to a student, or leaving one’s work at the office – in their ministries. We hope their wisdom sparks…
