We hosted a Rooted Webinar titled Navigating the Holiday Season as a Youth or Family Minister, in which we explored how to shepherd teenagers through the holidays with the grace of the gospel.
We covered topics such as:
How to integrate students and recent graduates into the life of the whole church
Keeping Christ at the center of youth group celebrations
Ministering to families in pain
Creating space to reflect on the Incarnation ourselves and with our families
Panelists Jimmy Kim, Katie Polski, and Joey Turner shared from their own experiences leading teenagers both at church and at home.
Following are some resources we think will be helpful to youth and family minsters based on recommendations from the webinar.
Teaching Resources for Advent/Christmas:
When Christmas Leaves You Cheerless: Christmas Devotional for Teenagers by Rebecca Lankford
Christmas With Luke: Jesus Comes to Those Who Feel Left Out by Chelsea Kingston Erickson
John’s Long Christmas Story by Skyler Flowers
Teaching Teenagers The Battle of Christmas in Revelation 12 by Steve Yates
Intergenerational Integration Resources:
Rooted’s Resource Page on this topic
An article and a podcast to share with your church’s leadership team
Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry: A Practical Guide, Cameron Cole and John Neilson, eds. (Crossway, 2016)
Family Ministry Resources:
Rooted’s Resource Page on this topic
A video training from TGC to share with your leadership team
God’s Grace for Every Family: Biblical Encouragement for Single-Parent Families and the Churches That Seek to Love Them Well, Anna Meade Harris (Zondervan, 2024)
If you’re looking for a way to encourage the teenagers in your church this holiday season, consider sharing Rooted’s new devotional, Longing for Christmas: 25 Promises Fulfilled in Jesus (New Growth Press, 2024).
