Welcome to Rooted’s Top Ten, a curated reading list for youth ministers. Each month we find ten articles, and sometimes videos or podcasts, from various sources that we believe will encourage you in your ministry to teenagers and their families. Some give explicit instruction on gospel-centered ministry, while others contain a message of common grace that is helpful to youth workers. (The opinions presented in these articles do not necessarily reflect the position of Rooted.) For more articles to share with the parents in your ministry, make sure to check out our Parent Top Ten, which runs every-other month.
If you find an article that could educate, equip, or encourage the Rooted community, please email the editor at chelsea@rootedministry.com.
Gospel-Centered
How to Teach the Bible by Mike McGarry (Youth Pastor Theologian)
“Good teachers care about their listeners. And good youth pastors love their teenagers. The absolute best way for you to love your students well is to lead them to Jesus, which also happens to be the reason why God has given us the Bible! Keep the Bible front and center in your ministry.”
Finally Done with Porn by Greg Salazar (Desiring God)
“So, progressive victory over sexual sin comes by having our affections renewed for Christ. We don’t want to just modify behavior; we want the Spirit to transform our hearts.”
Partnering with Parents
How Forgiveness Displays the Gospel to Our Kids by Haley Satrom (Biblical Counseling Coalition)
“As parents, we have the unique privilege to share God’s amazing love with our kids. Since God especially shows His love to us by forgiving our sin, we can reflect His love to our children as we exhibit similar mercy and grace (Eph. 2:4-5).”
The Hidden Blessing of Being a Single Parent by Mike Ruamthong (SOLA Network)
“Only God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He alone has no limits, which is exactly why He is worthy of trust and worship. I, however, am finite. And my limitations as a single parent have become a gracious invitation to live in light of that reality—to stop living as if I’m sovereign and start resting in the fact that He is.“
Youth Culture
What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones by Lenore Skenazy, Zach Rausch, and Jon Haidt (After Babel)
“Kids will always have more spare hours than adults can supervise—a gap that devices now fill. “Go outside” has been quietly replaced with “Go online.” The internet is one of the only escape hatches from childhoods grown anxious, small, and sad…Telling children to go outside doesn’t work so well when no one else’s kids are there.”
Social Media Shortens Your Life. Here’s How To Get Time Back by Gurwinder Bhogal (The Free Press)
“A sinister thing about social media is that it speeds up your time both in the moment and in retrospect. It does this by simultaneously impairing your awareness of the present and your memory of the past.”
Young Men, the Wild Places Are for You by Fletch Matlack (TGC)
“Young men, simplicity is a revelation for your soul. When life is reduced to a simple set of objectives, with no screens to distract, it becomes much easier to meditate on the things of God.”
Ministry Skills
Leading Our Kids to Truth In An Age of Feelings by Walt Mueller (Center For Parent/Youth Understanding)
“While we must affirm that ‘Yes!, God has created us with feelings and emotions,’ they need to be guided by that which is true, rather than flipping it all around by allowing our emotions to guide us into what we come to believe is true.”
3 Ways Every Youth Leader Can Support Young People Struggling With Mental Health by Chuck Hunt and Aaron Rosales (Fuller Youth Institute)
“Being there for students in their moments of struggle is one of the most sacred parts of ministry. And the good news? You don’t need to be a mental health expert to make a difference. You just need to show up as the caring, consistent adult God has called you to be.”
Common Grace in Youth Ministry: Equipping Teens to See God’s Goodness at School by Jack Fitzgibbons (Youth Pastor Theologian)
“Youth workers have a unique chance at the beginning of each school year to disciple their students into seeing the daily, weekly, and annual activities on the school calendar not as something to endure, but as moments to celebrate God’s common grace in their lives.”
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of August
Why Your Students’ Worldview Matters More Than You Think by Jordan Francis
“Worldview formation is about walking alongside students as they discover how the gospel transforms their understanding of reality.”
What Does Relational Discipleship Actually Look Like? by Mike McGarry
“Jesus is faithful: He will carry you, your ministry, and the results because salvation is the work of God.”
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s August Honorable Mention)
Planning Your Annual Calendar in Youth and Family Ministry by Renee Imbesi
“Creating a well-structured master calendar helps ensure smooth planning, avoids conflicts, and maximizes student and leader engagement.”
