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 are included because there is 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.
To Share with Your Church Family and Leaders
Youth Ministry is Pastoral Ministry by Mike McGarry (Alumni Blog, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)
The mission of youth ministry is to make adult disciples whose faith took root during their teen years. It’s time to lay aside the notion that youth ministry is a mere stepping stone to a higher call. It is fundamental pastoral work.
Gospel-Centered
Applying Biblical Inerrancy to Youth Ministry by Christopher Talbot (Youth Pastor Theologian)
Don’t be afraid to test God’s Word. It can handle scrutiny. An inerrant revelation from a holy God is something we can stand on with confidence, even in uncertain times.
Partnering with Parents
Where the Magic Doesn’t Happen by Andy Crouch (After Babel)
The more I have pondered these matters, the more convinced I am that our own family’s decision to have no screens of any kind available to our children before double digits robbed them of absolutely nothing they needed and protected them from much that would have actively harmed their growth as persons. Of course, the reason small children are given screens is rarely because they ask for them—what small children ask for, to an overwhelming and exhausting extent, is our personal attention. We give children screens—at home and school, and maybe at church as well—mostly not to solve their problem, but to solve adults’ problems.
Identifying Our Parenting Idols by Kristen Hatton (New Growth Press)
We can make an idol out of anything; so can our kids. But until we start to spot the idols in our lives, we can’t help our children see the false sources they turn to. Evaluating why we do what we do helps us identify our idols and subsequently turn from them.
Taking the Long View Revolutionized My Parenting by Laura Spaulding (TGC)
Two decades and four children later, here’s what I’d love to go back and tell myself: Pay more attention to the baby in your arms than to today’s parenting trends. Treasure moments more than tracking them. And look again at the call in Proverbs 22:6 to “train up a child in the way he should go” not as a reason for guilt, nor as another feel-good meme, but as a gracious invitation.
Youth Culture
How Is God Working in the New Generation? By Amy-Jo Girardier (Lifeway Research)
Generations are important to God, and they should be important to us. As we discover a new generation, can anything good come from them? Yes! They are made by God to be born at such a time as the years 2025-2039. And they will encounter challenges and opportunities previous generations have not had to encounter. Still, we can trust God knows just the generation to come onto the scene for Him to use for His glory.
Wake Up Call: Teens and Sports Gambling by Walt Mueller (CPYU)
What is most troubling, perhaps, is how our culture is co-opting the future of our kids through this heavily marketed behavioral choice that any kid with a smartphone is going to be tempted to choose. Easy money? Sure, at least that’s the promise. Fun? Yeah. . . what did doesn’t want to have fun? And risk? Well, the adolescent brain, especially the male brain, is drawn to risky behavior.
Ministry Skills
Youth Ministry Burnout Doesn’t Have to Be Your Story by Brad M. Griffin (Fuller Youth Institute)
I can’t help but look back and wonder: Why didn’t anyone say this was just too much? How did our volunteer team stay so engaged? How did I ever survive in youth ministry with this kind of pace? In truth, it’s quite possible someone did raise concerns and I shrugged them off. The conversations have faded. It’s also true that I didn’t keep up the pace.
How the Gospel Answers Shame in College Students by Connie Leung Nelson (TGC)
We help our students by reminding them we’ve all fallen short of God’s standard. It’s a standard higher than any held by a parent, professor, or prospective spouse. But because Jesus met God’s standard in our place, we stand on his record. Students need not prove their value or worth through any means—academic accomplishments or otherwise.
Teaching Like Jesus: A Masterclass In Meaningful Engagement by Rick Eubanks (National Network of Youth Ministries)
Jesus gave us a masterclass in engaging people meaningfully. Let’s unpack how we can follow his lead to teach this unique generation.
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of January
“Struggling with Gospel Identity (Confessions of a Struggling Youth Minister)” by Rachel Cain. “Our faithful, caring, and kind Shepherd protects his weary, weak, and worn-out sheep.”
“Ask Rooted: How Does the Gospel Help Teenagers Reconcile Their Asian American Cultural Heritage?” by Rooted. “In light of the gospel, there’s no shame or condemnation for those in Christ (Rom. 8:1), and the Lord opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).”
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s January Honorable Mention)
“Contextualizing the Gospel for Youth Ministry” by Isaiah Marshall. “Jesus stepped into our broken world and endured unimaginable suffering, not so we would never face hardship, but so we could know that he is with us in the midst of it. “
