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.
Gospel-Centered
Teach Your Kids Their Identity before the World Does by Christina Fox (Crossway)
We must teach our children that their identity—who they are—is found not in how they feel, not in what their fallen heart’s desire most, and not in seeking their own passions at any cost. It is found in who God created them to be: image bearers living for his glory (1 Cor. 10:31). This is the truth we remind them of when they start to think that their ability to play soccer or dance a pirouette or solve an equation is the source of their identity.
Repeated Sinning and the Hope of Forgiveness by Nick Batzig (Beautiful Christian Life)
When we return to God in brokenness and in confidence that he has already provided forgiveness in the blood of Christ, we will make it our renewed aim to be well-pleasing to him.
Partnering with Parents
In Praise of Third-Party Parents by Joey Goodall (Mockingbird)
We can pray for the right people to show up at the right times for our kids in ways we never could — and fall to our knees in gratitude when they do.
Have a Child About to Head to College? Here Are a Few Things That Can Help by Michael J. Kruger (Canon Fodder)
The problem stemmed not from what I was taught but from what I wasn’t taught. I wasn’t prepared in the one area that would matter most in a university environment. I wasn’t prepared intellectually. And I would soon learn (the hard way) that intellectual preparation was what I needed more than anything.
How Phones Are Making Parents the Anxious Generation by Lenore Skenazy (After Babel)
A 2022 Harvard study found that 18% of teens were suffering from anxiety…and 20% of mothers and 15% of fathers were, too. There are usually a lot of causes for any social problem, but here’s one I haven’t seen mentioned: that by being connected to our kids by phones, we, too, are becoming a more Anxious Generation.
Youth Culture
Serving Our Children Means Saying No to Youth Gender Medicine by Casey Hough (Christianity Today)
This is not just a political and medical matter; it’s a theological matter as well. If, as Christians, we believe that God has created humanity in his image, then any debate regarding the health and well-being of children is inherently theological.
The Disney Princess Whose Heart Isn’t Worth Following by Samuel D. James (Digital Liturgies)
Traditionally, the heroine stands tall after the final act, as her parents, friends, and everyone else take turns admitting that she was Right All Along. In Inside Out 2, the opposite happens: Riley’s journey ends with her apologizing to others, and accepting that the things she wants very much right now are not the most important things.
Ministry Skills
Hobbits and Third-Culture Kids by Seth Porch (Desiring God)
TCKs are hidden immigrants who bear all the marks of citizenship yet often feel distinctly out of place. They are Hobbits without a home.
How to Plan Short-Term Mission Trips that Benefit Long-Term Work by Mack Stiles (Radical)
Short-term trips need to be “field-driven,” not “sending-church-driven.” In other words, these trips take their cues and direction from the missionaries on the ground, who drive the short-termers’ time in ministry for ways that serve local missionaries, not the agenda of the sending church.
How Teens Can Contribute Right Away by Steve Burchett (Christian Communications Worldwide)
It’s not only grown-ups who have valuable insights in an interactive Bible study. The Holy Spirit gives light to all believers as they meditate on Scripture. What teens have to say really matters and will edify the group.
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of July
- How Gospel-Centrality Prioritizes Long-Term Fruit in Youth Ministry by Michael Goldstein
God calls us to have a vision for ministry that considers the long-term over what gives the appearance of immediate results.
The goal of the youth minister should be to rely on the Word of God and the grace of the Savior, not choosing the winning side of a church politics debate.
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s July Honorable Mention)
Why Jesus’ Ascension Matters for Youth Ministry by Emmie Thompson
Jesus intercedes for you and your students, making fruitful even your most disorganized talk, your scattered presence with a student, or the temper you lost in a silly game.
