Each month we compile a Top Ten list for youth workers. This list represents ten articles from various sources that we believe will encourage you in your ministry to students 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.) If you find an article that could speak to the Rooted community, please share it in the comment section below.
Partnering with Parents
Dads: Put Down the Shotguns and Let Your Daughters Go by Hannah Anderson (Christianity Today)
Scripture portrays young women not as their fathers’ pets but as pillars in God’s kingdom.
Are Christian Parents Too Protective of Their Children? by Michael J. Kruger (Canon Fodder)
The germ-conscious parent may think they are raising healthy children when they may actually be raising vulnerable children.
Youth Pastors and PareRooted’s Top Ten of June 2021nts Cross Wires on the Core Purpose of Church by Lyman Stone (Christianity Today)
Sociologist Christian Smith says most American moms and dads see the Body as nothing more than a resource center for their kids.
Ministry Skills
An Overlooked Reason Good Youth Pastors Leave Youth Ministry by Mike McGarry (Youth Pastor Theologian)
As you consider your own calling, be very slow to determine whether or not you’re called to a generation or to youth ministry.
Discover the Ministry of Asking Others Questions by Blake Glosson (Eternal Perspective Ministries)
Everyone has something to say—but few have the opportunity to say it, since question-asking and listening are increasingly rare.
Youth Culture
Is Olivia Rodrigo’s Influence “Good 4 You”? by Walt Mueller (CPYU)
When this dual power of Rodrigo’s music is properly understood, we are then able to step in to teach our kids the skills of biblical discernment. . . enabling them to celebrate any truth that is found, and to correct any misguided advice or faulty teaching.
3 Ways Parents Can Help Kids Navigate Transgender Ideology by Maria Baer (The Gospel Coalition)
Christians should affirm that there are many beautiful ways to ‘be a woman’ because there are many women. There are many ways to ‘be a man’ because there are many men.
Was There Any Value in Purity Culture or Was It All Just a Mistake? by Randy Alcorn (Church Leaders)
Scripture warns against man-made rules involving a “harsh treatment of the body,” but lacking “value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Guidelines are valuable if and only if they are biblical and wise, are Spirit empowered, and point us to Christ.
Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry and the Means of Grace by Christopher Talbot (Youth Pastor Theologian)
The practices we perpetuate in our youth ministries teach and form our students in their Christian walk. What we teach as important, and what we demonstrate as vital, shapes our students in powerful ways.
You Can Do the Right Things in Ministry—and Still Fail by Chad Ashby (The Gospel Coalition)
God has been teaching me a painful lesson the past several years: With God nothing is impossible—but with Chad, some things are.
Rooted’s Most Read
Best Practices For Recruiting Youth Leaders by Chelsea Kingston Erickson
As we prioritize building a team of godly adults to care for students in our church, we live out the reality of our dependence upon Jesus through the gospel of his grace.
What is Bible-Saturated Youth Ministry? by Greg Meyer
Being Bible-saturated means being personally soaked in the Scriptures as an individual Christian – loving God’s Word, striving to understand and apply it more deeply and consistently, submitting to it, and spend regular time in it to meet with Jesus.
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s June Honorable Mention)
For the Youth Minister Who Feels They “Don’t Measure Up” by Mark Howard
One of the most foundational teachings of Rooted is that the power of youth ministry is the grace-filled Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Spirit — not clever ideas or strategies.
