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
How to Teach About God’s Judgment by Jennifer Kvamme (Youth Pastor Theologian)
God’s justice is good news. As we faithfully teach students this truth, let’s help them to see why it’s good news that God judges evil, as well as how that truth helps us make sense of our own sin and the ultimate hope we can have in Christ: that He took our condemnation.
Bring Back Screen-Free Sunday School by Kaz Hayashi (Christianity Today)
When children’s ministries increasingly depend on digital content for worship, teaching, and prayer at church, we must ask whether we are helping children experience and follow Christ. While children’s ministry curricula with video content certainly offer convenience and ease, we should not overlook the significant shortcomings churches can experience when they completely depend on videos for Sunday school.
Partnering with Parents
Parenting a Special Needs Child by Susan Rockwell (TGC Australia)
These children, who have the fingerprints of God all over them, are loved so much by me, and even more by their heavenly Father, so I can rest, knowing that my children are held safely in his hands.
Building the Habit of Family Worship by Esther Shin Chuang (Christianity Today)
I learned to pray at church, and I learned to worship God at church. At home, my dad would lay his hands on me and pray if I had a fever or pray for me over the phone when I faced conflicts with my friends. We did devotions individually, but my family rarely gathered together to worship God outside of church.
Raising Screen-Free Boys by Katherine Johnson Martinko (After Babel)
Introducing screens to my kids’ lives could tame the uproar somewhat, but I don’t want to do that. It would feel like an artificial suppression of energy that needs to be released. Plus, there is growing evidence of boys’ decline in real-world engagement, much of which appears to be induced by screens.
Youth Culture
Jesus: Trustworthy Leader for a Gen Z Skeptic by Luke Simon (TGC)
The Gospels reveal something striking: Jesus isn’t like the leaders I’ve grown up distrusting.
How Do We Roll Back the Phone-Based Childhood? By Jonathan Haidt (Anxious Generation)
Jonathan gets invited to speak at conferences, schools, and parent groups all the time, and he can’t always make it, so he made this video. In this talk, Jon shares the research that underpins the book alongside inspiration and concrete plans, so that school leaders, parents, and all of us can facilitate change in our families, schools, and communities.
Ministry Skills
Why Fifth Grade Matters More Than You Think by Ronald Long (Download Youthe Ministry)
…what if the best time to connect with future youth group members isn’t when they walk through your doors as nervous middle schoolers—but months before they ever get there?
Firm Faith Doesn’t Require a Closed Mind by Benjamin Vincent (Christianity Today)
The firmness of my faith ought not be rooted in my immovability or the stubbornness of my worldview but in the undying faithfulness of the one who loved me and gave himself for me. Gazing in full trust at Christ, we can be entirely consistent with the biblical definition of firm faith while also embracing the kind of soft-hearted humility commended in Scripture.
The Breakthrough That Helped Me Understand the Old Testament by Daniel Stevens (Crossway Blog)
That is, he reveals to us both how to read the Old Testament and what the Old Testament really is: God’s word, written for us. The one God who spoke to the fathers through the prophets has spoken to us in his Son (Heb. 1:1-2). But we see that speech to us in the very words of Scripture, both Old and New.
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of March
“A Letter to My Younger Self as a Woman in Youth Ministry” by Kerry Trunfio
“Your gender is not a runner up prize or a mistake, and it does not disqualify you for the work to which God has called you.”
“Rethinking Expository Bible Teaching (Confessions of a Struggling Youth Minister)” by John Gardner
“We can put our faith in our own exhaustible novelty, or in the inexhaustible and pinpoint accuracy of the Holy Spirit working through his own words.”
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s March Honorable Mention)
“Six Things Parents Need to Know About TikTok” by Jalyn Mikell
“While social media can put a spotlight on your teenager’s struggles, it is not the root of the problem we face.”
