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.
If you find an article that could educate, equip, or encourage the Rooted community, please email the editors at submissions@rootedministry.com.
Gospel-Centered
Skipping Secularism: 2 Clues from the End of the World by Collin Hansen (The Gospel Coalition)
In this land where the sun almost never shines (no city in the whole world is gloomier than the Faroese capital, Tórshavn) the light of gospel radiates more brightly than anywhere else in the Nordic region.
Guiding Principles for Youth Ministry by John Wiley (Youth Pastor Theologian)
If you were to look up the phrase “youth ministry” in the Bible, your search result will undoubtedly come up empty, at least as far as literal use of the term is concerned. But the Bible does, in fact, speak on how a young person spiritually develops, as well as the responsibility of those who look to guide them toward lifelong discipleship.
We Must Commit to the Functional Centrality of the Gospel by Mike Bullmore (Crossway)
We need the word of the gospel, the truth of the gospel, and the good news of the gospel. And we need the gospel to function in the local church—my local church and yours.
Partnering with Parents
Why the Seated Jesus Is Good News for Parents by Aimee Dehaan (TGC)
Facing motherhood’s everyday complexities has challenged me to more closely consider how Jesus’s seated ministry is good news for my parenting.
5 Points of Possible Theological Confusion Among Your Churchgoers by Marissa Postell Sullivan (Lifeway Research)
Situations like these are frustrating, but they become even more concerning when they have doctrinal implications. The 2025 State of Theology study reveals at least five foundational theological questions evangelicals commonly lack certainty on.
Youth Culture
New Research: Mom, Dad, Jesus or AI? Who Teens Turn to for Advice | Barna Group
Seven in 10 teens (70%) feel pressure to answer the question of who they really are. When they need advice on it, the people they say they’d feel most comfortable asking are still at home: mom (84%) and dad (78%), ahead of friends (75%), teachers (67%) and AI (35%), according to new data from Reimagining Ministry for Gen Alpha, a report from Barna produced in partnership with Christ In Youth.
Our Youth Sports Craziness by Walt Mueller (Center for Parent/Youth Understanding)
Parents. . . we do have a responsibility. It’s to nurture our kids. Is our top priority to nurture them in the Lord? Or, is it to nurture them into something else? You see, nurture we will. . . whether consciously, unconsciously, intentionally, or by default.
Ministry Skills
Why Understanding Today’s Teenagers Matters More Than Being Relevant by Brad M. Griffin (Fuller Youth Institute)
Our ongoing Gen Alpha research convinces me that understanding teenagers matters more for youth ministry relevance than any lesson prep or event plan ever could. We are hearing directly from young people about how important it is that adults seek to understand them—both what it’s like to grow up today, and what it’s like to be a particular young person having unique experiences.
Avoiding Unforced Errors in Ministry by Joseph Bradley (YPT)
I fear too many youth ministers get into trouble not because of persecution or circumstances outside of their control, but for patterns of “unforced errors”, simple practices that, even though they may not be essential to ministry per se, can generate unnecessary consequences. These may not seem significant on their own, but when ministers consistently neglect them, they can reduce credibility in the eyes of other pastors, volunteers, parents, and students. Beyond that, they can cause unnecessary hiccups that hinder the effectiveness of your ministry.
How to Integrate Apologetics into Your Youth Ministry by Bradley Blaylock (New Growth Press)
Apologetics in youth ministry is an interesting concept. I think a lot of youth ministers love apologetics and desperately want their students to understand it too. But there’s a tension. When is there possibly time to incorporate apologetics into your youth ministry? The schedule is already packed; you don’t have a lot of time with your students, and you probably don’t want to take any away from the other important lessons you want to teach them. I’d like to look at two important questions here: Do we need to incorporate apologetics into our youth ministry? And if we determine that we do, how can we go about it?
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of September
When the Fall Gets Busy, Anchor Your Family in Church by Kristin Elizabeth Couch
This autumn, I encourage you to pray for strength to resist the pressure to overstuff your family’s days and remember that as busy seasons come and go, our hope and rest are bound up in Jesus Christ. Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.
Help Your Children Understand AI’s Place: Three Foundational Truths for AI Use by Luke Paiva
When we remember our God-given roles, AI ceases to harm and can become yet another gift of the beauty of human thought and creativity. God calls us, and our children, to evaluate truth and wisdom in light of what he has shown us in his Word and planted in our hearts through his Spirit.
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s September Honorable Mention)
Using the Horror Craze for Gospel Conversations with Teenagers by Bradley Blaylock
Horror is right that evil is real. Horror depicts the worst impulses of our hearts as well as powers and principalities that seek to corrupt and destroy us. As Christians, these themes can help us talk with teenagers, even unbelieving ones, about the reality of the world we live in.
