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
Teaching the Broader Gospel: The Fall by David Manuel Correa (Youth Pastor Theologian)
Our discussion of sin should be balanced, relevant, and comprehensive. The three-fold problem we face as the result of the fall finds its solution in the gospel alone, which is why the gospel, both narrow and broad, should remain the center of our ministry to the next generation.
In Case You Missed It: Recapping AALC Interviews (SOLA)
Cameron Cole and Clark Fobes discussed how to uniquely minister to Asian American youth, while Danny Kwon and Kevin Yi provided a closer look at how youth ministry has evolved and what it looks like today from their collective experience.
Partnering with Parents
Emptying the Nest in Hope, not Fear by Gretchen Ronnevik (Christianity Today)
I don’t ignore the data about loss of faith in young adulthood, but instead of speaking fear and doubt to our kids as they leave home, we equip them by speaking hope and assurance over them. I want to speak that same hope and assurance to other parents and Christians in youth ministries too.
Are Christian Parents Too Protective of Their Children? By Michael J. Kruger (TGC)
Perhaps Christian parents need to realize that some limited exposure to non-Christian thinking can serve to “boost” their children’s spiritual immune systems—which they’ll need when they’re older.
Teens and Screens: A Parent’s Guide to Tech-Stewardship by Tony Reinke (Desiring God)
This is what our kids need to know — what we all need to know: I am not a victim of my phone.
My phone, my social media platforms, are simply delivering to me what I most want. We have affections and desires, and those are misdirected, and then those misdirected desires get solidified into social media algorithms that feed those desires more and more.
Youth Culture
The Problems of Boys and Men in Today’s America with Richard Reeves (EconTalk Podcast)
Many boys and men in America are doing worse than girls and women in education while struggling with a culture that struggles to define what masculinity is in the 21st century. Is this a problem? Richard Reeves thinks so which is why he started the American Institute for Boys and Men. Listen as Reeves discusses the state of boys and men and what might be done about it with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts.
5 Things You Need to Know About Gen Z in 2024 (Barna)
For the most part, Gen Z strongly agree what is morally right or wrong can change over time based on society. But there has been a significant jump in the number who disagree with this statement, from 20 percent to 27 percent, since 2016. There are some things Gen Z say can and should be “backed up.” Two in three (66%) agree that they need evidence to support their beliefs. Yet, even with this reported emphasis on factual support, there are some areas where Gen Z prioritize an individuals’ beliefs over absolute truths.
Give Gen Z Students Some Credit by Tom Lin (Christianity Today)
Today’s college students have important lessons for the broader church about how to live alongside neighbors who may misunderstand them, disagree with them, or disdain them. Here are three.
Ministry Skills
The Autonomy Trap by James R. Wood (Plough)
I come from a stock of relationship-quitters. During my childhood, pretty much everyone in my life had divorced at least once, extended family connections were strained, long-term friends were nonexistent, and moves were frequent. Over time I came to adopt a conception of freedom that had destroyed the lives of many around me, and which would threaten to destroy my own as well: the popular idea of freedom as unconstrained choice.
Editor’s Note: As always, Rooted does not hold to the same views on all matters as every writer we read and share. We trust this article will be helpful as you think about ministering to teenagers in vulnerable family situations.
4 common questions youth leaders ask about recruiting and equipping volunteers by Chuck Hunt (Fuller Youth Institute)
Teach new volunteers the why, what, and how of doing ministry. When they know those three things, they’ll feel confident about going out and doing the work of ministry with students. Usually, your “why” is found in your church or ministry’s vision or mission statement. If you don’t have one, spend time with your existing team and create one. Whether they’re leading a small group or at a worship night, everyone should have a clear why.
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of September
“When It’s Time to Leave Your Current Youth Ministry Position” by Bradley Blaylock
“The Power of Imperfect Relational Discipleship” by Emmie Thompson
