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 contain 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
Don’t Assume Biblically Literate Students Are Doing Fine by Ashley Gibson (TGC)
Scripture is clear that proximity to the things of God doesn’t always mean someone is walking closely with him—and when we mistake familiarity for faith, we can fall into several dangerous traps.
An Exhortation to the Exhausted Black Christian by Lecrae Moore (Christianity Today)
But I’ve come to know that unity built on avoidance isn’t biblical unity. Real unity is forged through truth, repentance, and love. And true love doesn’t shun conflict; it stays at the table during it.
Teaching Youth a Good (but not always safe) Gospel by Christopher Talbot (Youth Pastor Theologian)
For youth pastors and leaders to provide a holistic and compelling cultural apologetic in their evangelism, they need to share one that is not only true, but also good. That is, we want to show youth not only that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true for their lives, but it is also good for their lives and the culture around them.
Partnering with Parents
How to Help Your Child Lament by Alyson Punzi (Crossway)
There are many ways we can help our children navigate loss, and one of the graces we can give our children in their pain is lament. Lament helps them find comfort and hope in the God who made them, saved them, and always hears them.
How to Run an Effective Parent Meeting by Cole McCartney (Youth Pastor Theologian)
If parents are the primary disciple-makers in the home (and they are!), then routinely getting together with them is an indispensable part of effective youth ministry.
Youth Culture
The State of Theology by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research
Every few years, this survey takes America’s theological temperature, revealing what people actually believe—both outside and inside the church. Our goal is to diagnose prominent errors and to prescribe the cure: the clear teaching of sound doctrine. We hope these findings equip Christians with insights for discipleship.
When Faith Feels Too Light: What Evangelicals Can Learn from Youth Turning Elsewhere (Growing Young Disciples)
But here is the hopeful twist: young people are not disinterested in God. Far from it. They are spiritually hungry, and they are telling us something vital about what they long for. Their exodus from evangelical churches is not a rejection of the sacred but a search for the sacred in its fullest expression.
Why Fans Trust Forrest Frank by Kelsey Kramer McGinnis (Christianity Today)
Meanwhile, Frank increasingly seems to see his platform as an evangelistic one, referring to his followers as his “flock.” Over the past year, he’s progressively opened up about his personal faith in interviews, seemingly eager to share the gospel and his own story of transformation.
Ministry Skills
The Sounds of Silence: Teenagers and Mental Health by Danny Kwon (NGP)
These teenagers and their caregivers often struggle in silence, and it is this silence, the silent sound of their suffering, that churches need to “listen for” so that they can step in and offer compassionate love and care. For these families, the body of believers can be what I like to call a lighthouse or firstresponders or a refuge—a place of help and safety—by offering open and authentic hope and care for these teenagers and their families.
Whole Lotta Love by Aaron M. G. Zimmerman (Mockingbird)
As your people are leaving church you want them saying, “That sounds too good to be true.” If you hear that, you’ve done your job. Sit down and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of September
How I Respond When Teenagers Act Out at Youth Group by Steve Eatmon
As we encounter students who need our loving correction, we must remember that Jesus died to save sinners, including our teenagers.
A Better Story for Teenagers in the Face of This World’s Violence by Ben Sciacca
The malaise and darkness we see consuming so many young people in the world can only be overturned if more of them embrace Christ’s exhortation to be the light.
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s September Honorable Mention)
Kids Discipling Kids: The Integration of Youth and Children’s Ministries by Allyn Bock
We want our teenagers—and our children—to know that they are not merely the younger tag-alongs at their parents’ church. This is their church too, and in serving, we want them to be served by the relationships they form and the skills they learn.
