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
What Gen Z Wants to Know About God (Young Life Blog)
Each of these [seven] questions provide different glimpses into a Gen Zer’s life. They vary in risk of vulnerability and communication style, but they all crack the door open to catch a glimpse of what our Gen Zers experience or value.
What AI Is Teaching My Youth Group Girls by Jensen Holmes (The Gospel Coalition)
“I can’t even text my friend without asking AI what to say first,” one of the girls in my eighth-and ninth-grade small group told me. It’s no surprise that each generation, for the most part, uses technology more than the generation before. However, I wasn’t expecting the hyperdependence on AI that I was hearing about from these sweet 13-to-15-year-old girls sitting across from me.
Partnering with Parents
For Our Kids. . . Identity Matters by Walt Mueller (Center for Parent Youth Understanding)
If our primary calling as parents and youth workers is to point our kids to Christ , praying that He would embrace them so hard that they would find their identity solely in their embrace of Him, then what can we do to help our kids find their way through youth culture’s confusing identity mess? Here are some suggestions to get you started.
The Present, Willing, and Repentant Parent by Rebekah Hannah (New Growth Press)
Eventually, if parents don’t engage with their hard questions, kids will go ask somewhere else. The internet. Their friends. The television. Rarely do they approach someone else wiser, kinder, or more rooted in the love of Jesus.
Youth Culture
It’s Not Good to Be Alone—with Chatbots by Greg Cootsona (Christianity Today)
There’s power in the physical presence of another human being. One young adult in the Harvard report summarized it so well: “ChatGPT is much better at being thorough, but people have AI beat for emotional warmth, honesty, and closeness. Because sometimes it’s not about working through things. It’s about being close to somebody for half an hour.”
Youth Group Attendance: Who’s Actually in the Room? (Barna Research)
“The data suggests that youth programs are only having moderate success at activating a teen’s faith, especially in areas of service, evangelism and belonging,” says Daniel Copeland, vice president of research at Barna. “In a time where so many voices and algorithms are fighting for teens’ and families’ attention, churches often measure the success of youth programming by how many kids show up. These findings remind us that it’s more important to ask ‘are they better off because they attended?’”
Middle-Schoolers Are Seeking Out AI Friends Instead of Real Human Ones by Julie Jargon (Wall Street Journal)
We found that two to four kids in every classroom are now reporting they prefer interaction with a chatbot over a human peer,” says Mitch Prinstein, co-director of UNC’s Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development and one of the study’s authors. “This is a pretty existential concern for this generation.
Note: you need to create a free WSJ account to read this one, but it is a simple process and worth the effort!
Ministry Skills
Why Your Church Needs an Abuse Prevention Policy by Tim Challies (Challies)
We should not put all of our trust in policies, of course, but must also routinely pray for God’s protection upon vulnerable people and those who care for them. But even as we admit that evil people may find ways to circumvent even the best policy, it is still wise for a church to create one, implement it, and carefully oversee it out of love for the very people it is designed to protect. And if it has been well-designed and carefully maintained, it truly will serve its purpose.
7 Tips to Help You Preach Persuasively by Jeremy Meeks (Crossway)
Do you want to teach your people the Bible in a way that makes sense and engages your people, ultimately compelling them to follow Jesus? Then you need to preach persuasively, just like Paul.
5 Ways to Help Your Student Ministry Volunteers Win by Zac Workun (Lifeway Research)
We spend a lot of time thinking about what we need from our volunteers. But when was the last time we asked what they need from us? Volunteers don’t just fill holes in the schedule. They’re faithful adults whom we ask to step into the lives of teenagers and help them follow Jesus. If we want healthy volunteers who stay, grow, and lead well, we have to give them more than a schedule and a small group roster. They signed up to make a generational difference, and we want you to help them on a generational run.
Rooted’s Two Most-Read of September
New Barna X CIY Study Helps Youth Ministers Adapt for Today’s Teenagers by Chelsea Erickson
Leading the teenagers in our ministries in the midst of generational and societal change is no small task. Thankfully, we serve a great Savior, who knows their needs better than we could ever hope to.
In the Age of AI, Teach This Foundational Doctrine to Teenagers by Justin Wong
The gospel does not teach salvation through continual self-improvement or escaping human limitation. Instead, God enters into human weakness through the incarnation. Christ takes on flesh.
In Case You Missed It (Rooted’s September Honorable Mention)
Don’t Just Tell Teenagers to Study the Bible, Show Them Why by Jeremy Berger
We will never persuade students to treasure Scripture if we ourselves see it as merely useful instead of infinitely beautiful. So each day, I return to the cross. I lay aside my pride and selfish ambition, asking the Holy Spirit to transform me from the inside out.
For more encouragement in and resources for your ministry, join us in Nashville for our annual Rooted Conference!
