Gospel-Centrality

• When The Fire Goes Out: Finding Comfort in Ministry by Isaiah Marshall
• What I Wish My Youth Leaders Had Told Me About Dating and Waiting by Grace McCready
• Rooted’s Top Ten of November 2025
• Helping Teenagers Process Graphic Violence: An Interview with Counselors Rahab Marshall and Gordon Bals 
• Psalm 8: A Psalm for Those Who Wonder If They Matter by Mike Jones
• Psalm 33: Medicine for Disappointed Teenagers by Johnny Norbeck
• Why Don’t Christians Practice What They Preach? (Tough Questions Teenagers Ask)  by Ben Birdsong
• Psalm 110: A Psalm for the Insecure by Caleb Creel
• Get Off the Roller Coaster: Fighting Against the Ministry Identity Crisis with the Gospel by Ryan Wood
• Spiritual Foundations for Supervising Family Ministry Staff by Andy Cornett
• Why do some non-Christians behave better than (some) Christians? (Tough Questions Teenagers Ask) by Ryan Oakes
• Feed Them Jesus: Why Gospel Centrality Matters in Youth Ministry by Kristen Hatton
• Why Do ‘Good’ People Need to Believe in God for Salvation? (Tough Questions Teenagers Ask) by Andrew Slay
• What Are Demons? (Tough Questions Teenagers Ask) by Michael Goldstein
• Psalm 32: The Importance of Confession and the Christ Who Forgives by Kyle Bjerga
• The SOLA Network: A Resource for Parents and Youth Pastors
• Psalm 88- A Psalm For the Hopeless by Meredith Dixon
• Psalm 8: A Psalm for Worshipers by Mike Tiland
• Psalm 19: A Psalm for the Hard-Hearted by Russell Galloway
• Psalm 10: A Psalm for When it Seems Like God Doesn’t Care by Steve Eatmon
• Psalm 23 for the Idolatry-Prone Minister by Logan J. Bailey
• What About the ‘Good’ Person Who Doesn’t Believe in God? (Tough Questions Teenagers Ask) by Meredith Dixon
• What Is Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry? by Chelsea Kingston Erickson
• Why Gospel Centrality Must Be the Heart of Your Youth Ministry by Josh Hussung
• Psalm 46: A Coronavirus Devotional by Rebecca Lankford
• Psalm 51: A Psalm for Screwups (How God Leads Us to Wrestle with Our Failures and Run to Him) by Ben Birdsong
• Psalm 42: A Psalm for Sad Seasons by Kendal Conner
• Psalm 119: A Psalm for the Wandering (How God Meets Us When Faith Fizzles) by Bradley Gray
• Psalm 77: A Psalm for the Burdened by Tucker Fleming
• Psalm 62: A Psalm for the Stressed by Skyler Flowers
• The “Quick Fix” and the Storm: The Gospel is of First Importance by Kendal Conner
• Youth Ministries Need a Gospel Anchor by Chris Li
• The Gospel and Inconvenient Youth by Stephen Yates
• Is Yours a “Come and Dodge Ball” or “Come and Die” Ministry? by Jonathan Barney
• In Case You Missed It: Cameron Cole’s Gospel Benefits Chart by Rooted
• What Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry Means (and what it doesn’t): Part 2 by Mike McGarry
• What Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry Means (and what it doesn’t): Part 1 by Mike McGarry
• We Must Never Forget Moralistic Therapeutic Deism by Cameron Cole
• Making Sure Kids Know the Gospel: A Gospel Catechism for Teenagers by Cameron Cole
• The Only Foundation for Youth Ministry by Josh Cousineau

• Foundations of Youth Ministry: Practical Elements of Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry with Skyler Flowers
• What Does Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry Actually Look Like? (A Conversation with Arek O’Connell)
• Rooted Podcast: Rebecca Heck on Building a Gospel-Centered Culture for Your Students

Gospel-Centered Student Ministry: Seth Stewart on the Bridgeway Podcast

Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry: A Practical Guide, edited by Cameron Cole and John Neilson. Theologically rooted yet eminently practical, this handbook will equip youth leaders to effectively shepherd the young people under their care―training them to live faithfully in their homes, churches, and schools.

The Gospel As Center: Renewing Our Faith and Reforming Our Ministry Practices edited by D.A.Carson and Tim Keller. In response to our self-focused culture, several pastors united to re-establish the centrality Scripture and the gospel in their churches. This volume details how ministry is impacted when Jesus is the most important person at church.

Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith. This eagerly-awaited volume not only provides an unprecedented understanding of adolescent religion and spirituality but, because teenagers serve as bellwethers for possible future trends, it affords an important and distinctive window through which to observe and assess the current state and future direction of American religion as a whole.

What Is the Gospel? Greg Gilbert. Gilbert focuses first one what God has done through Christ, and then examines man’s response to this good news. All the church-y things we do mean nothing if the gospel is not at the heart of our ministry.

Sticky Faith: Everyday ideas to Build Lasting Faith Into Your Kids by Kara Powell and Chap Clark. Written by authors known for the integrity of their research and the intensity of their passion for young people, Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages.

A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry by Michael McGarry. See our review here. This contemplative and well-researched book provides a careful critique of youth ministry along with practical guidance for those serving in ministry, all while directing the reader toward a new era of youth ministry where parents and intergenerational ministry play a more significant role.

Alongside: Loving Students with the Gospel by Drew Hill. See our review here. Through Scripture and captivating personal stories from years of experience working in youth ministry, Hill pulls back the curtain and invites readers to step into the unfiltered world of teenagers.

Lead by Paul David Tripp. A follow-up to Tripp’s book Dangerous Calling, which explores the trials and temptations pastors frequently face, Lead addresses the church leadership that supports pastors. With this in mind, Tripp outlines twelve principles for a leadership community that is driven solely by the gospel.

Gospel-Centered Student Ministry by Seth Stewart

Youth Pastor Theologian: This excellent resource, by Rooted friend Mike McGarry (one of the co-hosts of our Thanos to Theos podcast) is a treasure trove of theological guidance and practical advice for youth ministers. You’ll find everything from book reviews to guidance on teaching specific texts, all borne out of Mike’s fourteen-plus years in vocational youth ministry. He’s a “lifer” in the work, and the church is all the better for it.