Friday Review (12/16/22)
Each week we compile a list of helpful articles from other sites, in a variety of categories, for youth workers to read, reflect on, and/or discuss with parents and volunteers. If you have any articles you’d like to suggest, we’d love for you to share those in the Youth Pastor Theologian Facebook group. That’s a great way to bring them to our attention and to discuss them with like-minded youth workers! (Inclusion in this list does not imply complete agreement with the publishing source, but we have found these articles to be beneficial.)
Youth Ministry
Our Main Goals for Youth Ministry by Deepak Reju (9Marks)
A few married or singles volunteer with the youth group, yet seldom would the rest of the church interact with those teenagers outside of the youth ministry. In a typical church, walls exist between these social groups. Little effort is made to cross over, apart from occasional conversations on Sundays after church.
Risks and Benefits of Age-Specific Ministry by Jason Seville (9Marks)
You may decide to provide age-specific Sunday School classes but do it occasionally rather than as the regular diet of the church. You can have a college ministry but make intentional decisions to connect them with families in the church. You can provide events for senior adults but ensure that your small group structure integrates generations in a way that has everyone rubbing elbows and learning from one another.
Biblical & Theological Studies
One Hope for Our Mass Derangement, by Alistair Begg (The Gospel Coalition)
This is what we mean when we say the gospel is for everyone. It’s a gospel for atheists and agnostics, for Jews and Gentiles, for Hindus and Muslims, for the lost and the lonely, for the happy and the successful, for the homosexual or transgender person, for those who experience gender dysphoria and those who don’t—ultimately, for anyone who humbly casts aside any other identity and loses his or her life for Christ’s sake (Matt. 16:25).
21 Accessible Theology Resources for Churchgoers by Aaron Wilson (Lifeway)
Outside of faithfully preaching the Word, how can church leaders address this doctrinal deficiency that plagues many Christians between Sunday gatherings? We’ve compiled a list of 21 resources that can help churchgoers develop a rich, biblically informed theology. While many pastors’ libraries are adorned with academic textbooks on the following subjects, this list aims to present resources accessible to the average adult, student, and child at your church.
Translation is Meaning-Based, by David M. Hare (Hare Translation Journey)
This by no means minimizes the value and importance of the original text. The words are vital because it is through those words, in their context (grammatical, textual and historical) that I can understand the meaning.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
How Comfort Culture and Hustle Ideology Fill the Meaning Gap, by Cory Brock & Andrew Kelley (The Gospel Coalition)
When the false promises of consumer comfort leave our neighbors wanting and hustle culture leaves them weary, we should be ready to welcome them in. Let’s embrace the pilgrims of a Nietzschean world, pointing them to the One who offers freeing truth (John 8:31–32), lifted burdens (Matt. 11:28–30), and life everlasting (John 5:24).
The Skip Bayless Theory of Spiritual Transformation, by Samuel D. James (Digital Liturgies)
The church in this generation faces the task of proclaiming a gospel that can only be believed, not leveraged. The dominant instinct of our age, living life for the approving watch of others, is an instinct deeply at odds with following Jesus.
Pastoral Ministry
Light and Life for the Overspent, by Brittany Allen (Well-Watered Women)
Weary, burdened saint, you are overspent, but Jesus offers you rest in him. Come to Jesus and find rest for your soul. Jesus, the Word made flesh, the baby in a manger, is light and life to the overspent.
Don’t Waste Your Church Scandal, by David M. Hare (Hare Translation Journey)
No one wants a church scandal. But when they do come, let’s not waste them acting like the world. Let’s learn from them, be humbled by them, and long for the day when we can gather together without sin.
Family & Parents
What Does the Gospel Say About Academic Honesty?, by Luke Paiva (Rooted)
When parents address academic honesty, we give our children a foundational gospel assurance. God’s people do not have to live under the fear of not being loved or valued because they did not score well. God’s people are free and loved forever in Christ. With a gospel-centered approach to academic honesty we have the privilege to transcend mere behavioral adjustment and truly preach the gospel to our children.
From YPT this week
How Do Christians Interpret Hanukkah by Mike McGarry
Christians often have questions about Hanukkah: Is it biblical? Should we celebrate it? What’s it mean for us? Here’s a basic overview to help you talk with students about the meaning of Hanukkah.
YPT Podcast Episode 20: Rethinking Family Ministry with Jared Kennedy
For all the discussion about Family Ministry, there's a lack of consensus about what FM encompasses. In this episode, Mike talks with Jared Kennedy about ways for youth pastors to think about family ministry and how to effectively minister to students' families.