Friday Review (3/1/24)

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

When Intergenerational Integration Feels Impossible, by Skyler Flowers (Rooted)

Each church will almost certainly express intergenerational integration differently given their context, history, size, and other factors. Nevertheless, the basic premise remains the same: Teenagers need examples of lifelong faith in Jesus Christ. Through intergenerational integration in our churches, students can see the loving God who has demonstrated faithfulness to them in the person of Jesus Christ.

Three Youth Group Lessons I’ve Had to Unlearn, by Addie Zierman (Relevant)

Later, when they begin to grapple with the inconsistencies and the doubts and the hard things in their faith, it won’t be trite answers that see them through. It will be that glimpse they’ve had of the beauty of God. It will be the muscle memory of having dived deep into something real.

Biblical & Theological Studies

4 Snapshots of Dispensationalism Today, by Daniel G. Hummel (The Gospel Coalition)

These four snapshots paint a complex picture of dispensationalism today, spanning scholarly, cultural, and political spheres. There’s no way to know how exactly this doctrine will develop in the next 50 years, but if it does witness revived influence in evangelical seminaries, or capture the imagination of Gen Z evangelicals, it’ll be a notable reversal of current trends.

Outside the Gospels, What Can We Really Know About Jesus?, by Shane Rosenthal (The Humble Skeptic)

The problem is that most Christians haven’t been trained to recognize the evidential and historical value of texts such as Acts or 1st Corinthians. Instead, we view them almost exclusively as spiritual or religious works that are treasured by believers and dismissed by unbelievers. We also tend to think of the Bible as a single volume sent from heaven, rather than as a collection of many different kinds of ancient texts written across a vast amount of time.

Cultural Reflection/Contextualization

Are You WEIRDER? 68 Questions, by Nicholas McDonald (The Bard Owl)

Andrew Wilson’s book is the best thing I’ve read in the way of equipping Christians to properly engage our pagan-protestant culture through an accurate, holistic historical lens. Secularism isn’t simple, it’s complex. That means it requires a nuanced, complex response, which Wilson equips us with.

4 Surprises About America’s Religious ‘Nones’, by Trevin Wax (The Gospel Coalition)

The overall findings of the Pew study are what we might expect, but taking a closer look at religiously unaffiliated Americans brings a few surprises, upending presuppositions and assumptions of what our friends and neighbors think and how they live.

Pastoral Ministry

The Biggest Problem in Worship Education, by Matthew Westerholm (The Gospel Has to Be Sung!)

The gradual nature of this crisis means there are no quick answers. Band-aid responses don’t solve systemic problems. Churches need sustainable systems and long-term perspectives to navigate current and future challenges. The bottom line is this: church leaders must invest in their worship ministries, not just their worship services.

Thomas Was Not Judas: Counsel for Those Who Doubt, by Gavin Ortlund (Desiring God)

I do not say this to minimize the significance of your doubts. Some doubt is sinful, and almost all doubt is painful. In my observation, however, some believers are afflicted with an exquisite sense of shame and self-reproach about having doubts. As a result, they might keep them secret, and they might wonder if they don’t have true faith at all.

Family & Parents

2 Pitfalls I’m Avoiding in Teaching My Son the Bible, by Stephen Howard (Center for Faith & Culture)

For now, we will keep building the biblical foundation beneath him, stone by stone, to ready him for that moment. Parents must decide the right pace for their own child’s foundation, as each one is different. But no matter the speed, building that biblical groundwork is never wasted effort.

7 Parenting Errors That Can Influence Adult Children to Leave the Faith, by Q. O. Helet (Beautiful Christian Life)

Somehow my wife and I, by God’s grace, managed to avoid the pitfalls described in the above paragraph. We still have fairly solid relationships with our children. Even though we may have failed as parents in many ways, I am thankful that we both continue clinging to God’s faithfulness. He is indeed still sovereign in all things—including our children’s salvation.

From YPT this week

YPT Podcast Episode 60: Good Leadership in Youth Ministry with Beau Johnson

How can youth pastors become more effective leaders by understanding their own “working genius”? Link for a free working genius assessment in shownotes.

5 Ways to Partner with Parents, by Nick Hartman

Partnering with parents is vital for biblical youth ministry, but how do we actually do it? Here are five suggestions to consider.

When Parents and Youth Pastors Disagree, by Anonymous

What do you do when youth leaders and parents disagree about a teenager’s spiritual condition? This is a sensitive but common situation for youth leaders to handle with wisdom.