Friday Review (9/2/22)
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
Your New Mantra for Game-Changing Youth Group Games by Rachel Dodd (Fuller Youth Institute)
So what vision does your ministry value? Is it to love God and love people? Build a vibrant community? Build character? Grow in Christlikeness? Let your mission be the playbook by which you shape your youth group hour (or two)—right down to the icebreaker games.
Contextualizing Intergenerational Integration: A Personal Narrative from the Immigrant Church by Clark Fobes and Chelsea Kingston Erickson (Rooted)
My encouragement and recommendation to youth pastors these days is simple: start small, celebrate those small wins, let the fruit speak for itself as you grow in integration, and trust the Spirit to continue to work in the hearts of all generations to move towards greater unity and fullness in Christ.
Why I’m Grateful I Started Out as a Youth Pastor by Paul Carter (The Gospel Coalition)
As a 48-year-old man, I’ve reached that stage of my life where I spend a fair bit of time looking backward, attempting to discern the movement and patterns of God’s providence. I now see several key influences and a handful of critical turning points God used to protect and position me for a lifetime of pastoral ministry. One moment in particular stands out as significant—the moment I took a role as a youth pastor.
Biblical & Theological Studies
A Little Theology of Dinosaurs by Scott Hubbard (Desiring God)
My son’s dinosaur-mania may fade. But in the meantime, we’ll be tracing the wisdom of God in his Ankylosaurus figure, and the power of God on his T. Rex T-shirt, and the praise of God in his 2-year-old roar.
I’m a Gen Zer, and I Believe the Bible Is Inerrant by Ashley Kim (The Gospel Coalition)
In all these things, we’re called to trust him and his wisdom as revealed through Scripture. As sinners, this is no easy task, but as saints saved by his love and mercy, it’s one filled with joy and peace.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
‘I Lost My Mom to Facebook’ by Patrick Miller (The Gospel Coalition)
Jesus calls us to something greater than the social media slot machine with its constant drip of malformative misinformation, tribalism, pornography, outrage, and hot takes... Let’s help our people see the grandeur of Jesus’s vision, resist the digital Babylon around them, and simultaneously work for its welfare—showing our whole society a better path forward.
AI Can Preach and Sing. So Why Can’t It Worship God? by Simeon Ximian Xu (Christianity Today)
It is apparent that we must keep an image of the holistic human being in mind while speaking of human action in the liturgy. The symbolism of the human body reflects how the human being as a united whole adores and honors God in worship. That is, human consciousness of liturgical actions rests in the unity of the nonphysical soul and its embodiment.
Pastoral Ministry
A Missing Ingredient in Today’s Preaching by Leland Ryken (Crossway)
The unintended effect of treating every passage in the same way, and as belonging to a single genre, is that the Bible emerges as a monotonous book. Monotony readily computes to “boring.” One of the easiest ways to show that the Bible is an exciting book is to tap into its variety of genres.
When You Hear of a Scandal by Darryl Dash (DashHouse)
The real issue is how we respond within our own hearts. The challenge there is to examine our own hearts, and to guard against unhealthy and sinful ways of responding to the sins of others with an eye to honoring God in our lives and ministries in this dangerous world.
Family & Parents
Why Families Should Prioritize the Local Church by Katie Polski (Rooted)
Is it counter cultural to invest in a church community? Yes. But we cannot love Jesus and not love his church, so we must not give up on it. This is especially true if we are going to pass on a love for Jesus and his church to the next generation.
From YPT this week
How to Minister to Anxious Students at the Beginning of the School Year by Mike McGarry
Here are five ways to encourage students who are facing school stress.