Friday Review (9/8/23)
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
Why Youth Group Involvement Is Down (and What to Do About It), by Cameron Cole (The Gospel Coalition)
These factors all limit a youth minister’s access to students and disrupt the relational consistency necessary for effective discipleship. But they validate some basic principles of gospel-centered ministry. Remembering these principles can help us fight against sporadic relationships and cultivate a transformative Christian community.
Mormons Expect More of the Next Generation. Why Don’t We?, by Russell Moore (Christianity Today)
I am committed to Nicene Christian orthodoxy and I, of course, reject LDS theology on the most important matters of the faith—the Trinity, the Incarnation, the way of salvation, and so on. But when it comes to the sociology of high expectations for youth, I find something that resonates.
Gen Z Needs a Place at Your Kitchen Table, by Abigail Thompson (The Gospel Coalition)
This is my plea to the church: Lay another place at your tables, fill them with food, and allow your love and generosity to adorn the gospel. And then tell the old, old story, beckoning my broken generation to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Biblical & Theological Studies
God Made Sabbath an Equipping Tool for Suffering, by Kasey Moffett (Gospel-Centered Discipleship)
Though we long for quick and easy steps for rest from our exhaustion, unfortunately, like most of the Christian life, the Holy Spirit doesn’t work that way. God is more interested in a heart bent toward him than a checklist of correct and practical to-dos. Busyness can be mistyped as sacrifice at the expense of loving him and acknowledging our need for him (Hos. 6:6).
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
5 Ways the Digital Age Is Transforming the Way You Think, by Samuel D. James (Crossway)
Our tendency is often to think of these technologies as just neutral “tools” that do whatever we ask them to do. But this is not quite right. The Web is a language-shaping habitat that transforms how we think. The question is not whether we will be shaped by the Web; the question is, How is the Web shaping us, and how do we respond?
The Sunday Idol of Sport, by Walt Mueller (CPYU)
I’m not alone. I’ve been thinking about this over the last few weeks as I’ve pondered a commercial that’s run dozens and dozens of times between innings as I stream Phillies games on my smartphone app. The commercial assumes that the corporate worship of God as Christians come together on Sunday mornings is a thing of the past. It’s irrelevant in fact. People don’t go to church anymore. Sadly, that assumption is increasingly true. What Major League Baseball has offered in the place of the God of creation is the God of sport.
Pastoral Ministry
Pastors, There’s a Ministry in Staying Put, by Benjamin Vrbicek (Christianity Today)
Our Christian subculture loves visionary leaders, dynamic pastors, and leveraging momentum. Yet God is teaching me about the ministry of not leaving. Sometimes pastors obey the Spirit by starting that new program. Sometimes pastors launch a new initiative, update the mission statement, or find a new church. More often, however, they obey the Spirit by continuing to show up day after day.
We Need Encouragement in Sermons, Not Only Challenge, by Simon van Bruchem (Written For Our Instruction)
I have heard many sermons that are clearly working through a Bible passage but are devoid of grace and don’t mention Jesus. That’s not good news; that’s just a burden. But there is another danger we must avoid: always being negative and telling people how they are doing everything wrong. Some preachers fall into a pattern of constantly pointing out the sin of those listening and failing to encourage those who need encouraging.
4 Ways Missions Discipleship Shapes the Children in Your Church, by Heather Keller (Lifeway Research)
Missions discipleship—at its simplest—is how believers learn about and practice participating in Jesus’s Great Commission. It includes learning about missions, praying for missions, supporting missions, and doing missions and telling about Jesus. When the church does these four things, we find out how God’s love is shared with the world. And we are motivated and encouraged to do the same, whether locally or farther afield.
Family & Parents
Joyful, We Adore Thee: Ode to Joy in Parenting, by Melissa Powell (Rooted)
I do not consider myself a Debbie Downer, but I can be a Melancholy Mom and a Petrified Parent. My bent toward sadness and fear comes from my experiences, and these emotions often spill into my parenting. Because I was a young adult when my parents died, I often parent as if my children will be orphaned and thus will need every life skill before they can even drive a car.
From YPT this week
How I’m Teaching Colossians in Youth Group, by Kyle Kennicott
I believe my students need to grow in Christian maturity, which is what Paul seeks to encourage within the church of Colossae. Here’s how I’m breaking down the series.
Preaching to Youth for Transformation, by Robin Barfield
Five keys to help you understand the process of transformation and how that can influence your preaching.