Friday Review (9/9/22)
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
Why You Should Use a Catechism by Daniel Nealon (Core Christianity)
So, is catechism the best way to help children know what they believe and why they believe it? While it’s not the only way, it’s a trusted and time-tested way. Catechism was the most trusted method the church used for educating youth and students for hundreds of years. And in a time where biblical literacy is so low and biblical knowledge is so limited, it might be worth looking back to what has worked, rather than seeking something new and untested.
Who Do You Work For? Playing the Long Game in Youth Ministry by Steve Eatmon (Rooted)
We will have to give account to God the Father for how we handled our call to ministry and we must work every day with that perspective in mind. Let God’s Word encourage us to work as unto the Lord, to play the long game, and to faithfully stay the course even when it appears as if Einstein was right about our level of insanity.
Biblical & Theological Studies
Save Time: Stop Doing Word Studies by Tommy Keene (Sign and Shadow)
Stop doing word studies. What should you do instead? The absolute best thing you can do is immerse yourself in Scripture. Stop picking the Bible apart into little bits and start reading comprehensively.
10 Things You Should Know about the Genres of the Bible by Leland Ryken and Douglas Sean O'Donnell (Crossway)
The unintended effect of treating the entire Bible as belonging to a single genre is that most people's conception of the Bible is that it is a monotonous and boring book. Adding genres to the discussion will create the excitement that the Bible deserves.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
Perspective: Protecting teens from Big Tech — it’s time for the states to step up by Jean M. Twenge, Clare Morell, and Brad Wilcox (Deseret News)
However, social media use remains virtually unregulated among minors. So, given the federal government’s failure to reign in Big Tech’s influence on our children, it falls to the states to pass laws to protect our kids from the emotional and social fallout of unrestricted access to social media.
Pastoral Ministry
Sharing Your Testimony Is Not Enough by Trevin Wax (The Gospel Coalition)
The role of personal experience in testifying to the work of Christ should be seen as further evidence of the power of the gospel. It is not the gospel itself, but it testifies to its power. That’s why, no matter how much happiness we’ve found in Christ, when asked in the final instance why we believe we must always and ever say, like Nayeri’s mother, “Because Jesus is better . . . and the gospel is true.”
Sex Scandals and the Evangelical Mind by Bronwyn Lea (Christianity Today)
Redirecting our gaze is critical to this project. The mission of God depends on men and women faithfully working together in gospel work. We cannot afford to shrink back from that work just because we’re too afraid to put our hand to the plough with someone of the opposite sex.
The Fruit Grown in a Flock by Pastoral Encouragement by Bob Johnson (9Marks)
There are times when we need to admonish, and we cannot neglect that. But admonishment will be received better when people have been consistently cared for by their shepherd’s gospel-driven encouragement.
Family & Parents
Family Discipleship Is More Than Family Devotions by Barnabas Piper (Lifeway)
I am not a parenting expert, because there is no such thing. We’re all just doing our best to be faithful. But here are five family discipleship rhythms I’ve discovered that help me faithfully point my children to Jesus without burdening them.
Now What? How Parents Can Pray for Their College-Aged Kids by Cara Ray
Those are powerful truths and life-transforming words to pray over our kids. Parents, isn’t that what we really want? More than straight A’s, good friends, and a high-paying career path, we want their time away from home to open their spiritual eyes. We want them to see the hope of their calling and find Jesus to be more glorious, more supreme, and more worthy of their devotion.
From YPT this week
What Should We Sing With Students? by Will Standridge
If worship is a regular part of your youth group, it’s natural to ask, “What should we sing?” This also involves asking “What should we NOT sing?”