Friday Review (10/2/26)
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
Don't Burn Out the Best, Kristopher Boswell (YM360)
The trouble is that slowly and subtly, what started as commitment turns into overuse. They don’t eventually burn out because they love Jesus less—they burn out because we keep giving them more.
Youth Ministry Deconstructed, Kyle Hoffsmith (9Marks)
Should teenagers skip the corporate gathering to go to a youth worship service? Odom says, “Don’t allow a youth-only worship gathering to become a substitute for intergenerational corporate worship. Teenagers in the church benefit both young people and the congregation”
Biblical & Theological Studies
Classical Theology vs. Modern Evangelical Experientialism, Carl R. Trueman (Crossway)
Connected to this thinking, one very poor reason for rejecting classical theology might be that it is not therapeutic in today’s sense: Because it asserts the doctrine of God as prior to all things, it does not pander to the modern need to be made to feel good about ourselves. Swaths of modern Christianity have been shaped by moralistic therapeutic deism.
Light in the Darkness: The Message of Judges, Michael P.V. Barrett (Ligonier Ministries)
So in reading Judges, we must discern the spiritual purpose, which is going to be in keeping with Scripture’s overall redemptive purpose. Genesis 3:15, the protoevangelium (the first gospel), is the key to discerning God’s purpose in Old Testament history—indeed, of all history, including modern history and the history that is yet to happen.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
How Can Disciples Walk Faithfully in a Postliterate Era?, Kathryn Butler (TGC)
Multiple studies show that only about half of people in the United States are reading any books, whether print, electronic, or audio.
A Korean Canadian Leader’s Perspective on Discipling the Emerging Generation, Michelle H. Jo (Sola Network)
There are many noticeable cultural differences such as collectivist vs. individualistic cultures or values and beliefs shaped by the immigrant experience vs. the experiences of second generation immigrant children who now have greater access to Western education and opportunities.
Pastoral Ministry
A Few Words of Encouragement to Pastors for Handling Anxiety and Depression in Your Congregation, John M. Henderson (Southern Equip)
The Holy Spirit inspired real human beings to provide an ocean of truth and wisdom from God in the context of real life on earth. As pastors, we pray to graciously and wisely apply Scripture to the realities of anxiety and depression.
The Case Against Video Preaching, Erik Lundeen (Mere Orthodoxy)
John, due to his embodied, face-to-face experience with Christ, believed that Christian ministry should also be embodied. He therefore later wrote, “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink”—or, we might add, streamed video—“Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete” (2 Jn 12).
Family & Parents
More Than a Different Name: Teaching Children to Honor God, Joey Turner (Rooted)
One of the most practical ways to honor God’s name is to pray to him. There is no other name worthy of our faith, and no other name through which we approach the throne of grace. Jesus himself taught his disciples to pray, “Hallowed be your name.”
Churchgoing Married Couples Are Having More Sex. Apparently They’re Happier With It, Too., Relevant Staff (Relevant)
If our primary calling as parents and youth workers is to point our kids to Christ , praying that He would embrace them so hard that they would find their identity solely in their embrace of Him, then what can we do to help our kids find their way through youth culture’s confusing identity mess?
From YPT this week
ep.146: Talking with Youth about Eschatology and End Times, YPT Podcast
In the conversation, we discuss why eschatology is so important and how to talk about it with you in a way that calls them into Christian hope.
Guiding Principles for Youth Ministry, John Wiley (YPT)
But the Bible does, in fact, speak on how a young person spiritually develops, as well as the responsibility of those who look to guide them toward lifelong discipleship. As YPT has argued in many ways, although the phrase “youth ministry” may not be in the Bible, the concept is certainly there.
