Friday Review (11/14/25)
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
Practical Guidance for Preparing a Youth Group Bible Study, by Emmie Thompson (Rooted)
In my experience, preparing for a Bible study is often the most rewarding process and aspect of youth ministry. Also, it can feel like a daunting task that I am woefully unqualified (and too overwhelmed) to do at all, let alone well.
The Problem of False Advertising by Christian Colleges, by Randy Alcorn (Eternal Perspective Ministries)
I am a great believer in Christian higher education. But the doctrinal statements published in many Christian colleges, including some at which I’ve spoken in the past, are simply false advertising (also known as lying). Much of the motive for this dishonesty boils down to money.
Biblical & Theological Studies
The Deconstruction of Evangelical Missions, by Ted Esler (Mere Orthodoxy)
Today there is a growing movement within evangelicalism that seeks to deconstruct missionary work. It is born from the same concepts that are driving a larger cultural transformation using themes drawn from critical theory and identitarian ideologies.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
The AI Revolution is Coming for our Kids, by Clare Morell (Preserving Our Humanity)
In case you haven’t been following as closely all the news stories about the harms to children from AI chatbots over the last few months, let me give you a brief lay of the land of what parents must understand about the threats of AI to our children that are already here.
Does KPop Demon Hunters Glorify Demons?, by Marian Jacobs (Center for Faith & Culture)
Parents do not need to fear Korean mythology but walk their children through it just as they would with the Greek myth of Hercules and Norse myth of Thor. The ending displays a gospel-like act of love between friends through which Gwi-ma is vanquished, sin acknowledged as real, and shame rejected as the enemy.
Pastoral Ministry
4 Prerequisites for Ministry No One Talks About, by Justin Jackson (The Gospel Coalition)
If you’re thinking about ministry, you need an honest appraisal of the difficulty inherent to the calling. You need to hear about the prerequisites no one talks about.
A Vision for Autism Care to Families, by Matt McCraney (Biblical Counseling Coalition)
But this begs the question, what can biblical counselors do, and how can churches support families impacted by autism? In this article, we will explore some areas of practical care and counseling, focusing on families impacted by autism.
Family & Parents
Am I Overdiscipling My Children?, by Chap Bettis (The Disciple-Making Parent)
Rather than loving the Lord first, living our own Christian life, and then investing in our children, the order of those is reversed. Our whole identity is bound up in how our children are doing. We are examining every action of a child under a microscope and weighing it with eternal consequences.
How Do I Know My Child Needs Counseling?, by Julie Lowe (New Growth Press)
For Christian parents, few questions carry more weight than, Does my child need counseling? The very thought stirs concern, hope, and sometimes fear.
The Secret Lives of Teenagers, by Dave Hintz (For the Church)
While my wife and I have made plenty of missteps in this stage of parenting, here are a few strategies we found especially effective in moving our teenagers from concealing to revealing their shameful secrets.
From YPT this week
ep.118: How Mike Prepares a Sermon
Mike is all alone in this episode… so he brings you behind the scenes by sharing his sermon preparation process for a recent message on Romans 8.
How to Teach Ruth, Theologically, by Joseph Bradley
Here are four major theological themes of Ruth, centered on God’s promise of hope. These themes will help you teach Ruth as more than a love story, but about our sovereign God.