Friday Review (5/15/26)
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
From Attendance to Impact: Redefining Youth Ministry Success, byDave Coryell (Ministry Architects)
Shifting how we measure youth ministry success isn’t just about changing what we report to leadership. It’s about fundamentally rethinking what we’re trying to build. We’re not trying to build the best program. We’re trying to build young people who can follow Jesus for a lifetime.
84% of Gen Z Wants Deeper Connection. Their Attachment Anxiety Is Getting in the Way, by Emily Brown (RELEVANT)
Modern dating has created a strange contradiction for Gen Z: Young adults want deeper emotional connection, but many are struggling to tolerate the vulnerability required to build it.
Biblical & Theological Studies
A 'Personless' Purity Isn't Pure At All, by Chase Krug (Mere Orthodoxy)
Fueled by thirst, not benevolence, lust doesn’t seek to love someone, but to use something. It reduces an image bearing “who” to an instrumental “what.” Purity then involves more than simply avoiding lust. It requires seeing and honoring the value of the person.
Bearing the Spirit’s Fruit when Parents/Leaders Disappoint You, by Jonathan L. Shirk (Gentle Reformation)
One way we honor our parents and other authorities over us is to “have patience with their weaknesses and shortcomings.” Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, so we desperately need God’s grace and Spirit to do the Fifth.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
Of Course Richard Dawkins Believes AI is Conscious, by Samuel D. James (Digital Liturgies)
The best human beings can do, for the committed materialist, is agree with you, exult in your presence, and tell you how good your book is. Claudia looks human to Dawkins because humans have always looked like Claudia to him.
The Perverse Tyranny of a Perfect Transcript, by Joshua Greene (The Atlantic)
Each year, the undergraduate college at Harvard awards the Sophia Freund Prize to the graduating senior with the highest GPA. For decades, the prize went to one student, sometimes two if there was a tie. In 2025, there was a 55-way tie.
Pastoral Ministry
The Right Focus in Leadership, by Casey McCall (One Thing Necessary)
My two fellow pastors and I recently self-assessed our leadership in navigating a thorny situation within our church. The outcome we preferred failed to actualize, so we took some time to evaluate our decisions. Should we have done something differently?
Discipling and Digital Overload, by Andy Cornett (Rooted)
Sometimes I’m discouraged by what people consume and how (un)seriously they take God’s call, but I am not dismayed. I know that my own heart has to constantly recall the gospel and to remember to look to Jesus’ wisdom and grace. I also continue to believe that person-to-person, communal relationships are the most transformative means of walking in the way of Jesus and finding the rest he gives.
Family & Parents
Help Me Let Go, by Vanessa Doughty (Fields and Valleys)
“Help me let go, Father.” And not only of my maturing children, but of my agenda. My will. My hopes and dreams for what becomes of their lives.
How to Help the Wife Who Thinks Her Husband Isn’t a Good Spiritual Leader, by Lauren Washer (The Gospel Coalition)
You can help a struggling woman by reminding her of these truths. Encourage her with gospel hope and point her to the goal of it all: the marriage yet to come.
From YPT this week
ep.141: When You've Experienced Church Hurt and Church Abuse
An episode we didn’t want to record, but felt compelled to. Mike and John share their own experiences and lessons-learned with church hurt.
Why I Recommend Same-Gender Small Groups for Youth, by Joseph Bradley
Should we break up small groups by gender or keep them mixed? This article highlights reasons why same-gender small groups are usually more effective than mixed-gender groups.
