Friday Review (5/22/26)
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
Five Reasons to Partner with Parents Before the Teenage Years, by Curtis Dunlap (Rooted)
That’s the thing about homes: It doesn’t matter how beautiful a house is if the foundation is unstable. If there are cracks in the foundation, you can be sure disaster is waiting around the corner. The same principle applies to discipleship. If the foundation of faith is neglected in the early years, we shouldn’t be surprised when cracks begin to show later. Here are five reasons our local churches must begin partnering with parents long before the teenage years.
Not Everything is Discipleship, by Mike McGarry (NNYM Blog)
Over the past several years, many youth pastors, including me, have tried to avoid reducing discipleship to education or information transfer. Instead of a rigid curriculum, we began emphasizing relationships and presence. Eventually, many of us started calling almost everything in ministry discipleship. And that's where I worry we may have lost something important.
Biblical & Theological Studies
Are You Really Filled with the Spirit?, by Guy Waters (The Gospel Coalition)
Let’s ask and answer three questions of the Bible about the Spirit’s filling: Who in Scripture is “filled with the Spirit”? What does this expression actually mean? How can I pursue and experience this filling of the Spirit?
God Stoops to Speak to Us, by Gregg Allison (Desiring God)
Christianity denies this is the way to know the one true living God, because there is no human starting point — nor can there be. On the contrary, God makes himself known to people. Christians answer the question, “How can people know God?” with one word: accommodation.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
The Remedy, The Problem, and The Church, by Holly Lazzaro (Formed, Not Fed)
The calm we bring to that observation is the steadiness of people who are not surprised, who know that the gospel does not depend on the labor market getting this right, and who know that the final word on these women’s worth has already been spoken, and will not be revised by an automation exposure score.
Reclaiming Adam Smith for the Church: Wealth, Virtue, and the Bread of Life, by Paul Mueller (Center for Faith & Culture)
Smith knew that wealth isn’t a savior. It’s a steward’s tool, the “soil” where a good life can grow. As followers of Christ, we should defend the freedom to build wealth—not so we can hoard it, but so we have the resources to love our neighbors, the dignity to provide for our families, and the character to use every blessing for His glory.
Pastoral Ministry
Why We Don't Trust Pastors, by Jon Beeson (The Bee Hive)
The world doesn’t trust me. It doesn’t trust you either. But don’t lose heart. Christ has overcome the world. And he calls us into the world with the assurance of his presence and his power. May we live in a manner that reflects his light to this dark world.
A Letter to Those Discouraged By Fallen Pastors, by Zak Mellgren (The SubZak)
Remember that your faith is not in Hymenaeus, or Alexander, or in Demas. Your faith is in Christ. When doubts haunt you, trust in the Lord. He will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Family & Parents
I Am Not Enough for My Kids, by Amy Medina (Not Home Yet)
But what I discovered is that bringing them home, as challenging as it was, was the easy part. Raising them is much harder. And I’ve slowly, incrementally, had to accept this hard truth: Determination is not enough. I am not enough for my kids.
Won't Somebody Please Think of (Having the) Children!, by Stephen McAlpine
Children have become commodified, as we would expect when we either demonise them (and get rid of them before birth), or worship them, and then pour all our energies and monies into crafting the one or two children that we do have into the gods and goddesses we are told that they undoubtedly will become.
Does a Promiscuous Past Affect a Christian Marriage?, by Brittany Allen (Treasuring Christ)
Yet, there are earthly consequences to sexual sin that can affect a marriage. If I said there weren’t, I’d be a liar. So, let’s look at the claims and understand the true dangers. But if you’re someone who walked a path similar to mine, stick around because there is so much hope. I promise.
From YPT this week
ep.142: Raising Gen Alpha, with Dave Boden
In this podcast, Mike and John talk with Dave Boden about his new book, “Raising Gen Alpha” about their core distinctives and how to minister to them well.
A Case for Co-Ed Small Groups for Youth Ministry, by Nick Hartman
Whether you choose to host co-ed groups as your norm or for a temporary season, here are some benefits they can provide for the youth in your ministry.
