Friday Review (9/18/26)
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
Everyday Evangelism for Students, Anthony Work (YM360)
For many of us, evangelism lives in that tension between opportunity and uncertainty. We know we’re called to share the Gospel, but in real-life moments with real students, it can feel unclear, forced, or even intimidating.
Connect with Youth Parents, Ronald Long (Download Youth Ministry)
The problem is not simply the number of Gen Zers leaving the church. It is also that those who remain hold beliefs that do not align with historic creedal Christianity. According to the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, 67% of practicing Christians believe that if a person is generally good and does good deeds, they will get to heaven.
Biblical & Theological Studies
Opportunity and God’s Will, James Williams (Growing In Grace)
When opportunity presents itself to us, we can’t just assume the Lord wants us to take it. Everything we do is to be considered in light of Scripture, where God has revealed his character and law to us. “Gray” matters, those not addressed explicitly in Scripture, are to be taken to the Lord in prayer and with consideration from the wise counsel of godly people.
The Joy of the Lord: Nehemiah, Rich Mullins, and the Dawn Treader, Hannah Hubin (The Rabbit Room)
When the returned exiles listened to the law long enough to realize their own emptiness, God invited them to walk through that emptiness to him. There was joy, then, in Israel—not because the people of God had stopped up their emptiness like rags beneath a leaking door, but because they had finally turned to face it and could look through it like an open door to the Lord.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
In the Age of AI, Teach This Foundational Doctrine to Teenagers, Justin Wong (Rooted Ministry)
The gospel does not teach salvation through continual self-improvement or escaping human limitation. Instead, God enters into human weakness through the incarnation.
Gen Z and Loneliness, Ruthanne Downey (TGC Canada)
Relationships, like all good things, are difficult to maintain. But they are necessary to human flourishing, as evidenced by the way that humans naturally crave the companionship of others. Or as we read in the first pages of the Bible, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18).
Pastoral Ministry
Ten Ways to Savor Sundays, Joel Kurz (9Marks)
With this background in mind, I want to offer ten suggestions to help make the Lord’s Day a day that you anticipate and enjoy, and a day that centers on gathering with God’s people for worship.
Jimmy Dodd: When Pastors Don’t Know Where To Turn, Jason Daye (ChurchLeaders)
If you’re a pastor or ministry leader who feels stuck, overwhelmed, isolated, or simply needs someone outside your immediate ministry context to help you process what you’re carrying, you do not have to wait until things fall apart. Sometimes the healthiest next step is simply having someone trustworthy to talk to.
Family & Parents
Four Ways To Put Spiritual Nurture Ahead of the Schedule, Walt Mueller (CPYU)
If we’re not careful, the school year will come and go so fast that we might get to June and realize we’ve pushed aside or even forgotten that our primary calling as Christian parents is not to serve our kids, but to serve our Lord by making the spiritual nurture of our kids our first priority.
Developing a Family Discipleship Plan, Chap Bettis (The Disciple-Making Parent)
Although we could talk about numerous other discipleship commitments including: prioritizing the Great Commission, prioritizing church, modeling the faith at home, and seeking to have a joyful home, I want to focus this email on a central command – talking about the Scripture.
From YPT this week
ep.144: Six Commitments of Theological Youth Ministry, YPT Podcast
That YPT Podcast returns!!! After catching up about summertime ministry, Mike and John discuss the 6 commitments of “Theological Youth Ministry.”
How (and why) I’m Teaching Genesis in Youth Group, Jack Fitzgibbons (YPT)
Genesis - all 50 chapters of it - is a rich, complicated, and masterful story of God’s grace towards His people. It will make students think, cringe, and maybe even laugh a time or two.
