Friday Review: August 2026
Each month this summer, 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
The Good Work of Teaching in Student Ministry, by Jason Engle (Center for Faith & Culture)
Before I lay out my own thoughts for consideration, let me make it clear that my position is not anti-resource or anti-curriculum. I am deeply appreciative of those who, out of a high view of both the Scriptures and of ministry, labor in producing solid resources. But while those resources certainly have an appropriate place in student ministry, I want to make a brief case for the centrality of the good work of teaching in student ministry.
There Are No Ordinary People: A Biblical Vision for Hospitality in Youth Ministry, by Huey Lee (Rooted)
I’m convinced that biblical hospitality is less about grand gestures and more about a posture: one rooted in the welcome God has already extended to us, and one we’re invited to practice in the everyday moments of youth ministry, from the foyer to the fellowship hall to the worship space.
Biblical & Theological Studies
Sacred and Secular: A Historical Theology of Work, Part Two, by Lisa Cooper (Christian Research Institute)
Throughout the history of the Christian church, there have been various approaches to the theology of work, and many answers proposed to questions surrounding work. Questions have been debated by theologians such as: Is all our work glorifying to God, or only the work done in “sacred” vocations? Is our work limited to our paid vocations?
Jesus, Women, and Sexual Struggles, by Ellen Mary Dykas (New Growth Press)
It’s scary to open up about these issues, not to mention confusing at times to know what’s right. The world around us is loud with persuasive voices that tell us God’s truth doesn’t matter anymore.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
Porn Brain Will Destroy Us, by Matthew Loftus and Samuel James (The Dispatch)
Misogyny or the Madonna-whore complex per se is nothing new. What is new is the way that widespread access and addiction to pornography shapes and weaponizes a particular form of misogyny. Porn is like the artificial hormones that make factory-farmed chickens too heavy to walk: a modern innovation that supercharges depravity.
What Longevity Influencers Get Wrong About Death, by Matt McCullough (The Gospel Coalition)
But for precisely that reason, another recent trend is all the more striking. A rising tide of influencers is challenging the premise beneath Pascal’s complaint—the notion that death is incurable in the first place. Far from avoiding the subject, they’re confronting the problem head-on.
Pastoral Ministry
Walking Alongside Parents of LGBTQ+ Identifying Children: A Call to the Church, by Joy Worrell (Harvest USA)
To be sure, there are many churches faithfully walking with hurting families. But when a ministry like ours hears the same story repeatedly, it becomes clear that this is an area where the church must grow.
Counsel for a Young Pastor of a Long-Established Congregation, by Taylor Lazenby (9Marks)
My wife and I took multiple trips to different cities in the United States and prayed the Lord would lead us to plant a church. However, that was not God’s plan. His plan was for me and my family to move to a historic city in the Southeast to pastor a long-established church. Therefore, I have had to think carefully about what faithful leadership looks like when pastoral youth meets congregational longevity. Here are several things I’ve learned.
Family & Parents
Parenting in the Parent Blaming Generation, by Daniel Kunkel (Doctoral Discipleship)
The greatest primal fear of parenting has gone from how we can keep our kids physically safe to how we can keep them emotionally safe. Again, count me in. However, because emotional safety is subjective and ephemeral by nature, it places excessive pressure on parents to create a reality for their children that is impossible to achieve.
Why Facing Your Fears Matters for Your Kids, by Erin Wagberg (Rooted)
One of the larger themes we hear in Scripture is: Do not be afraid. God writes it so frequently that we know it and quote it. But we need to ask ourselves whether we are living this command out for our children.
From YPT this month
Growing Teenage Disciples by Kyle Hoffsmith
In this excerpt from Youth Ministry and the Vine, Kyle Hoffsmith addresses the danger of measuring attendance as the measure of success.
Why Pray if God Will Do What He Wants? by Mike McGarry
This chapter from Discover addresses a common question that many teenagers ask: “Why bother praying if God will do what he wants anyways?”
Harboring a Savior Complex by Steve Eatmon
It’s easy to fall prey to the superhero myth—that it’s all on us to do what needs to be done. This is extremely tempting in smaller churches where you may serve as the lone youth leader with only a handful of volunteers.
Teaching Theologically in an AI World by Pedro Heizer
Using AI to prepare your message can increase efficiency, but what does it cost you? It might help us write better messages, but we’ll become worse theologians. Is that worth it?
How I’m Teaching Students About Discipleship by Joseph Bradley
To avoid putting vague challenges before students to “become disciples”, I decided to kick off our fall semester digging into what it means to follow Christ in every area of their life.
