Friday Review: July 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

Dear Gen Z Pastor: Six Traits of Our Generation and How They Affect Ministry, by Alan Patrick (For the Church)

Dear Gen Z Pastor, our generation is marked by many traits, some of which will directly impact the way you minister to your congregation. Understanding these traits can help you recognize both the opportunities and challenges they bring to ministry.

Youth Ministers, Teach About Sin So the Gospel Shines Brighter, by Andrew Slay (Rooted)

Although sin is breaking God’s commands, the Bible discusses sin in much more serious terms. It uses three words and three images to describe sin’s nature and effects. By teaching our students about the nature and effects of sin, we will enable them to see the gospel shine ever more brightly against the backdrop of sin’s darkness.

Biblical & Theological Studies

The Miracle of Christian Unity, by Michael Jensen (Lost Arts)

The unity of Christians then is a reflection of the unity of the God in whom and by whom we are united. And this tells us a second crucial thing about this unity: it is something that is first and foremost a spiritual and heavenly reality, established by God, in Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit.

How Not to be a Functional Atheist on Your Vacation, by Zak Mellgren (The SubZak)

From that perspective, one of the most baffling things about vacations is how we can so easily slip into a functional atheism as we experience this wonderful gift from the Father of lights. By that, I mean God becomes an afterthought.

Cultural Reflection & Contextualization

Remythologizing the Myths: Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey and the Fractures in a Secular Age, by Jake Adkins (Mere Orthodoxy)

The stories a culture chooses to tell — and how it chooses to tell them — are among the more reliable indexes of what a society actually believes about the world. Often the form of retelling says as much as the substance. To that end, this is not a review of Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey so much as a review of the moment in which it arrives — an attempt to ask why this story, why this filmmaker, and why now.

My Seven Laws of Technology, by Andrew Noble (Whatever Is Noble)

Like Kranzberg’s, my seven laws are less like commands and more like a set of norms which function as a framework for thinking well about technology. If you master these, you will be better equipped to lead others and make disciples in a technological age.

Pastoral Ministry

A Letter from the Leaders You Are Raising – Five Questions We’re Learning to Ask of You, by Daniel Han (SOLA Network)

Whether you serve as a pastor, elder, ministry director, discipler, teacher, or faithful lay leader, your influence matters. The way you see, train, correct, encourage, and entrust younger leaders will shape not only their ministry today, but also the way they lead others tomorrow.

The Art of Dying a Slow Death Well: Long-Suffering in Pastoral Ministry, by Kevin McKay (9Marks)

Suffering is part of the job. But pastoral ministry rarely ends in one dramatic act of suffering. Instead, we are faced with the uncomfortable question: are we ready for the quiet, often unseen, and slow death that comes from shepherding the sheep for whom Christ died?

Family & Parents

Six Ways to Shepherd Kids Through Loss, by Kirsten Black (Gospel Centered Discipleship)

Shepherding our kids through pain and suffering is hard. For parents, it can feel like we carry a double portion of grief—our own and that of our grieving kids. Whatever may come, as parents we are called to lovingly “train up [our children]” whom God has entrusted to our care through every high and low (Prov. 22:6). What a privilege to walk with them, pointing them to Christ, despite the pain that often accompanies this calling.

I Think I Ruined My Children, by Vanessa Le (Gentle Reformation)

Not because I was the best mom, but because I was chosen. Not because of what I am, but because of who God is, I can trust Him to care for my children better than I ever can. He has their future written, and He holds them in the palm of His hand.

From YPT this month

The YPT Curriculum is designed to help you disciple teenagers into faith that lasts by forming their Head, Heart, and Hands. Learn more, preview samples, and order, on the YPT Curriculum page.

Why we need Theological Youth Ministry by Mike McGarry

Teenagers are involved… but are they being discipled? Here are six convictions of Theological Youth Ministry.

How Studying Philosophy Made Me a Better Youth Pastor by Joseph Bradley

Studying philosophy is not the path most people entering youth ministry would take, and it was a surprise to me, too. But it has profoundly shaped and uniquely prepared me for this calling. Here are a few principles that have served me well.

Navigating Conflict with Volunteers in Ministry by Anonymous

One of the painful burdens of leadership is conflict. How do you evaluate conflict with volunteers while discerning how to address it; and then how do you have the hard conversation without making the conflict worse?

The Doctrine Youth Ministries Keep Ignoring by Mike McGarry

Preach the good news of the gospel. Jesus is our only hope. But if you ignore the reality of total depravity, your students might not see (or feel) their need of the gospel at all.

Youth Pastor as Shepherd by Jon Coombs

After twenty years in some form of youth ministry leadership, I've grown more convinced that the basics of shepherding should be the priority.