Youth Religion

Whether you're a youth ministry rookie or a seasoned veteran, walking into a new church or a new role can be a big challenge. You need to set the tone for your ministry and establish yourself as a leader, but you don't have very long to do it.

In Helping Teens with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, Roy Petitfils gives parents, pastors, and youth leaders the knowledge, courage, and tools they need to step in, make a difference, and be the presence of Christ for teens in crisis. Roy Petitfils knows what it's like to be an addicted, depressed teenager, filled with self-loathing and desperate for help. He describes himself at high school graduation as by far the largest person in his hometown and yet feeling as though he were "stuck in Harry Potter's invisibility cloak".

Today’s youth struggle with difficult questions of sexual identity. How can a youth worker offer wise care and counsel on such a controversial and confusing subject? Mark Yarhouse, director of the Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity, writes to equip youth ministers so they can faithfully navigate the topic of sexual identity in a way that is honest, compassionate, and accessible.

Get ready for a crash course in effective communication. More than just a book on how to "do talks," Speaking to Teenagers combines the experience and wisdom of two veteran youth ministry speakers, along with insightful research and practical tools, to help you develop messages that engage students with the love of Christ and the power of his Word. Whether you're crafting a five-minute devotional or a 30-minute sermon, Speaking to Teenagers is essential to understanding and preparing great messages.

First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made "the body of Christ" a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth? Listen to this book and find out.

This book is an overview of popular culture for youth workers, parents and educators. Explores the dynamics of why kids are drawn into the culture and how it shapes their development.

My image of God the Father, enthroned in heaven in flowing white robes and Birkenstock sandals, was overshadowed by my certainty that he didn't want me to have any fun. God was all about rules—from Chapter Five.

Janie Hunt's path to the true ways of life was shaky, beset with constant sting of rejection and cruelty from her parents. She was a teenager when she first set foot in a church, where her new best friend's dad was a pastor. Now, after graduating from college and still trying to find her path in life, it still pains her to think of her past. Bradley Bridges is a small town guy, well loved by his neighbors and friends. He didn't grow up surrounded by faith, and he didn't know that anything was missing from his life... until he met Janie. As the friendship between Janie and Bradley grows, and...

It's ok for you to have questions about your faith. You aren't the only one that has those questions, and you shouldn't be embarrassed by them. In Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith, Mike McGarry explores the twenty most common questions teenagers ask.

For all those who love it most, baseball is like a religion, and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" ought to be in their hymn books. An injured minor league slugger and his preacher dad try using the hallowed game as a tool to reach troubled teens locked up in juvie. Will Mike Flaherty and Brother Pat connect with the teens held in a detention facility on the grounds of an old lighthouse in Panama City, Florida - or will they go down swinging? Young lives are at stake as betrayal lurks on the grounds - and it may already be too late to guide them out of darkness and into the light. Get it now ...

Maybe it was baseball season, with its many Sunday practices, which caused a normally committed family to miss church...only they didn't return when the season ended. For another family, it was the dance recital with its accelerated rehearsal schedule, which was "only temporary" but their return attendance was sporadic before it became non-existent.

Parenting isn’t for wimps. It's not just the routines, schedules, discipline, and heartaches - it's the hard conversations. One of the greatest challenges of parenting is navigating the crucial conversations that we must have with our kids. Using the Three Circles gospel tool (God’s design; brokenness; gospel), Jimmy and Kristin will give you a “conversation map” to work through any tough conversations you have with your children.

Do you want your children to be actively serving in the local church when they turn 30 and beyond? Why They Stay can help! Much has been written about younger adults and their departure from church involvement. Concerned parents and church leaders want to know what has caused them to depart. Instead of asking why young adults are leaving the church, Parr and Crites conducted a national research project of those who grew up in church and are still serving faithfully.

Christians are called to bear a cross. These crosses sometimes involve the general burdens that affect everyone. At other times, Christians bear specific burdens. The Lord promises us that our crosses and burdens can be transformed into small splinters if we focus on what really matters. How can this happen? You will find the answer in Splinters of the Cross...the same answer that was found by Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and many more: God's grace is sufficient for you.

The only effective way to share the Gospel with teenagers is to also share our lives with them. Youth ministry happens when adults (like you) humble themselves to love and serve young people, just as Jesus did. Sharing the Gospel with Our Lives is an inspiring, informative, and empowering resource for your ministry with Catholic teens. This is the book that helps you realize that Catholic youth ministry is more than putting a meeting together or teaching a class; it's about getting to know teens and sharing Jesus with them.

No Fear draws you inside the stories of young, ordinary believers who, despite incredible opposition, courageously stood up for God's truth. Tony Perkins pairs each story with a biblical example and gives practical ideas for building a "no fear" perspective every day. Today, followers of Jesus Christ face more opposition to their beliefs than any generation in American history. Yet even in such a hostile cultural and political environment, it is an exciting time to stand firm in the faith.

Many teens are active in church youth programs, yet drop out of church later in life and never return. Other young adults rest on the merits of their parents' faith without ever experiencing their own relationship with Jesus Christ. In this book, the authors seek to help teenagers who have grown up in Christian homes by reminding them of the blessings of growing up in a Christian home, warning them of some of the dangers they face, providing practical suggestions for avoiding these dangers, and urging them to think and live in a way that pleases God.

Fights at school, sexual abuse, eating disorders, school crises … the list goes on and on. Hardly a day passes without a local crisis at involving junior highers or high schoolers. This practical resource covers the whole continuum of private and public crisis, equipping parents to work with their kids to deal with any crisis in a way that helps the individual and helps the family stay intact.

Drawing on 30 years of ministry experience in four churches across three countries and two continents, my aim is to help you consider how you can better mentor an increasingly isolated generation of older teenagers and young adults - those aged between 18 and 30 years of age.

A New Generation Church is a church with attendees whose average age is at least as young as the average age of the community in which the church exists. Any church can become a New Generation Church that reaches and continues to reach the next generation. Written for both church leaders and members, For a New Generation presents practical strategies that lay a foundation for a church to thrive for generations to come. It is based on the assumption that accepting the status quo is the greatest threat to your church’s core mission and, perhaps, to the survival of your church.