Youth Religion

If you're leading students—as a volunteer, teacher, small group leader, or pastor—you're spiritually forming the up-and-coming kingdom of God. In my decade of youth ministry, I've seen how small group leaders, teachers, and youth workers impact the spiritual trajectory of teenagers, often without support or resources. In this audiobook, we will explore what it means to lead our students with confidence, creativity, and clarity.

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.

Today's youth face immense challenges, and their role within church communities is often undervalued. Don't Despise Our Youth by David A. Washington offers a powerful call to action to transform youth ministry into a platform where young people are empowered to lead, thrive, and serve alongside their church. Washington writes from his own experience, having come to faith through the work of youth ministry in inner-city Chicago. He credits this ministry with rescuing him from a life of gang involvement, crime, prison, and imminent death, providing the guidance he once lacked.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There is a war against your children. Every day, kids of all ages are bombarded with the enemy's lies that war against their God-given identities and divine destinies. But when kids speak God’s truth over themselves, their minds are renewed and they become rooted in a healthy, Bible-based identity. In God’s Got This: Power Decrees to Overcome Problems, Step into Purpose, and Receive Promises, notable apostolic leader and prophet Tim Sheets teams up with his daughter, Rachel Shafer, to provide a powerful resource—biblical decrees that kids can speak over themselves in every season of life.

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 ...

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.

Engaging young adults in the local church is not as hopeless a case as statistics might have us believe, but young adults are asking six important questions about the role of the Church in their lives in 21st century culture—questions that could radically transform the Church for the good of all.

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.

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.

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.

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.