Does youth ministry in your church exist on an island, disconnected from the larger church? Does your youth ministry accomplish the church's overall goals for making disciples of teenagers? Together helps answer those questions and more. Almost since the concept of "youth ministry" came into being, churches have struggled with how to keep their twelve-to-twenty-year-olds engaged. A contemporary focus, lots of fun activities, and cool leaders seemed to be the answer. Yet large numbers of yo...

Christianity Today Book Award WinnerThe digital revolution has ushered in a series of sexual revolutions, all contributing to a perfect storm for modern relationships. Online dating, social media, internet pornography, and the phenomenon of the smartphone generation have created an avalanche of change with far-reaching consequences for sexuality today. The church has struggled to address this new moral ecology because it has focused on cla...

Why does divorce cause so much strain and long-term distress for children of all ages?Andrew Root, a recognized authority on youth ministry and a child of divorce himself, explains that divorce causes children to question their core identity. Since a child is the product of the union of a mother and father, when that union ends, he or she experiences a baffling sense of loss of self--a loss of his or her very sense of being. Root redirects efforts for assisting chi...

Think about sin and the cross—the way that salvation changes who we are and how God sees us. It’s a central part of our faith, and yet it’s one of the most confusing and difficult things to teach. Especially to a room full of teenagers.In Taking the Cross to Youth Ministry, Andrew Root invites you along on a journey with Nadia—a fictional youth worker who is wrestling with how to present the cross to her own students in a meaningful way. Using Nadia’s narrative, along with...

As communicators in a culture saturated with storylines, we have the profound opportunity to invite our students into the masterful Story of God. There are a variety of ways to invite our students into this Story, but this book discusses and explores how to teach through one of Jesus' most powerful modes of communication--fictional storytelling. Rabbinical storytelling (otherwise known as Jewish Agada) embraces the narrative of Scripture and invites its listeners into understanding and par...

In the best-selling footsteps of Would You Rather . . . ?, What If . . . ?, and Have You Ever . . . ? comes Unfinished Sentences — another collection of sometimes lighthearted, sometimes poignant, and always provocative discussion starters guaranteed to get teenagers talking, thinking, debating. Get the discussion ball rolling with 450 incomplete sentences that can be used anytime, anywhere for breaking the ice, stimulating discussions, building community, getting kids to wrestle with spir...

Things have changed. The Truth has not. The 1950's are gone forever. The days of the Sunday school attendance award and the much-loved Sunday school picnic have faded into oblivion. Yet some youth ministries still operate as if today's kids are living in a vacuum, unaffected by the changing morals of today's society. How can we reach these kids with the truth of the gospel? More than fifty of America's youth experts give advice and encouragement to those who long to see this generation kno...

Dean Borgman, a nationally known youth ministry expert, offers a new edition of his influential classic. Reaching a broadly ecumenical audience, this book challenges readers to think about the theological nature of youth ministry. Questions for discussion and reflection are included. This thoroughly updated edition was previously published as When Kumbaya Is Not Enough.Praise for the first edition"Writing with the lens of a theologian, the heart of...

If you're in the front lines of youth ministry – as a leader, volunteer, pastor, parent – you know that youth leadership can be tough. Teens are moving targets, congregations have high expectations, and sometimes even the most experienced youth leader can't shake the feeling that they really don't have a clue about what to do next. Life in Student Ministry offers more than a clue. Jammed packed with practical "how-to" advice, this book is a must-read for any youth leader committed to build...

The Book of Uncommon Prayer 2 extends the tools offered in The Book of Uncommon Prayer by providing more experiences that bring students into a deeper awareness of God. This collection of scripted services, blessings, rites, and prayers meets the growing desire of young people to step outside the “noise” of their lives and linger in a slower, quieter place. Inside you’ll find:• A service to start the new school year• Blessings for a new youth room • A modified Seder meal• Hard Communion• M...

Nobody can prepare you for all the issues you’ll encounter when it comes to teenagers. Whether you work with teens or are trying to parent them, chances are that you’ve already run into a few things that you felt completely unprepared or ill equipped to deal with. You’re not alone! In this hard-hitting series of books, you’ll find answers to the difficult questions you face when challenges arise. In What Do I Do When Teenagers Encounter Bullying and Violence?, Dr. Steven Gerali will help y...

If you ate up the previous two best-selling volumes of Drama, Skits, & Sketches, you’re gonna really dig this next batch of 54 brand-new, youth group-tested thespian exercises! With the help of the scenarios in Drama, Skits, & Sketches 3, you can discuss important issues with pizzazz . . . present Bible stories with humor . . . and add serious significance to your lessons. Use them any way you’d like--whether as fun, informal, no-prep reader’s theater or as guides for seriously polished pe...