Hello church family!
As pastor of our youth student ministries, I’m always on the lookout for resources that I can use to encourage our students.
There are, however, a few gems that I’ve found geared specifically toward youth pastors and parents of young teens that help provoke deeper thinking as it relates to shepherding our teenagers.
Family First in Youth Discipleship and Evangelism
I’ve found that the work the youth staff and I do on a Friday night is greatly helped when the youth are already attuned to receiving the Word of God in their hearts on a day to day basis in their homes. This article helpfully highlights this reality and gives practical ways to implement family discipleship.
“Christian parents—not youth pastors—have the primary role, responsibility, and calling to evangelize and disciple their children.”
Preparing Your Teens for College
Alex Chediak wrote a book on parenting that I found to be extremely helpful. He addressed topics that I thought would have been helpful for me to think through when I was a high schooler (things like the problem of self-entitlement and living for eternity). He condenses a lot of that book in this interview.
If the interview piqued your interest, you can buy a copy of the book on Amazon here.
The Greatest Thing You Could Do Today
Don’t write off this article, if you found my first two articles limiting. this is an article that is meant to address singles and marrieds, families or not.
Here’s what I mean: “There is no substitute for being alone with God. If you don’t have time, you need to quit something to make room. Skip a meal. Cancel a meeting. End some regular commitment. There is literally nothing more important you could do today.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
In Christ,
Eric
