Things were going so well at youth group. There was a noticeable glow on students’ faces and an excitement to be there. The opening icebreaker was a big hit. They even seemed excited to hear the announcements of upcoming events. But then the wheels seemed to fall off. What happened? It was time for worship through singing and most of their voices were “missing in action.” Many of you can relate to this discouraging experience. But the reality is sometimes it's not the fault of students for weak singing, as there are several factors at work. Because of this, youth pastors have the wonderful opp ..read more

This article is not intended to convince you of one dating philosophy or another for your home. Every family has their convictions regarding dating – you, as the parent(s), should choose whether your student can date in middle or high school. My aim with this article is to present three biblical truths about marriage and to relate those to teen dating, in order to help parents develop their dating philosophy for their home. Imagine with me for a moment: Two teens orient their life schedules around one another. They act as if they cannot spend their time apart and can only make decisions a ..read more

Faithful preaching and teaching does more than deliver biblical content, it takes the audience into account and draws the listeners into the text so they can behold the truth and beauty of God’s Word. Most of us have listened to sermons that were biblically and theologically sound, but they weren’t helpful. In today’s conversation, we want to help youth leaders preach and teach in a way that connects with the youth in your ministry.  Discussion Includes What are some reasons preachers and teachers can preach an exegetically strong sermon but struggle to connect with their audience?&nb ..read more

Each week 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 The Indispensable Necessity of Doctrinal ..read more

This is part of a monthlong series about teaching youth the attributes of God. We believe it’s important to teach students about God. That should be a no-brainer. But it’s surprisingly easy to never teach clearly about the attributes of God. You can read YPT’s other articles about the attributes here. Our perception of God shapes our understanding of everything else; therefore, the accuracy of our theology matters immensely. We must be very careful not to allow our culturally shaped understanding of certain concepts, like love, to be projected onto God. When that happens we unknowingly mold Go ..read more

Nearly twenty years ago, the largest study on youth and religion described the religious worldview of youth and young adults as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. The teenagers and young adults in that study are now the parents of GenZ, which prompts the question, “Is MTD still a good description of youth spirituality?”  Discussion Questions For our listeners who don’t know about the National Study on Youth and Religion, could you share an overview of what that was all about and about your role in it?  The most enduring finding from NSYR was Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. What is that ..read more

Each week 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 Feed Them Jesus: Why Gospel Centrality M ..read more

This is part of a monthlong series about teaching youth the attributes of God. We believe it’s important to teach students about God. That should be a no-brainer. But it’s surprisingly easy to never teach clearly about the attributes of God. You can read YPT’s other articles about the attributes here. Being a teenager is hard. Many adults will roll their eyes at that sentence as they think, “They don’t know how easy they have it!”  Sometimes adults scoff as they hear teens lament their piles of homework, the challenge of balancing school and athletics, and recovering from a breakup. To ma ..read more

If youth workers aren't teaching teenagers about God then how can we call what we're doing "ministry"? The doctrine of God is a topic that people tend to either take for granted or they are intimidated by it's grandeur. This conversation highlights some of the core aspects of the doctrine of God and why it's so important to talk about with teenagers.  What is the vision behind the “Theology for Every Person” series? People are easily intimidated by the word “theology.” Why is it so important to promote theology for normal believers?  Why start with the doctrine of God and not ..read more

Editor’s Note: Today marks YPT’s third birthday! It’s been a true blessing to serve youth workers and to advocate for theological renewal in youth ministry. YPT is grateful for the Lord’s provision through generous givers like you. There are a few potential projects in development behind the scenes that require increased funding for YPT’s ministry to develop. Would you pray about joining our team of monthly partners who are making a real impact for youth workers around the world? Learn more about giving here. Each week we compile a list of helpful articles from other sites, in a variety of cat ..read more