A Fall Resource Sale from YM360

BAGS helps parents become aware of the specific bags kids tend to pack as they grow up, how these bags tend to get packed, and the long-lasting negative impacts they can have.

Lissy Rienow shares the teenage point of view about the toughest issues families face today. Her heart for families shines through as she encourages and equips parents to fight for a stronger connection with their teen. 

All youth workers want to help teenagers grow in their faith, expanding their participation in the kingdom of God beyond Sundays or Wednesdays until it becomes an integral part of their everyday lives. The 12-Month Student Discipleship Journal is designed with that in mind, intended to help youth build habits of Bible reading, reflection, and prayer.

Everybody's Urban: Understanding the Survival Mindset of the Next Generation helps youth workers in every setting—in the middle of a large city or rural small town—move beyond identifying the students in their ministry by where they live or their skin color into real-world strategies to minister to today's teenagers.

Protecting Your Children from Internet Pornography exposes the many ways that pornography is menacing people, relationships, society, and—especially—our children. You will be disturbed, shocked, motivated, and empowered to make a difference after reading this book.

In this edition of our “multi-views” series, the chapters are authored by a group of youth ministry thought leaders. We asked them two key questions: What are the problems youth ministry currently faces? And what is the pathway forward? Each chapter represents a thoughtful, practical, and challenging viewpoint. At the end of each chapter, there is a sidebar from an in-the-trenches youth worker whose ministry is currently living out the future the chapter’s writer foresees.

Teaching for Change guides teachers to unravel the mystery of how students absorb and process information. This insight leads to better prepared lessons that will engage the hearts and minds of students. 

Ministry comes with many weighty responsibilities. Ministry leaders are called to teach, serve, and lead. But in leading those under their care, there comes a moment when they recognize the future leaders under their leadership. With this recognition comes an all too familiar question: What comes next?

In Calling Out the Called, Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt answer this question by giving direction, encouragement, and a charge for ministry leaders to recognize the future leaders in their midst and do what needs to be done for the future of ministry: the calling out of the called.

Three years into Kendall’s job as the youth pastor of Grace church, many things are going really well: Kids are connecting and growing. She’s built a solid team of adult leaders. She and her husband love their home, city, and friends. But when Kendall is blindsided by her unsupportive senior pastor, who once again takes the side of a wealthy parent over Kendall’s, it’s the impetus she needs to start reconsidering her future. Is it time for Kendall to move on? And if she does look for a role at a new church, how can she be sure it will be a better fit than this one? 

With this fiction debut, veteran youth worker Jen Bradbury’s novel explores the process of living in to your calling, listening to the voice of God, and continually asking the question, What does the right fit look like, and how do you know when you’ve found it?

What do I do when a teenager comes out to me? How do I respond in a way that’s helpful rather than creating additional problems? 

Engaging and deeply relevant, 4 Views on Pastoring LGBTQ Teenagers is a frank and compassionate conversation with four in-the-trenches youth workers who have wrestled with these questions and strengthened their ministries as a result. In fact, it’s out of real-life experience with gay, bisexual, cisgender, transgender, queer, or questioning teens in their own youth groups that these youth workers are able to offer up their approaches—approaches which are then not theoretical at all, but practical and born of relational, everyday ministry. 

Will you find all the answers in this book? No. Look elsewhere for theological debate; look elsewhere for pat, one-size-fits-all methodologies. Youth ministry is often messy and complex, but it’s a divine calling to connect every youth with Jesus: straight, gay, bi, cisgender, trans, queer, or questioning.

Teenage girls area lot—in the best way. Complex, dramatic, thoughtful, generous, smart, frustrating, energetic, and ever-changing. This is because the teen years are marked by major shifts and growth, making them an ideal time to mentor girls toward a sustained, enduring faith.This is no small task, but it’s familiar territory for Katie Edwards, a long time youth worker, parent, and a former teen girl herself. She’s written Disciplemaking with Girls as a resource for the dedicated, caring adults ready to come alongside girls, build meaningful relationships, and pass down the ways of Jesus to the next generation.

5 Views on Youth Ministry Short-Term Missions reflects the thoughts, personal stories, and real-life tips of five in-the-trenches youth workers who regularly lead short-term mission trips (STMs). Here you’ll find thoughtful but practical dialogue on the multiple views and approaches to STMs, from work camps to urban missions to long-term partnerships with Indigenous church leaders across the globe. Didn’t realize there were different views and approaches to STMs that thoughtful youth workers could disagree on? That’s part of the point of this book; to help youth workers have more insight into the issues and be more intentional in their responses. The five views of STMs found within this book are based on the contributors’ core commitments and worldviews (really, their missiology). Each of the contributors also offers a short response to one of the other views of STMs presented. Appendices tackle the important topics of junior high short-term missions and the incredible value of multigenerational trips.

Teenagers today are different from teenagers even 10 or 20 years ago. The issues they are facing are complex and wide-ranging.How can youth workers understand them better? What are the best ways to meet anxious teens where they are and help them feel seen, loved, and known—both by our youth ministries and by the God who cares for them so deeply?

We all want thriving youth ministries, vibrant communities of teenagers and adult leaders who are all growing as disciples of Jesus. Too often, though, it feels like things just aren’t...quite...working. While there are lots of potential solutions to the “problems” of youth ministry, Heather Quiroz suggests looking back—way back—for answers: at first-century Jewish faith, life, and culture.

Hierarchical, coercive leadership should have no place in the church. But if we move away from those unbiblical (and ineffective) forms of power-based leadership, we still need to lead. In Leading Without Power, Mark Oestreicher explores—in very pragmatic ways—what it might look like for us to replace power-based leadership modalities with other approaches.

Youth live in the in-between: They’re no longer children but not exactly adults, growing through a God-designed season of life that is tumultuous, exciting, and essential. How can we best love, encourage, and challenge the young people in our lives, helping them live into their gifts and grow toward spiritual maturity? And where should we look for these answers?

If you’re ready to become more confident, competent and consistent in sharing your faith, then Live Sent book is for you. You’ll receive simple, step-by-step guidance that will equip you to share Jesus effectively in everyday life.

4 Views on Talking to Teenagers About Sex reflects the thoughts, experiences, and practical advice of four in-the-trenches youth workers, who have spent years having these conversations with the teenagers in their ministries. Representing an array of viewpoints, these writers don’t agree on everything—but they all know that our conversations with teens about sex must speak to God’s design, avoid shame, and go far beyond any one instance of “the talk.