Adolescent Development

What does being an “adult in the church” mean? As your confirmands head into high school and beyond, they are looking to see when they are going to be treated as adults. This article helps us to think about how we might raise expectations and encourage youth to being to take on adult roles in the church.

In the third article of this series, we talk about the power of play for Gen Z.

Gen Z knows a very chaotic world. Our church environment can be a place of warmth and healthy relationships. This article is the second in a series about engaging Gen Z.

Youth Ministry and whole congregations benefit when we understand generational difference and reach across them. This article is the first of three talking about Gen Z and how knowing them will help your ministry.

It can be difficult when youth express how questions and struggles with belief or with the church. It is worth the time and energy to walk alongside these youth as they ask questions. This article talks about how we can be those people in times when you are struggling with faith and the church.

Now more than ever our children need to develop resiliency skills as they face the after-effects of the pandemic as well as the ongoing repercussions of social and political unrest. In Youth Ministry we can help them to identify their feelings and see where God is with them and working in them to develop endurance, hope and resiliency.

Teens need friends to help them weather the stresses of adolescence, feel accepted, and grow spiritually. This article talks to youth workers about how to equip students with the tools necessary to build and maintain solid friend relationships, especially those that point back to Jesus.

As youth leaders, we know that transitions can be vulnerable. We should not be passively waiting on the other side of the transition, the new phase of life, hoping that they make through with their faith. This article talks about how to walk with them through the valley, through the newness, through the changes and connect them to the God who does not change, who is always faithful.