The following are some of the resources available at the Lancaster Conference Congregational Resource Center:
- Awesome Worship Services for Youth. Loveland: Group Publishing, 1998.
- Involve your teenagers in powerful worship with these 12 faith-building worship services. Each service combines four key forms of worship: celebration, reflection, symbolic action, and declaration of God's truth.
- Becker, Ann Weber. Faith for the Journey: Youth explore the confession of faith. Newton: Faith & Life Press, 1997.
- With a session on each article in the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, this resource helps youth explore what it means to live as a person of faith in today's world. Each session is presented in a five-part format: Focus, Explore, Digging Deeper, Respond, and Closing.
- Burns, Jim and McKinnon, Greg Fresh Ideas Series: Volume #1: Illustrations, Stories and Quotes to Hang Your Message On, Gospel Light, 1997.
- This resources will help you turn your youth group meetings into dynamic, exciting events that kids look forward to attending week after week.
- Burns, Jim and McKinnon, Greg Fresh Ideas Series: Volume #2: Case Studies, Talk Sheets and Discussion Starters, Gospel Light, 1997.
- Connect with your youth group using relevant, issue-oriented discussion that will help them discover truth for themselves.
- Burns, Jim and DeVries, Mike Fresh Ideas Series: Volume #7: Incredible Retreats, Gospel Light, 1997.
- Ideas for Bible study, group discussions, personal reflection, games, food and fun.
- Burns, Jim and Dugall, Robin Volume #8: Worship Experiences, Gospel Light, 1997.
- Give young people the opportunities and inspiration they need to worship God in spirit and truth.
- Chapman, Gary The Five Love Languages of Teenagers, Northfield Publishing, 2000.
- Just like adults, teenagers desperately need to feel that they are loved. In this resource you will learn how to speak your teenager's primary love language.
- Christie, Les 450 Unfinished Sentences, Youth Specialties, 2000.
- Pass it around the van and you might start the best conversation you ever had with your kids!
- Crabtree, Jack. Better Safe than Sued. Loveland: Group Publishing, 1998.
- Protect your youth ministry from accidents, lawsuits, and other preventable mishaps. Here's practical advice and wise counsel for insurance coverage, screening volunteers, proper safety planning, accident-proofing games, designing safe retreats, surviving wilderness trips and more. Also includes sample medical release forms, vehicle information forms, and publicity photo release forms.
- Creative Programs for Life-Changing Camps and Retreats, Student Impact, Willow Creek Resources, Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.
- Everything you need is here: a purpose statement for each program, plus complete programming ideas.
- Dean, Kenda Creasy and Ron Foster. The Godbearing Life.
- Draws the focus away from preoccupation with techniques and paradigms, and points us first and foremost to the passionate embrace of Jesus Christ. From the first page of the preface the book breathes with a passion for God, a love for teenagers, and a playful style that serves as the perfect antidote for pastors who have begun to take themselves and their ministries a little too seriously.
- Dean, Kenda Creasy and others, editors. Starting Right: Thinking theologically about youth ministry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.
- A primary reference tool that calls all youth workers to consider their jobs in terms of practical theology. Because who you believe God is and how you believe God works in the world greatly influences the kind of youth ministry you practice. With backgrounds and expertise in sociology, theology, counseling, missions, and Christian education, the authors comment authoritatively on the whys behind the kind of youth ministry you do.
- DeVries, Mark. Family Based Youth Ministry. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1994.
- Family-based youth ministry is about adults discipling teens one-on-one and in groups. It is about involving not just the nuclear family but the whole church family - from singles to older adults. More important, it's about incorporating youth into the life of your church.
- DeVries, Mark and Russell, Nan Bridges: 15 Sessions to Connect Teenagers and Adults, InterVarsity Press, 1996.
- Interactive, biblically based and fun, this guidebook gives you everything you need to help the generations come together and talk.
- Duerksen, Carol. Building Together: Developing your blueprint for congregational youth ministry. Newton: Faith & Life, 2001.
- How can youth leaders, sponsors, and pastors get a good grasp on how to disciple youth at the dawn of the 21st century? Building Together offers inspiring and creative approaches to youth ministry that take seriously the needs of youth, the life of the congregation, and the changing culture we live in.
- Duerksen, Carol. Sexuality: God's great idea. Scottdale: Mennonite Publishing House, 1994.
- The church can be the place where youth get the message of the goodness of sexuality, and are lovingly tutored in how to respect it. This series of seven sessions is structured around two contemporary teenagers who interview Old Testament people about their experiences with sexuality.
- Fields, Mark. Purpose Driven Youth Ministry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.
- A guide to creating and maintaining youth ministry for the long run. It will help you create a solid spiritual team that builds the foundations of the Christian faith into the hearts and lives of young people. Purpose Driven Youth Ministry is forged around the purposes of evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and worship. Also available as a five session video series.
- Generation Why Bible Studies. Faith & Life Press.
- Bible-based explorations of issues facing youth, designed to really make a difference in youth's lives. Short units and active sessions can be used in youth group, Sunday school, Bible study, or retreat settings. Each unit includes an extra extender session and requires no student pieces.
- The Gigantic Book of Games for Youth Ministry, Volumes 1 & 2, Group Publishing, Inc. 1999.
- From front-line youth workers comes this tried and true collection of team building, Bible learning and energy burning games.
- Hall, Eddy. Decide for Peace. Newton: Faith and Life Press, 1996.
- Designed for individual or group study, Decide for Peace guides youth and young adults in exploring key Bible passages to consider such timeless questions as the causes of war, whether war can be just, and whether Christians should always obey their governments. Through a process involving Bible study, prayer, and journaling, individuals can work through this book in four or eight sessions.
- The Heart of Youth Ministry. Video. Youth Specialties.
- Your ministry - and your outlook on life - may never be the same after you've spent time with veteran youth worker and speaker Mike Yaconelli. You'll receive a new vision for your youth ministry and a new energy for reaching kids with the Good News of the gospel. A great resource for training and inspiring the whole youth ministry team.
- Hersch, Patricia A Tribe Apart: A Journey Into the Heart of American Adolescence, Ballantine Books, 1999.
- As a silent, attentive partner, Patricia Hersch followed eight teenagers, listening to their stories, observing their rituals, watching them fulfill their dreams and enact their tragedies.
- Intensive Caring: Practical Ways to Mentor Youth, Group Publishing, 1998.
- This book is a valuable resource whether you are beginning a new program or want to sharpen an existing mentoring program.
- Lehman, Paula Diller. Journey with Justice. Newton: Faith & Life, 1990.
- Thirteen powerful meditations on biblical justice lead youth and adults to reflect thoughtfully and honestly on what it means to respond to a world filled with pain and need.
- Marian, Jim. Worship Services for Youth Groups. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
- A Youth Specialties publication that includes twelve services that put teenagers in touch with the essence of worship - meeting God. Includes drama, prayers, scripture, symbolic activities, reading, devotional thoughts and music.
- Mueller, Walt. Understanding Today's Youth Culture. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1994.
- A complete guide for parents, teachers and youth leaders about what youth are facing in todays culture. Includes music and the media, sex, peer pressure, substance abuse, and depression and suicide.
- Nappa, Mike. What I Wish my Youth Leader Knew About Youth Ministry. Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, 1999.
- How much of youth ministry is run in hit or miss fashion? How do you know that teenagers really want or need the programs you are investing so much time in? The only way to find out is to ask the experts - America's teenagers. Over 400 teens from all over the country were asked about specific areas of youth ministry such as worship, small groups, games, retreats and mission projects.
- Neufeld, Christine. Peace Just Live It! Newton: Faith & Life, 1995.
- What does it mean for Christ the Peacemaker to be a role model for our young people? How can we show youth what it means for them to pursue peace in their time? This book encourages youth to ask hard questions. It addresses the challenges facing them in the 21st century and develops the skills young people need to live as God's peacemakers.
- Pollack, Ph.D., William Real Boys, Henry Holt and Company, 1998.
- A secular, thoughtful, and sensitive discussion of contemporary American boyhood.
- Roehlkepartain, Eugene C. Building Assets in Congregations: A practical guide for helping youth grow up healthy. Minneapolis: Search Institute, 1998.
- Building Assets in Congregations combines solid theory about healthy youth development with practical strategies and approaches, making this book an invaluable resource for every church serious about its ministry to, with, by and for young people.
- Robbins, Duffy. The Ministry of Nurture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990.
- A Youth Specialties publication to guide youth workers in discipling teenagers. Includes how to make faith practical in everyday life, how to help you kids develop their own faith, seven keys to effective discipleship, how to help your kids build a faith that lasts, and others.
- Ropp, Steve. One on One: Making the most of your mentoring relationship. Newton: Faith & Life, 1993.
- Provides information about mentor traits, mentor roles, remembering adolescence, and listening skills. Also gives information about faith journeys, relationships, and evaluation.
- Rydberg, Denny Youth Group Trust Builders, Group Publishing, 1993.
- Youth Group Trust Builders is packed with ready-to-use activities to help you bring your group members closer to one another and to God.
- Senter III, Mark. The Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1992.
- The innovations inspired by the existing movements in youth ministry have run their course. There simply is no way in which the tactics currently being used will stem the tidal wave of spiritual, moral, and psychosocial needs of the current and coming generation of adolescents. Mark Senter describes emerging perspectives for youth ministry.
- Shelton, Charles M. Adolescent Spirituality. New York: Crossroad, 1995.
- A guide for pastoral ministry for high school and college youth, Adolescent Spirituality addresses a foundational issue: understanding and meeting the spiritual needs of our youth.
- Successful Youth Mentoring 2, Group Publishing, 1999.
- These 24 practical sessions will help you connect with teenagers, build meaningful relationships and help your teenagers grow in leadership.
- Understanding Your Teenager. Video. Youth Specialties, 1992.
- Provides parents with spiritual insight and practical help. Wayne Rice and Ken Davis outline down-to-earth principles that help parents build better relationships with their children.
- Who am I Really, Christian Character Development Series, Group Publishing, 2000.
- Check out this sample book that you might want to give to each of your youth. This part of the series focus on your relationship to God and how character reflects that relationship.
- The Youth Worker's Encyclopedia of Bible Teaching Ideas Old Testament and The Youth Worker's Encyclopedia of Bible Teaching Ideas New Testament. Loveland: Group Publishing, 1994.
- These books include hundreds of new ideas to help teach Scripture. Find themes or Scripture in the index, then plan prayers, readings, skits, games, object lessons and retreats accordingly.
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