Resources for Ministry with Youth
One of the richest resources for ministry with youth in the Episcopal Church is the Forma Facebook group with over 4,000 members. Post a question and practioners are guaranteed to respond with their experiences and resources. You can join here.
The Diocese of Washington is in Province 3. Check out youth ministry initiatives in Province 3, including occasional Youth Ministry Deep Dives.
YOUTH MINISTRY QUICK LINKS
Ministry with Youth during the Pandemic
The following are resources curated specifically with the pandemic in mind.
- Doing youth ministry during a pandemic from Fuller Youth Institute
- Prayers and Coloring for When you Feel Anxious by Illustrated Ministry.
- Vibrant Faith Catalyst: Moving Faith Formation Online offers strategies for online faith formation.
- Keeping your public Zoom room safe from internet trolls
- Play a game of Scattergories with your youth group online.
- Play more games on Zoom.
Curriculum Overview
- This chart provides an overview of the many curricula available for ministry with children (last updated May 2020).
- The field of available curriculum is wide. This guide provides a four-step process for a congregation to find the curriculum that aligns with its mission and vision.
- This resource offers tips for evaluating potential curriculum choices.
Curriculum Options
Youth Curriculum
The Bible Project at Home offers 36 free lessons delivered to your email. Sessions include video, scripture readings, and discussion questions.
Collaborate Bible Study published by Sparkhouse helps youth take an honest look at the holy mystery and the complexity of Scripture to move them onto a path of growth and discovery.
Echo the Story (Ages 12-14) by Sparkhouse explores the biblical narrative through storytelling, creative reflection, and dialogue from creation to the formation of the church. Draws on multiple intelligences.
Faith in an Anxious World, a 4-week module by Fuller Institute for Youth, empowers leaders with language and tools to respond to young people in their care, making anxiety a part of conversations about discipleship and holistic, faithful living.
Feasting on the Word for Youth presents a 12 month downloadable lectionary curriculum. Resources include downloadable leader guides, biblical background for teachers, reproducible resource sheets, and media connections that tie each week's Scripture with a film, video, or Web site.
Journey to Adulthood (Ages 12-18) offers a six-year formation program (three two-year segments) for youth that helps teens explore self, society, spirituality and spirituality. Based on the belief that womanhood and manhood are a gift from God. Adulthood is earned. (A new edition coming summer 2021.)
Living in Christ (LinC) is a fresh, timely, and Biblically based resource to help you help your teens examine relevant faith and life issues, using the latest music, movies, news and current events. Issues are available for download weekly or by email subscription. Talks about current events and offers engaging handouts. Very easy to lead with minimal prep.
Re-Form for middle schoolers by Sparkhouse helps teens explore faith and ask questions about the Bible, the Apostles’ Creed, disciples, Jesus, and hot topics. Strong video component.
Teen Compass help teens learn about what they can do to create more health and wellness in their lives, decide what changes they would like to make, answer reflective questions, and have a place to examine their own choices. Help your teens find balance in daily life.
Teen Text High Schoolby the Education Centeris lectionary-based and easy for leaders to follow without much prep. Includes pictures and videos. Gives "homework" to connect the classroom work with every day. Doesn't provide crafts. Middle school version can be scaled up to high school.
Think.believe.do (Grades 9-12) Help students explore what they believe, understand what their beliefs mean, and how to act on them. Downloadable purchases in 4-week modules.
Weaving God's Promises for Youth (Ages 12-14) A three-year curriculum for youth. Year 1 focuses on the story of salvation and God’s love. Year 2 focuses on the saints of the Church. Year 3 focuses on our call to care for others and the gospel values of welcome, inclusion, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, justice, and liberation. Watch this video introduction.
Yale Youth Ministry Institute offers lesson plans in their Quest for Life Initiative for youth. An excellent resource for people with the time to design their own curriculum or are looking for resources for retreats.
Bibles For youth
- Read, Wonder, Listen: Stories from the Bible for Young Readers Laura Alary (Wood Lake Books, 2018) With gorgeous poetic language and full-page images, this story Bible will appeal to a wide range of ages and is an especially great pick for inquisitive children starting to ask more challenging questions about the Bible.
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Kids Spark NRSV Bible (Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2009) With plenty of features and margins for note-taking, this full Bible is an especially great choice for older Elementary students who may well use it into the middle school years. It’s one of the few children’s Bibles that helps kids begin to interact physically with a Bible by underlining, adding stickers, and noting their own thoughts on the passages.
Source: Choosing a Children's Bible, BuildFaith
The Way of Love
Devotions & Faith Sharing
Confirmation
- Youth and Adult Confirmation Curriculum Comparison Chart
- My Faith, My Life by Jenifer Gamber
- Confirm not Conform
ANTI-RACISM Resources
- 26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias, and Identity with Students
- Dialogues On: Race
- Dismantling Racism Youth Curriculum
- Diversify Your Reading
- Faith & Culture – Anti-Racism
- How to Talk to Kids About Race
- Talking Race with Youth
- Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race
Resources about Gender and Sexuality
Additional Resources
Websites to visit
- Building Faith
- DoFaith@Home
- Forma
- Fuller Youth Institute
- Ministry Architects
- Princeton Theological Seminary: Institute for Youth Ministry
- Search Institute
- Social Media Standards and Policies
- The Bible Project at Home
- The Episcopal Church (Youth Ministry)
- Vibrant Faith Institute
- Virginia Theological Seminary: The Center for the Ministry of Teaching
- Yale Youth Ministry Institute , including Building Your Ministry videos
- Youth Specialties
Books For Ministry Leaders
- Branded: Adolescents Converting from Consumer Faith by Katherine Turpin
- Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People by Jenifer Gamber and Sharon Pearson
- Changes: Prayers and Rites Honoring Life Passages
- Nurturing Different Dreams: Youth Ministry Across Lines of Difference by Katherine Turpin
- Missional Youth Ministry by Brian Kirk and Jacob Thone
- The Sacred Selves of Adolescent Girls: Hard Stories of Race, Class, and Gender by Evelyn Parker
- Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries
- Trouble Don't Always Last: Emancipatory Hope among African American Adolescents by Evelyn Parker
- Your First Two Years of Youth Ministry by Doug Fields
- Story, Signs and Sacred Rhythms by Chris Folmsbee
Books for Parents
- The ABCs of Diversity by Carolyn B. Helsel, Y. Joy Harris-Smith
- Sticky Faith by Dr. Kara E. Powell and Dr. Chap Clack
- The 5 Love Languages of Teens by Gary Chapman
- Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
- Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
- A Parent's Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis by Rich Van Pelt and Jim Hancock
- Connecting Church and Home by Tim Kimmel
- Raising Wise Children by Mark Matlock