Unleashing the Hidden Potential of Your Student Leaders lays out a theological and philosophical outline for effective student leadership in a youth ministry context. Additionally, it provides practical tips on how best to create and develop student leaders as well as how to help them transition into leadership positions in the broader church. The book draws from Scripture in general and from Jesus' ministry with his disciples in particular to explore the important work of developing students into leaders. Jen also draws from her own experience as a youth worker to inspire and equip both rookie and veteran youth leaders.

Unleashing the Hidden Potential of Your Student Leaders

Religion & Spirituality

Bradbury, Jen

Christian Books & Bibles

ABINGDON PRESS *

Mission trips have become a staple in youth ministries across the United States. The problem is many mission trips remain disconnected from the rest of a congregation's ministry. As a result, it's often difficult to integrate students' experiences on the field with their lives back home.  In this book, veteran youth worker and author, Jen Bradbury, will lay out a philosophy for mission trips that does just that: Connects what happens on the field with students' lives at home. To do so, she'll draw upon Scripture as well as stories from the 15 years she's spent leading mission trips herself, both domestically and internationally.  Regardless of how few or how many mission trips a youth worker has led, Jen's words will leave them feeling inspired and equipped to create a comprehensive missions strategy that has the chance to leave a lasting impact on teens, congregations, and the world.

A Mission That Matters: How To Do Short-Term Missions Without Long-Term Harm

Affirm is a 6 week discipleship refresh from confirmation. With an emphasis on following Jesus and spiritual practices Affirm is great for a youth group series, a small group study, or for a weekend retreat. Providing leaders with the tools to enlist the support of their church and parents to help students grow stronger and go deeper with their relationship with Christ. The Affirm student guide is a devotional resource designed to support the ownership of your teens faith journey. We know teens are social. The devotional material is woven into the rest of the student material so their growth gets worked out with their peers, and is shareable. This connection with their small group will lead to better faith/life integration.

Affirm Student Guide: God's Call/The World's Need/Your Purpose

Galyon, Sara

Wilder, Audrey Elizabeth

Affirm is a 6 week discipleship refresh from confirmation. With an emphasis on following Jesus and spiritual practices Affirm is great for a youth group series, a small group study, or for a weekend retreat. Providing leaders with the tools to enlist the support of their church and parents to help students grow stronger and go deeper with their relationship with Christ. The journey of faith is spectacular, full of wonder and discovery, but it is also challenging, filled with questions and doubt. This is doubly true for teens who navigate the journey of discovering their faith, while simultaneously discovering themselves. As teens change and grow, so does their faith.  Affirm recognizes the difficulties and anxieties that emerge from raising a young person to be faithful. In response, the Affirm Parent Guide provides parents will the tools to be companions to their teens on this journey. As a parent, you’ll be invited to reflect on your own faith, so that you can help them as they learn about their own. The Affirm Parent Guide is full of helpful tips and activities to use as you both strive to grow in your faith and deepen your relationship with Christ.

Affirm Parent Guide: God's Call/The World's Need/Your Purpose

Parenting & Relationships

Parenting

Most typical youth ministries today produce nice, obedient kids who behave themselves--and then leave the church and the faith. Even those who remain struggle to extend their own faith beyond youth group. They seem like "good kids," but their lives and decisions outside youth group aren't oriented towards Jesus. Clearly that is not our goal. So what are we doing wrong? And how can we better serve the unique needs of the most anxious, adaptive, and diverse generation in history? If you're tired of youth ministry that fails to change lives, it's time to change youth ministry. Building on two decades of the Fuller Youth Institute's work and incorporating extensive new research and interviews, Faith Beyond Youth Group identifies the reasons youth ministry often fails both short-term and long-term, and offers five ways adult youth leaders can cultivate character for a lifetime of growing closer to Jesus rather than drifting away. It shows leaders how to cultivate trust, model growth, teach for transformation, practice together, and make meaning so that the teenagers can become adults who hold fast to the truth 24/7 and boldly live out a robust faith in a watching world.

Faith Beyond Youth Group: Five Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship

Powell, Kara

Griffin, Brad M.

Baker Books

Is Jesus God?Did Jesus sin?Can you be a Christian and not believe in Jesus?The way Christian youth answer these and other questions about the basics of their faith might surprise you. Their answers, drawn from a national research study, are found in The Jesus Gap. It explores not only the depths of what Christian youth believe about Jesus, but also how that belief translates into a life of faith.Combining focused research with years of diverse youth ministry experience, Jen Bradbury is at once insightful, passionate, and practical in her approach to making Jesus the heart of youth ministry. This book offers inspiration and hope that the truth of who Jesus is still has the power to transform the lives of our youth.Because at the end of the day, if youth don’t leave our youth ministries knowing the true Jesus, then we’re pretty much missing the point!Jen Bradbury is seasoned, wise, and warm, as might be expected of a youth minister. She’s also a tenacious researcher with mad writing skills and a desperately important problem to dissect. That’s why The Jesus Gap managed to exceed my expectations. This book needs serious attention from anyone who loves Jesus, loves kids, and loves the Church. There’s hope in these pages!Dave RahnSr. VP, Youth for Christ/USADirector, MA in Youth Ministry Leadership at Huntington UniversityThe Jesus Gap is a must-read book for four reasons. First, it discovers, critiques, and champions the place of Christology in youth ministry. Second, it is a rare gem: National research done with rigor that helps us find a confident way forward. Third, it was written by a veteran youth pastor with a proven and current record of fruitful leadership. Finally, Jen Bradbury is a gifted thinker and leader in youth ministry who leads, teaches, and nurtures as well as any I’ve seen. You can be confident of the quality of the data, the theological wisdom, the practical application, and the integrity and Christ-centeredness of the one who writes.Terry Linhart, PhDAuthor and Educator at Bethel College – IndianaTerryLinhart.comIn The Jesus Gap, Jen Bradbury offers deep insight into the way teenagers view Jesus. Full of important questions and a critical look at what we are telling teens about him, Jen offers a wealth of practical ways we can positively impact what our youth believe about Jesus. Regardless of your denomination or the size of your ministry, this book is filled with valuable wisdom for how pastors or parents can play a key role in strengthening the faith of our youth. I am left feeling hopeful that when we introduce teenagers to the true Jesus, we will open the door to a faith that will last a lifetime.Doug FieldsAuthor of Purpose Driven Youth Ministry and Your First Two Years in Youth MinistryCo-founder of downloadyouthministry.comThe Jesus Gap is a powerful exposé on the perspectives of American “Christian” teens regarding the person of Jesus Christ. This is a must-read for anyone who is passionate about leading teenagers into a deep relationship with Jesus.Dr. Steve GeraliAward-Winning Author and Internationally Recognized Expert in Adolescent Development and Youth MinistryWhat we think teens know about Jesus and what they actually know are often two very different things. In The Jesus Gap, Jen Bradbury sets out to discover what her students are learning, which spurs a much larger exploration of the Christologies of teenagers across the church. This book doesn’t stop there, however. Through her own research findings, stories from years in youth ministry, and numerous creative teaching ideas, Jen offers practical ways for youth ministers to help young people meet Jesus. Yes, the gap is significant, but these pages are packed with wisdom, grace, and hope for anyone who loves Jesus and cares about teens.Bethany StolleDesigner, Educator, and the Curriculum Developer behind Sparkhouse Youth Ministry Resources (re:form, Connect)

The Jesus Gap: What Teens Actually Believe About Jesus

Youth Cartel, The

Decide for yourself how to answer the question Jesus asks his friend, Peter: “Who do you say that I am?”After a year-long journey researching what teenagers really believe about Jesus, youth worker Jen Bradbury began to notice familiar gaps between common beliefs about Jesus and what the Bible actually tells us about him, culminating in her ground-breaking book, The Jesus Gap: What Teens Really Believe About Jesus. Now, in The Real Jesus, Bradbury addresses the questions head on in a book specifically written for youth themselves: Who is Jesus? Was he God? Was he human? What did he teach? What did he do? Did he sin? And why did he die?These 50 devotional readings will bring the reality of Jesus to life for the teens in your life, helping them answer the same question he asked his friend, Peter: “Who do you say that I am?” The readings can be digested daily, studied by section, or powered through in just a few sittings. Each reading also contains quotes from real-life teenagers and questions to guide the reader into deeper personal reflection.

The Real Jesus

Called: A Novel About Youth Ministry Transitions

Teenagers are smart and insightful, full of joy, doubts, worries, hope, great ideas, generosity, and questions. Their questions about the world and about God are as complex as they are, and they don’t settle for easy answers. That’s why we created this devotional, which addresses the things teens often wonder about faith and life, like:\nIs it okay to doubt? 
Who wrote the Bible? 
Do I have to vote a certain way? 
Why did Jesus die? 
Can we take the Bible literally? 
What does it mean to be saved? 
What’s heaven like? 
Does prayer work? 
Why did God let this happen?\nLongtime youth worker Jen Bradbury responds to these questions through personal narratives, Bible stories, and anecdotes from other teenagers as she walks alongside readers through complex, important, and even hot-button topics. There are no easy answers here, but encouragement and guidance to wonder more, learn more, and grow into a deeper, more complex, more meaningful faith—a faith where there’s always room for every teen, and for every question they have.

What Do I Believe About What I Believe?: A Deeper Questions Devotional

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Books by Bradbury, Jen