Good books for students and student ministers

As a minister to students, a new school year provides fresh opportunities to disciples young people. And one of the ways we can do this is by providing our teenagers with good books. Tim Challies has a list, 10 Books Every Christian Teenager Should Read, that I couldn’t agree with more. As I was thinking through other books I might add, I came across some other lists that are worth checking out: 27 Books Christian Teens Should Read and Top 10 Books for Youth Groups.

These books provide a helpful guide for student ministers as they seek to equip and send out students for the gospel.

I also want to suggest some of the books we have used or hope to use within our own student ministry. Additionally, I have categorized these books within some of the essential categories we think through within our student ministry. Some of these books are written with teenagers in mind—many of them are relatively short and accessible—but all of them are worth every teenager reading. Additionally, I think these books provide a helpful guide for student ministers as they seek to equip and send out students for the gospel.

Gospel Clarity: Helping students know and share the gospel

• The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler
• Honest Evangelism: How to talk about Jesus even when it’s tough (Live Different) by Rico Tice
• The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing by Jonathan Dodson

Trustworthy Faith: Helping students grow confident in what they believe & why

• Taking God At His Word: Why the Bible Is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me by Kevin DeYoung
• Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw
• Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical by Timothy Keller

Personal Holiness: Helping students fight sin and walk in holiness

• Licensed to Kill: A Field Manual for Mortifying Sin by Brian Hedges
• The Hole in Our Holiness (Paperback Edition): Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness by Kevin DeYoung
• A Man’s Greatest Challenge by Dai Hankey / True Beauty by Caroline Mahaney

Purity Matters: Helping students pursue purity and understand their sexuality

• Purity is Possible by Hellen Thorne / Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace by Heath Lambert
• Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk: Why and How Christians Should Have Gay Friends by Brad Hambrick / What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung / Talking Points: Transgender by Vaughn Roberts
• Sex, Dating, and Relationships: A Fresh Approach by Gerald Heistand and Jay Thomas

Spiritual Discipline: Helping students develop disciplines for growth and maturity

• Foundations – Teen Devotional: A 260-Day Bible Reading Plan for Busy Teens by Robby Gallaty
• Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines by David Mathis
• A Praying Life: Connecting With God In A Distracting World by Paul Miller

Meaningful Community: Helping students desire & enjoy life together in the local church

• Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus by Jonathan Leeman
• What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?: Answers to the Big Questions of Life by Ed Welch
• Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp

Missional Living: Helping students see their everyday life in light of God’s mission

• I Am Going by Daniel Akin
• Life on Mission: Joining the Everyday Mission of God by Dustin Wills and Aaron Coe
• Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

Disciple Making: Helping students know what it means to be a disciple and make disciples

• Growing Up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples by Robby Gallaty
• Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus by Mark Dever
• Aspire: Part One: Transformed by the Gospel and Aspire: Part Two: Transformed by the Gospel by Matt Rogers

If you are a parent, some of these books would make a great gift. Others would be a helpful tool to use to walk through a difficult issue your teen may be facing. If you are a student minister, some of these books may provide direction for a teaching series. Others may prove helpful in thinking through your approach to various topics. Either way, I hope the Lord uses them to help anchor the teenagers around you in the gospel.

This article originally appeared here.

In a changing world, your children will have questions you may not know how to answer. Join us for the fourth annual ERLC National Conference on “Parenting: Christ-Centered Parenting in a Complex World” on August 24-26, 2017 in Nashville, TN, this event will welcome key speakers including Russell Moore, Jim Daly, Sally Lloyd-Jones, Todd Wagner, and Jen Wilkin. Learn more here.