Spiritual Mentoring Of Teens

This guide for parents helps to answer questions that teens may have about developing a relationship with God.

Drawing on the writings of Augustine, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and others, Keith R. Anderson and Randy D. Reese show that the age-old practice of Christian mentoring is meant to facilitate our growth throughout life. They provide motivation, principles and plans for starting and continuing mentoring relationships.

This Handbook draws together leading social scientists in the world from multiple disciplines to articulate what is known and needs to be known about spiritual development in childhood and adolescence.

"What a great book This book is a very practical tool to help form teenage boys into great men of God If you are a man and you deal with teenage boys you NEED this book. I highly recommend it " "Fr. Larry Richards Author of "Be A Man "Mentoring, or apprenticing is an essential, but forgotten form of learning "the do" of discipleship. Fr. Matthew offers a wonderful primer, packed with relevant information to help the Church rediscover this essential practice." "Frank Mercadante Executive Director of Cultivation Ministries" "Fr Matthew has always been one of the clearest thinkers I've known regarding youth ministry. I am happy to have him on my team. Spiritual Mentoring is an important aspect of the Conquest youth ministry program, but so far it has been very difficult to train men in this unique methodology. Fr Schneider has demonstrated skill in spiritual mentoring and I hope this book can help inspire men to truly lead boys spirituality closer to God." "Todd Brechbill Conquest National Director" "Father Matthew Schneider has great experience and insight into personally motivating and mentoring teenage boys." "Don Conklin Owner of K4J" "Father Matthew has the ability to tackle important church issues and write about them in a way that is engaging, thoughtful, and challenging. His love for the Catholic faith is evident in his writing as his desire that young people know Christ." "Clayton Immo Director of Youth Ministry, Archdiocese of Vancouver" "Experiencing personal, unconditional, friendly, and demanding accompaniment is essential for the growth of teenagers - in order to bring them to Christ. Fr Matthew understands teenagers and what is needed to accompany them well." "Sonia Gonzalez Director of the Center for Studies on Adolescence and Youth at Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid" The goal of Catholic youth ministry is that teens experience Christ. Experiencing Christ is always personal. Even when an individual among the million at World Youth Day experiences Christ, the experience is still personal. Faith is always personal. Personal accompaniment offers a way to guide a teen towards such a personal experience. Spiritually Mentoring Teenage Boys is the first book explaining how to accompany teens spiritually. The evidence shows that those teens who are mentored stick to their faith at a much higher rate than those who aren't. The personal interest adults have in teens and the depth of conversation with those teens seems to be the number one factor for keeping their faith. Just having teens show up or helping them as a group is no longer adequate - it doesn't keep teens Catholic. If we want teens to grow in their faith, or even just remain Catholic, spiritual mentoring is essential. In this book you will learn: The changes teens go through and how to respond The structure of the spiritual life for teens The role of the Holy Spirit A practical outline for mentoring 10 principles of pedagogy 4 areas of formation Vocational discernment Depth-confidence Making a rule of life"

Youth ministry succeeds because it directly reflects Jesus Christ’s approach. It’s not overvalued today; it’s undervalued. The hard work required for its success has been misunderstood and misrepresented. The first part of the book establishes that case and analyzes the pros and cons of current, varying philosophies and approaches, merging their best aspects into the holistic approach demonstrated by Christ. Part 2 introduces Attachment Relationship Ministry (ARM), a lens distinguishing four primary adolescent relational styles depending on how secure or insecure teens are with God and parents. Part 3 encourages strategic relational ministry sensitive to those styles, explaining why youth leader efforts succeed or fail. Chapters offer realistic discipleship and evangelism suggestions depending on attachment styles and practically empowering youth workers (volunteers, newbies, experts, and interns) to focus energy and time more wisely. These recommendations relate to spiritual formation, leadership selection, parental approach, and trending issues, such as ministry to LGBTQIA teens. For too many teens today, feeling insecure in crisis is a way of life. Learn how to take what you’ve done well and make it better. All church leaders should read this book, logging the critical importance of providing ministry specifically targeting teenagers today.

This edited textbook will be appropriate for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses and will serve as a comprehensive and timely introduction to the field of adolescent development, providing students with a strong foundation for understanding the biological, cognitive and psychosocial transitions occurring during adolescence. While certain normative biological and cognitive processes are relevant for all youth, development varies dramatically based on a youth's position in society. The volume will focus on contextual factors such as culture, racial identity, socioeconomic position and sociopolitical and historical events, highlighting the impact such factors have on the physiological and psychological processes and treating them as key elements in understanding development during this life stage. The authors will cover the major theoretical positions (both historical and contemporary) about adolescence as well as the relevant research and application. Additionally, modern phenomena - the ever-increasing influence of pop culture (i.e. Hip Hop), mass media and technology (i.e., the internet, gaming) and the evolution of family, education and the church - will be explored in depth. Each chapter will be written by a known expert in the field. More extensive analysis of cultural, political and socioeconomic factors impacting development than competing texts Research-to-Practice section covers evidence-based research on practice implementation

"Hands down my favorite book for teen girls." Rosaria Butterfield, author, The Gospel Comes with a House Key Your teen years matter. Of all the ways you're learning and changing during the busy teenage years, your growth in Christ is the most important. God intends to use your teen years as a launching pad into a lifelong pursuit of looking more like Jesus. This book will help you prioritize your Christian growth—pointing you to the resources God has given you in his Word, in prayer, and in the church; offering help for managing your emotions, watching your words, and bearing spiritual fruit; and challenging you with ways to center your life around this important task. Even as a teenager, you have all it takes to grow in godliness.

This thoroughly updated Second Edition of the Handbook of Youth Mentoring presents the only comprehensive synthesis of current theory, research, and practice in the field of youth mentoring. Editors David L. DuBois and Michael J. Karcher gather leading experts in the field to offer critical and informative analyses of the full spectrum of topics that are essential to advancing our understanding of the principles for effective mentoring of young people. This volume includes twenty new chapter topics and eighteen completely revised chapters based on the latest research on these topics. Each chapter has been reviewed by leading practitioners, making this handbook the strongest bridge between research and practice available in the field of youth mentoring.