Best youth Bible study: The Way of Pilgrimage, because of the "liturgy of meeting" that each session includes. The Welcoming, Noticing, Moving from Head 2 Heart, Naming and Blessing, and Sending Forth segments are a great framework for guiding students into spiritual formation.

Favorite youth ministry book: The Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster book, The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry because of its emphasis on youth workers becoming spiritual directors to youth as opposed to recreation directors. This book is deeply theological and socially aware.

Best youth culture book: Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture by Jon Savage. Savage describes how the western world started using the term teenager and what major world events played a role in shaping today's youth culture.

Best book to be in every leader's library: Leading Change by John Kotter. Youth ministry is in constant change, and youth workers need a strategic plan when implementing change. This book gives an eight-step plan for leading people through change, whether that change is wanted. It's packed with great insights on vision casting, encouraging teams and managing transitions.

Best Internet resource for youth workers: Barefoot Ministries, because the subscription-based Web site is very inexpensive. It has more than 10 lines of curriculum and a tracking assistant that acts as an administrative assistant to care for students, event logistics and fundraising efforts. This subscription also dumps daily devotionals and engaging articles in your inbox and has a widget that develops a weekly plan for the subscriber, minimizing the time spent planning and maximizing the time spent building relationships with students, adult leaders and parents.

Favorite conference for youth: A weeklong event called Merge. Merge is a creative learning experience that inspires high school students to merge with God's story, way of life and mission. Merge uses creative storytelling, art and media, group discussion and interactive experiences to engage the mind, heart and soul of the participant. It helps students discover their identities and callings in life. It focuses on God's mission to restore the world as opposed to humanity's often misguided and selfish mission.

Chris is the Director of Barefoot Ministries, a non-profit youth ministry training and publishing company. He's the author of Story, Signs and Sacred Rhythms: A Narrative Approach to Youth Ministry and a contributor to YouthWorker Journal.

MARK OESTREICKER

Favorite youth Bible study: Barry Shafer's inductive Bible study materials (see: InWord.org/unleashing.html).

Favorite Bible study for teens to do themselves: Dave Ambrose's Chew on This.