Helping youth ministry staff and volunteers understand how teens form their sexual identity in today’s culture in order to be more effective in their work with youth in the church.
Today’s youth struggle with difficult questions of sexual identity. How can a youth worker offer wise care and counsel on such a controversial and confusing subject? Mark Yarhouse, director of the Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity, equips youth ministers so they can faithfully navigate the topic of sexual identity in a way that is honest, compassionate and accessible.
Reframing the focus away from the culture wars, Yarhouse introduces readers to the developmental considerations in the formation of sexual identity—all of which occurs in the teen years. He offers practical and helpful ways to think about homosexuality along with suggestions for talking with people who experience same-sex attraction. Yarhouse helps parents and youth volunteers learn to graciously respond to children and teens who struggle with questions of sexual identity, as well as how youth ministry can become more relevant in the lives of youth who are navigating these issues.
208 pages