Peter L. Benson and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain are co-directors of the Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence in Minneapolis. Benson is investigator and co-director for Search Institute’s new Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence. He wrote Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers (2008) and has more than a dozen other publications.

Karen-Marie Yust is an associate professor of Christian education at Union Theological Seminary-Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va. She is a minister in both the United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ denominations and is the author of Real Kids, Real Faith: Practices for Nurturing Children’s Spiritual Lives.

Bob Ditter is a therapist and author who specializes in working with youth and their families. He is a consultant for the American Camping Association and has worked with summer camps since 1982.

Read a May 17, 2013, article by the Orlando Sentinel about one women’s religious mission trips with youth groups.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), for matching grants to states to provide abstinence education and, at state option, mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence from sexual activity, with a focus on groups that are most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock.

The Emerging Leaders Network is a community of friendship, exploration and theological conversation among people interested in emerging churches and faith communities. They focus primarily on shaping young adults into religious leaders by a “head, heart, hands” philosophy of understanding, application and feeling.

Mark Oestreicher is president of Youth Specialties in El Cajon, Calif. He is a leader in the emerging movement. Youth Specialties markets training seminars, conventions and educational materials to Christian workers. Oestreicher has authored and contributed to more than 60 books and training materials that help youth workers present traditional Christian concepts to the modern youth sensibility.

Lauren F. Winner is the author of numerous books, including the popular Girl Meets God: A Memoir (Random House, 2003), about coming to Christianity in her 20s. She holds a Ph.D. in the history of American religion and lives in Durham, N.C.

John Kenney is pastor of the Quest Church in Augusta, Ga., affiliated with the United Methodist Church. (“We’re real people who don’t have it all together, but who are taking the journey of life together.”). Quest Church is focused on the relationships in the community and the exploration of faith by ancient and contemporary models and means.