Everyone knows Sunday or Wednesday will come around and that it’s time to teach the students something that will change their lives, and we hope they’ll remember it when they walk out the door…
That’s the challenge every youth pastor faces: How can I teach in a such a way that a student will remember what God’s Word had to say and how it can transform them more into the image of Christ?
A youth minister friend once told me about a youth who remembered an illustration he used for a talk two years prior. Impressive! However, the student had no clue what the lesson was about. Ouch.
So how do we make it stick? It’s our job as youth leaders to apply what we talk about. We have to apply it to our own lives and show students how God’s Word is changing us; and we have to give them real, tangible ways they can apply God’s truth to their lives. Otherwise, they’ll lose it on the way out of the door.
It Has to Change Me…
Many youth leaders (especially me) have the tendency to study for the lesson. We get into God’s Word so we can do our next talk. The danger in this is twofold:
First, if we’re only reading the Bible so we can teach others, it won’t ever impact our lives personally.
We’ll get bigger and bigger egos, but continue in our faith without growing more intimate with God. Many youth ministers have Pharisee syndrome. They’ve studied and learned so much that they can answer even the most ridiculous seventh grader’s question. They know what’s right and what’s wrong. In fact, they’ll often point out where a particular individual (church or staff member) has gone wrong. They love to tell other people what the Bible says. What’s the problem with this? After so much studying for the lesson, the Bible hasn’t changed them. I’ve been there. I looked back over a period of time and seen that I was not studying for my own advantage. If we don’t study God’s Word for our benefit, as well as that of our students, we’ll become like the Pharisees Jesus rebuked.
How do we fix this? Whenever you study a Sunday School lesson from a book or are digging into the Word for your midweek talk, before you figure out how it will change the lives of your kids, apply it to yourself. Don’t think the lesson is too easy and that you’ve already got the matter under control. Spend time in serious prayer and reflection to see how the radical truth of God should change you.
Second, our students will be able to tell we’re just teaching from the book. A friend once told me students have a built in bull crap meter that measures whether someone is being authentic or just teaching to teach. You know this is true and that students can see right through us when we do that. The more you preach the Word while living less of the Word in front of them, the less they’ll care about what you have to say.
Personal example: We had finished a weekend with a great speaker. That same speaker came and delivered our Sunday morning address. Did I mention he was very much a youth speaker? Well, some of the people in the congregation loved him. Others did not. I began to get a little irritated when I heard some of the complaints. My thought was, “Can’t they just get over the method and get to the message?” I kept that bitter thought for a week. The moment I dropped it was when I sat down the next Sunday morning to hear our pastor deliver a message to us in his usual manner. I started to smirk as I thought how different the two were in delivery and how I learned a lot from our youth speaker. How could I listen to the method my pastor was using after such a great weekend? Then it hit me. I broke down and saw my sin. I had been wishing everyone else to get over the method and get to the message, and here I was about to critique our (read: my) pastor’s method and miss his message entirely.
“The elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (
…It Has to Change Them
Has your talk ever ended this way: “Oops! We’re out of time. So yeah, so get ’em!” Mine have. Our lessons must include real, tangible ways students can change their lives; otherwise, they won’t remember the lesson. For this to take place, we can’t tack on a sentence’s worth of application and point them to the door. They’ll lose it.
Save time for application by planning for the application. If you have 30 minutes total for your talk, save 10 for the application. Why so much? Students can take in information easily. They do this at school, and media has programmed them for it. The problem comes when it’s up to them to connect the dots. They struggle in that area. As youth leaders, we need to show them very realistic and practical ways to apply the truth to their lives. They don’t just need to know David killed Goliath; they need to know God will take their inability and turn it into ability for His glory. This means when they are scared to share their faith with a friend, God will give them the strength to do so because it will bring God glory. It means they can rely on God to give them courage when they want to back down. Make sure you leave time for the application. Content is great, but if your three-point talk needs to become a one-point talk so you can apply the truth, make the change.
Give them something for now. Challenge students to apply the truth before they leave the room. If your lesson was about the Sermon on the Mount’s point about harboring anger in your heart, have your students pray that God would take away their anger. Then have them go and ask the one with whom they are angry for forgiveness. That might mean finding a student across the room, calling someone or going to their parents to ask forgiveness. Give students the ability and opportunity to apply God’s truth before they think about going home. This way you can show them God’s Word can change us immediately for the better.
I’ve found it helpful to give them something tangible to remind them of the truth they are learning. We gave out army men a while ago—you know, the little green and tan resin figures from a dollar store. It was to remind students to follow God’s orders as a soldier follows the orders of a commanding officer. It was simple, cheap and went home with them. I pray they remember the significance.
Give them something for later. Students also need real examples of how truth will affect their lives outside church. So often they live compartmentalized lives. They live one way at church, another at home, another at school. Students need to know how the truth you are teaching will change every area in which they live. Tell them what it means for them when they are at school; give them an example of how to change their lives there. Tell them what it means for how they relate to their parents, siblings or boyfriend or girlfriend. Tell them how the change will look. Tell them what it means when they’re on the computer, playing a sport or involved in a hobby. Students need to know God’s Word affects every area of their lives. We need to show them God’s Word really is “God-breathed and useful” (
Lastly, follow up. Just because the talk is done doesn’t mean the application is done. Ask students the next time you see them (especially one-on-one) how the truth is changing them and what they’re learning in the process. Is it hard to apply? Does it seem natural or difficult? This may be awkward for the student. They may have no clue what the lesson was about, so it’s a good time to remind them about God’s Word and His truth. They’ll remember somewhere in the conversation what you talked about. Following up lets your students know the truth matters long after the talk. It shows them you care about them. It’s tough and takes effort, but it’s worth the struggle.
Press on! You have God’s Word to share with your students. It’s the greatest story ever written and will change their lives for the better. It’s up to us to show them how. I pray your students remember the truth of the lesson and the application, especially when they walk out the door.
