As a member of a touring rock band, and as a creative arts pastor, I’ve spent countless hours interacting with young people in and out of a church context. One observation consistently has surfaced during my efforts to help youth encounter God through the creative arts; the arts uniquely empower youth to connect with the Source of their gifts, passions and life.

Here are some practical suggestions to get you thinking creatively about how to utilize the arts to draw youth to Christ.

Move Over and Let Them Drive
Create an environment where youth can participate in and drive the creative elements of your gatherings.

Whether your youth gather as part of the main Sunday experience, as small groups or in another service, giving them opportunities to get involved is integral. The best way for anyone to find out if he or she is gifted at something is to start doing it.

Here’s a personal example: The first church in which I served as creative arts pastor had a weekly youth meeting; students showed up but were essentially spectators. There were a couple of students who were part of the leadership team, but most leaders were adults.

A few months after arriving, I decided to initiate a new creative arts team, which included a band, visual artists, dancers, graphic designers, lighting techs and sound engineers. The response was tremendous as more than a third of the youth responded by plugging into the various creative areas. Granted, there was some turnover initially as they tried out the different creative positions, but what we saw was our youth get excited about discovering their gifts and using them to glorify God.

Live on the Wild Side
Give your youth the freedom to work out their artistic passions. I have been to youth gatherings where it was obvious which kids had been labeled as “different” or “misguided” because of their artistic passions. Sometimes it’s a girl whose creativity causes her to spend countless hours imagining she was Picasso in an earlier life. Other times, a boy (like me) is obsessed with writing music to achieve a life of fame and fortune as a rock star. Both scenarios, and a million others, originate from a creative youthful passion.

Can you remember what it felt like to believe your passions could shape your reality instead of your reality shaping your passions? That thought process often results in some messy situations, but that’s how many youth discover how to be passionate about the right things. Our responsibility is to keep communication open and encourage wild creativity, while always pointing to God as the Source and Perfector of our passions.

Listen to the Music
Identify the creative languages in culture that are influencing the everyday lives of youth.

A seductive lie bombards them, saying a life of worshiping God isn’t as gratifying as worshiping the gods promoted by secular culture. A monumental example is music, which has been amplified by the Internet and devices, such as iPods. Youth constantly are bathing their hearts and minds in overt messages about relationships, sex, success and money, among other things.

These messages, which shape worldviews and define identities, can devastate young minds. Simply telling youth that it’s unhealthy to listen to certain artists and styles of music will have little effect. Instead, try bringing their favorite music into the conversation at your gatherings and shine a light on the lies being sold. Juxtaposing Scripture’s message with the lyrics of a popular, mainstream song can open their eyes to the way God loves them and values their lives.

YouthWorker Journal has partnered with Youth Music Vault to enhance the use of Christian music in your ministry. Go to www.youthmusicvault.com.