The times they are a-changin’, Bob Dylan sang in 1964, and he was more than right. A lot has changed since then—in the world and in the church. The biggest change culturally is the transition from modernism to postmodernism, although there’s debate about when this transition began. The fact is young people think fundamentally differently than they did in the ’60s.
On the other hand, according to another famous quote, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” holds true for the church especially. Many things may have changed in the church and in youth ministry through the years, but sermons have remained much the same. The message or sermon still holds a central place. We build our services around them, look for elements to reinforce or complement our message in worship, art or acts. Those surrounding elements have seen changes, yet the message, the key element of any service, has remained virtually untouched.
The sermon has been shortened perhaps; the Bible translation has been traded in for fewer Thys and Thous, and PowerPoint or its equivalent has become a standard tool. Youth pastors preach from iPads, use YouTube videos and have teens tweet related messages during the service. Yet the message itself has remained the same. If you strip a youth sermon from all its decorative elements and look at nothing but the transcript, what has changed in the past 20 years or so? In most churches and youth ministries, very little has changed.
If our audience has changed while our message haven’t, then we are preaching a modern message to a postmodern audience. How can we preach the same message we grew up with ourselves—the same message that has been preached for decades—and expect it to be culturally relevant, to change lives? No wonder one researcher found that 100 percent of young people dread the sermon!
First, we need to make clear what we mean by message, because the term can be used to refer to the message of the gospel, as well as to the preaching portion of a service, the sermon. The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior never should change; we need to keep preaching a radical and liberating gospel. However, the sermon, the preaching itself, that should change. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same, but the way we bring it should change because students have changed in several ways.
First, the effects of postmodernism on their thinking cannot be denied. Young people think and feel differently about almost every issue as prior generations 20 and 30 years ago. For instance, regarding same-sex marriage, many Christian teens will not speak out against it.
The attitudes and values that have been taken for granted for decades aren’t there anymore. The same goes for knowledge. My parents and grandparents grew up with Bible stories, knowing the Bible books. That’s history. Today’s post-Christian generation knows little about God, the Bible or the gospel, including those who grew up in Christian homes.
Teens have completely different meanings for words and concepts, for instance, the concept of truth. This has become so relative and personal as to be unrecognizable from the objective truths we often assume. This should affect how we preach, because kids have changed in other ways that are only marginally related to postmodernism.
Growing up in a world saturated with technology, teens’ brains are wired and developmentally different from previous generations. Research from 2010 shows that six out of 10 people ages 11 to 80 think in images, not in words. This percentage is probably much, much higher among adolescents. Visuospatial thinkers are focused on the whole, they have a holistic approach and seek to understand by seeing the whole picture. Verbal thinkers are more analytical and have a strong preference for order, logic and deductive reasoning.
Most sermons are highly verbal: They use inductive reasoning, are often structured (the 3- or 5-point sermon), focus on language (word studies, anyone?) and require people merely to listen for 20, 30 and sometimes 40 minutes. For at least six out of 10 students, that’s an ineffective approach.
Teens routinely juggle homework (learning) with entertainment, and they’ve come to expect this combination in almost all other settings, as well. Previous generations learned math and spelling simply by practicing; today’s teens have learned by watching videos and playing games. No wonder they find sermons boring—they don’t offer entertainment! Modern sermons offer pretty much the same type and intensity of stimulation for 20 minutes or longer, certainly longer if linear and inductive in form.
In short, the standard sermon is ineffective for teens in almost every way, yet we expect them not only to listen, but also to be moved by them and preferably apply the information to their own lives. What is the answer?
Effective sermons aim for the heart, not the head. It’s not the head that will transform lives, but the heart. That doesn’t mean the head is not involved, but ultimately the heart decides. That’s why
So, the key question is: How do we reach teens’ hearts? We have a great message to share, the best news ever. How do we make teens listen? Is there a way to craft and deliver a message that will captivate teens’ hearts?
Yes, it’s called story.
Teens increasingly have shorter attention spans. It’s a complaint we’ve all heard if not uttered at some point. Yet at the same time, those same teens can watch a great movie for two hours without moving from their seats once. Those same teens can watch TV shows for hours, and some will stay up all night to finish The Hunger Games (the book, mind you, not the movie). How is that possible?
We all know the power of story. A good story can keep us watching, listening or reading for hours. The Heath brothers explain this phenomenon called Gap Theory in their book Made to Stick. Curiosity happens when we feel a gap in our knowledge that we want to close. Our brains seem to have a built-in need for closure. We want to know what happens next; we want to know how the story ends.
Stories have more power than we realize. Research proves that our brains process stories differently than other auditory information. We listen better and retain more to and from stories than other forms of communication. We know that many non-Christians can remember stories from the Bible they heard during their childhoods.
Listening to stories may seem to be a very passive thing to do, but there’s a lot going on in our brains when we listen to a story. Research has shown that active listeners don’t just listen to a story and visualize it, but they actually simulate it in their minds. It’s interesting that simulating past experiences and stories is far more effective than visualizing future outcomes.
Our brains are wired so we can’t imagine events without provoking the same parts of the brain that are used in the real physical activity. Because of that, simulations can lead to real physical responses. In an experiment, people who drank water but imagined drinking lemon juice salivated more. Mental simulations can help us manage emotions (e.g., treatment for phobias), can help with problem solving, and can build new skills. Research has shown that mental practice alone produced about two thirds of the benefits of the actual physical practice!
Humans in general and teens in particular don’t like abstract concepts. We have a hard time processing hard data and prefer metaphors and learning from other people’s experiences—and so that’s what we do. Researchers have discovered we learn far more from fictional stories than one might think. Teens especially learn the abstract from the concrete, which is why stories work so well with them.
Sermons aren’t primarily aimed at transferring knowledge; their goal is transformed lives, which is why stories are such powerful and effective tools. They help link information to emotions and brain training, thus making the step to real-life application a lot smaller. Stories don’t rationally convince; they touch your heart.
We need to use this power of story to aim our messages at teens more effectively. As a nice bonus, it usually makes adults more interested, as well.
How can we use this power of story effectively? Here are some suggestions.
Storify Your Stories
When your Bible passage is an actual story, tell it as a story. Experiment with dramatizing without changing any biblical truths. Old Testament stories especially can be adapted well and told in a real story-format. For inspiration, look in children’s Bibles, particularly the ones for elementary age. Biblical fiction is another possible source; I’ve used parts from Christian novels about biblical characters for instance.
Storify Your Illustrations
In any sermon, I use at least three stories from my personal experience or from other sources such as books, movies, articles, etc. Dare to tell these as you would real stories, with an existing situation, something that happens and an end.
Illustrations never should become the heart of a message—that place is reserved for Jesus Christ—but they can help make a point. Teens love stories, and the more personal the better. While you’re at it, visualize the stories with pictures. I’ve shown pictures of my first boyfriend, my wedding, my teenage years, you name it. Students love this!
Storify Your Sermon
It can be helpful to structure your sermon as a story with a beginning, middle and an end. Use a movie format if that’s easier for you. Most movies have a theme, a message to get across. Isn’t it the same for a sermon? Define your key message, then build your sermon around it as you would a movie. Think of a gripping opening scene, of smooth transitions, and a satisfying ending in which it all comes together.
For many of us, using stories means stepping out of our comfort zones. Deductive sermons with word studies or cleverly crafted moral messages are relatively safe. Stories require that we show ourselves, especially in personal stories. Stories require that we take risks—and that we run the chance of failing big time.
So experiment. Don’t go all out at once, but introduce stories slowly. Find your own style and your own voice. Try different methods and structures until you find a style and balance that works for you and for your audience.
Suggested Resources:
Teaching Through the Art of Storytelling by Jon Huckins and Dan Kimball
Shaped by the Story: Discover the Art of Bible Storying by Michael Novelli
