Picture this scene from a local youth room near you: A group of teenagers are sitting in rows listening to a speaker. Well, some of the teenagers are listening. The rest are sleeping, playing on their phones, listening to their iPods or getting up to go to the bathroom for the fourth time. Though it’s clear to any casual observer the speaker has lost his audience at some point during the past 40 minutes, he presses on to his conclusion as though every person in the room is begging for more PowerPoint slides bursting with informative bullet points and state-of-the-art transitions and animations. When the speaker finishes, he or she asks if there are any questions. When no hands go up after five seconds, he collects his notes and sits down.
For many youth workers, this scene is proof that teenagers can’t sit through a sermon that lasts more than 10 minutes. In fact, some contend the sermon is a traditional means of communicating that is too outdated and ill-suited for youth ministry. I would conclude this: Most bad talks in youth ministries aren’t bad because sermons are bad. They’re bad because we don’t always understand how to use sermons or talks in youth ministry to their fullest potential. Sermons are great tools, but when we misuse them, we subject teenagers to the kind of boredom described above and give the impression Jesus is boring, too.
Call me old-school, but I believe sermons still have a place in youth ministry. Unfortunately, when a youth worker gets up in front of a group of teenagers, what often ends up occurring in the next 20 or 30 minutes is a lecture. Compounding this problem is the fact that for many time-strapped youth pastors, far too little time gets devoted to crafting and developing their talks or sermons. When there isn’t enough time to prepare, we tend to revert to default mode, which is treating up-front speaking as simply a mind-dump of information, often accompanied by PowerPoint presentations described above.
The solution to this problem is not to abandon all up-front teaching in youth ministry. Instead, perhaps we should rethink and re-imagine how teaching and preaching look in youth ministry. I understand that for many (especially part-time) youth workers, the idea of putting more effort into your message preparation stresses you out because you barely have enough time to do your job as it is. I’ve got two answers to that objection: First, if teaching is an important part of a youth pastor’s job (and it is), we need to find ways to put in the time and effort required to do a good job. Second, most of the suggestions below don’t necessarily require more of your time. They just require a shift in how you approach your up-front speaking.
Teaching as Jesus Taught
Jesus’ teaching was different from His contemporaries. When He began His three-year public ministry, people were astonished at His teaching. What set Jesus apart? Flashy PowerPoints? A fantastic haircut? We’re told in the gospels that what impressed people the most was the fact Jesus taught “with authority” (Mark 1:22). You might say, “Of course He taught with authority. He’s Jesus!” Of course, you’d be right. As the Son of God, Jesus exercised authority over demons and disease. He was intimately connected with the Father, and He was sent by the Father to do the Father’s will. In case it’s not already obvious at this point, you and I are not Jesus. However, there is still much to be learned from the way Jesus taught, because what made Jesus different as a preacher and teacher was not simply that He was God.
Casting Vision vs. Conveying Information
Jesus astounded the crowds because He—known to them as a simple Galilean carpenter—taught with authority, not as the trained scribes who taught. The scribes were experts at conveying information. They knew the Hebrew Scripture, and they had memorized countless interpretations of the Torah by rabbinical leaders. These guys were some of the smartest and well-read people around; but when they taught, they were less than astounding. Jesus, on the other hand, pointed people to His Father and showed them what life with God could be like. In short, Jesus cast vision while the scribes conveyed information.
When we teach teenagers from the front of the room, our job is not to convey as much information as possible. Certainly part of a sermon is providing enough background knowledge about a Bible passage or topic in order to make sure everyone can be on the same page. However, if we approach our speaking as only an information transfer, then our teaching is not much different from the teaching of the scribes in Jesus’ day. The most dangerous part about this is not simply boring teenagers. The result of the scribes’ (and other Jewish religious leaders) teaching was to create a culture in which following God was best done by those who were extremely smart, had a lot of time on their hands to study, or were fortunate enough to be born into a family of religious leaders. When we try to impress a group of listeners with how much we know, we give the impression that really following Jesus is only the for experts.
In His teaching, Jesus showed people the kingdom of God. Flip through the gospels, noticing all the sections in red and you’ll find that Jesus did not just give lots of new data. He wanted people to realize they were created to be in relationship with the Father and how that looked. In fact, in Jesus’ most famous body of teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, most of the content is about the kingdom of heaven and how those within the kingdom should behave. Jesus cast a vision by saying in a sense, “I know that when you look around, it doesn’t seem as if God is reigning; but I promise you God reigns, and this is how life looks in His kingdom.” When we speak to teenagers, whether it’s a group of 300 or five, this should be our goal.
Engaging Teenagers vs. Educating Them
One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ teaching is that He frequently used parables, another term for stories, to get His point across. Parables make up roughly one-third of Jesus’ teaching, but they are certainly the most memorable part of His teaching. In fact, terms from His parables such as “prodigal son” and “good Samaritan” often are used by people who aren’t aware of their origin.
One interesting characteristic of Jesus’ parables is they reveal and conceal truth simultaneously. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him why He taught in parables (presumably because they confused some people), He paraphrased Isaiah 6: “So that ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven'” (Mark 4:12). A diverse number of possibilities have been offered to explain why Jesus intentionally taught in a way that He knew would confuse some, but this much is clear: By telling stories, Jesus captured the hearts of some who were seeking God’s kingdom and revealed the disbelief and hypocrisy of others who simply wanted to be their own gods.
When we teach using stories, we engage teenagers in a way that cannot happen during an information dump. Jesus’ parables helped people to understand things about God that probably would not have stuck had Jesus just given a lecture. Jesus could have told His followers, “God loves you a lot and it’s really important to Him to save you and get you back.” That’s true, but it doesn’t pack a lot of punch for someone who doesn’t believe it’s true. Instead, Jesus told three stories: One about a shepherd who left his flock behind to find a lost, endangered sheep; one about a woman who tore her house apart to find a coin, then threw a party with her neighbors when she found it; and an emotionally charged story about a father who unconditionally loved his son so much that he welcomed him home after his son told him he wished his dad would die sooner so he could get his share of the inheritance. Discipleship certainly requires a follower of Jesus to learn, but learning doesn’t have to mean a preacher uses a lecture format. In Jesus, we see how to teach in a compelling way that helps teenagers know God is and learn about His kingdom—without them actually realizing they are learning.
Inspiring to Action vs. Discipling Everyone
Jesus made it clear that just learning from Him and understanding His teaching does not make someone a faithful disciple. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His listeners that the one who hears His words and obeys is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock, whereas those who hear but do not obey are like the foolish man who builds his house on a weak foundation of sand (Matthew 7:24-27). Similarly, James exhorted his readers to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). As preachers and teachers, if we don’t inspire anyone to further action—to be doers of the Word—then we’re really not doing our jobs.
I understand the temptation to try to fit as much as possible into a sermon or a talk. For many youth ministries, the most attended part of the ministry is the large group gathering. Whether you meet as a large group once a week or once a month, your talk can seem to be the best time to get as much discipleship done as possible as everyone is in one place and paying attention. The problem with this should be obvious: Following Jesus isn’t something that is done in half-hour segments once a week. Discipleship happens when someone takes what he or she has learned about Jesus and puts it into practice in his or her own life. This is why Jesus’ warning at end of the Sermon on the Mount to put His words into practice isn’t: “Whoever hears these words of Mine and has really warm fuzzies about them…” but, “Whoever hears these words of Mine and does them…”
As you prepare your talk, ask yourself: “What do I want these students to do as a result of hearing what I have to say?” The answer likely will change how you approach your speaking. I make it a goal each time I speak to have at least one concrete way I want students to respond to what they’ve heard. It may be something as simple as writing down a way someone has hurt them if teaching on forgiveness. Or it might be a bigger step, such as this past December when we encouraged our students to ask their parents for one less present for themselves, and instead ask for a gift from Compassion International’s Gifts of Compassion catalogue. Do your students a favor and make it clear how they can put into practice what you are teaching them from the Bible.
Putting It into Practice
It’s one thing to observe and admire how Jesus taught; it’s another thing to put it into practice in your youth ministry. As I already have noted, taking a different approach to teaching can sound stressful and time-consuming for time-strapped youth workers. However, putting the above principles to work in your own context doesn’t necessarily mean more time. Here are a few easy tweaks to make to get you started in the right direction:
Take a field trip. If you serve at a small church, this is one you can implement on a regular basis. One of the benefits of smaller youth ministries is the possibility to have more flexibility. I once worked in a small church where we had 20 teenagers at youth group on Sunday night—on a good week. I asked a volunteer one week to lead a lesson on death and the resurrection, and he took our group to a local cemetery. When we got out of the cars, everyone had 15 minutes to make rubbings of as many gravestones as we wanted. He then led us—still in the cemetery—in a discussion on the significance of death, and how we can live our lives for Jesus. This was a memorable youth group meeting.
Don’t be afraid to ask good questions. The gospels record Jesus asking more than 100 questions during His ministry. Asking good questions—and allowing students to answer—helps students contextualize your talk. If you have a small group, these questions can make your teaching very conversational and memorable. In larger groups, it’s a great way to break up your talk and keep students’ interest by keeping them on their toes. Try asking a question, then allowing a few minutes for students to discuss their answers with three or four people.
Allow people to share their own stories. Sometimes what can make a talk or sermon personal for students is to find someone besides yourself to share a story of how he or she has experienced firsthand the subject you are teaching. The effect can be more powerful if you have a student who is willing to share. If you know of someone who has a great story to share who’s not willing to speak in front of a group of people, you might try capturing an interview on video instead.
Don’t let the size of your group keep you from being creative. You might believe that just because only five teenagers attend your church each week, you do not have a large enough group to engage them for more than a few minutes at a time. Similarly, someone who leads a very large youth ministry might believe there are no options for their weekly gatherings besides singing a few worships songs and having someone talk on stage for 20 or 30 minutes before closing in prayer. Take some time to brainstorm ways to teach as Jesus taught. Ask for help from your leaders and parents, and be willing to try new ideas. You might be surprised how well you can cast vision, engage students and inspire them to action when you are willing to break the mold.
Jesus ministered in a context where just about every religious leader taught in the same way—by conveying information. Jesus was not afraid to do something different. In fact, He was a great teacher because rather than just dispensing facts, He showed people a vision of God’s kingdom, engaged His listeners by telling stories and inspired people to action. We live in a day when the status quo for speaking in front of groups—whether inside the church or in another arena—is to stand there and give as much information as possible. If we are willing to learn from Jesus, we’ll find there is a better way to approach teaching and preaching to teenagers. The result will be more changed lives.
Benjer McVeigh has been in youth ministry for 11 years and serves as a pastor to students at Washington Heights Church in Ogden, Utah. He resides in Ogden with his wife, Jennifer, and their two daughters, Bethany and Samantha.
