What was the motivation for writing the book?
The way I see it, at its foundation youth ministry is about helping teenagers know God and live transformed lives as a result of this knowledge. While we can know God through a variety of ways, the Bible is God’s main way of making Himself known. So, I wanted to help the man or woman who leads teenagers in Bible study be more effective at helping teenagers encounter God and engage with Him through the Bible.
In your experience do youth workers struggle with teaching teenagers the Bible?
My experience is this: Each week in churches across the country and the world, there are men and women who sacrifice their time to teach teenagers the Bible. I love these folks. We launched youthministry360 with these folks in mind. So, hear me say that loud and clear. The problem is that many of these people love teenagers and love God, but they’ve never been taught practical strategies to teach the Bible dynamically and effectively. This book is my attempt to help give them the skills to go along with the passion and commitment they already have.
Out of curiosity, what are the seven best practices? What was the process for coming up with them?
The seven best practices are as follows:
• Best Practice #1: Engaging with God
• Best Practice #2: Prepare Well, Teach Well
• Best Practice #3: Context Is Key
• Best Practice #4: Embrace Unpredictability
• Best Practice #5: Plan for Interaction
• Best Practice #6: Teach for Application
• Best Practice #7: Know Your Role
How did I come up with them? That’s a good question. First of all, I have a real love for the Bible. Not as an ends in itself, but as the means of facilitating encounters with God. So, I value the Bible greatly. I’ve also been designing Bible study curriculum for teenagers as a vocation for about 10 years, and I’ve been teaching teenagers (and adults) Bible study pretty much weekly for about as long, maybe a little longer. I’m passionate about good Bible teaching. Through the years, I’ve defined and refined my own best practices and have been influenced by the best practices of others. I guess this book is the distilling of all of this into a simple and practical message.
Does 7 Best Practices lean more toward theory or more toward methodology?
Oh, it’s definitely heavy on methodology. In the introduction, I make the case for why it’s important to be as effective as we can be in leading students to encounter God through our Bible teaching; but my assumption is that teachers already know this. So, we structured the book to be much more focused on practical application.
We devote one chapter to each of the seven best practices. In each chapter, we state why the particular best practice is vital and make sure we explain it clearly, before giving tons of practical examples of how to implement it, including sample activities and interactive guides. Youth workers will be able to read this book and immediately apply it to their teaching.
Is there one best practice that is more important than the others?
On a personal level, the first best practice is definitely the most important. We can’t kindle a fire for God in the lives of our students if it’s not already burning within our own hearts. We can’t fake a desire to know God. If we try, my belief is this most dramatically shows through in our engagement with the Bible.
From a practical level, the second best practice may be the most foundational. I’ve seen the fruit of poor or no preparation in my own teaching and in the teaching of others. Preparation doesn’t have to take forever. Effective preparation takes only a few hours and pays huge dividends in the lives of our students. In the book, we help youth workers evaluate their own preparation processes and pass along a tested process they can choose to adapt in part or in whole.
How has the response been?
The response has been really positive and encouraging. We feel as if we’ve done what we set out to do: to give youth workers the tools to help lead students closer to God through the Bible.
How much does the book cost?
Individual copies retail for 12.99. We also offer special ministry team pricing for $9.99 when five or more are ordered!
Where can the book be purchased?
Those interested in purchasing can youthministry360.com or call 888.969.6360 to place your order. You also can get free shipping when calling and ordering 10 or more books!
