What has five eyes, eight feet, scales, and spotted stripes? Middle school ministry! Okay not really, but sometimes it feels that way. And yet I am convinced that this is one of the greatest opportunities for God to transform lives for His glory. Whether you are finding yourself pulling your hair out after a Wednesday night with middle school students or you are a new volunteer looking for a place to start, consider these high impact truths as you push forward.
High Impact Truth #1: Middle schoolers have important needs that you (as their leader) must address.
The dawn of the middle school years come with the uniquely amplified human needs of healthy friendships and identity. As early as possible, come alongside students in navigating these opportunities with God’s truth. The friendships that are made in the early days of middle school have a profound effect on the trajectory of the next several years. Consider the many verses in the book of Proverbs about friendship as a topical study. When addressing identity issues, Psalm 119 and stories of Jesus enlisting ordinary (some not so ordinary) people as His first followers will help students see their identity from the Lord’s perspective. Don’t underestimate the power of your encouragement either. As students search for identity, your words can powerfully speak life and perspective into their questions about their value, abilities, and gifts. Honestly, one of the most important actions you can take in this arena is to persistently partner with parents. This new season bombards parents with information and opportunities that could drown out the importance of forming a Christ-centered identity and healthy friendships for their child.
High Impact Truth #2: Middle schoolers have energy – work with it, not against it.
Maybe you’ve heard the stories about well-meaning volunteers who start their lessons with a “shut-your-mouth, time-to-get-serious and sit still” sentence or two. My experience: This doesn’t work. Some could argue that they intimidate students enough that they actually are quiet and sit still. That might be true but my guess is that you never have their full attention and you most likely aren’t speaking to their hearts. I suggest always having an activity (circle game or outside play) as a part of your time together before getting into the Bible. Some candy for bringing their Bibles and having students share their “ups and downs” of the week are also good openers to a successful teaching with middle schoolers.
High Impact Truth #3: Middle schoolers love getting away.
Taking students out of town on a retreat or day trip are huge friendship builders and memory makers. Do you work in an urban or suburban setting? Take students out to the country. Do you work in a rural setting? Do something in the city together. Do you have a beach or amusement park nearby? Start getting your plans together. Some of the best opportunities for getting middle schoolers away were made possible by people in my church who owned property or had good connections to make this a success. Several years ago, I started taking middle school students on a fall retreat. Many people said that we would never be able to pull students or families away from football, band, dance, and the many other activities that clog up the fall season. Today, it is the most successful and highly-attended activity that we put together.
I pray that these are helpful to you as you continue in this awkwardly rewarding work of ministering to middle school students. It is worth it, they are worth it, and God is powerfully on your side!
