Tuesday, 23 December 2008

  • What Do Youth Group Students Want to Hear?

    Guest post submitted by a Revelife reader

    What Do Youth Group Students Want to Hear? A youth pastor friend of mine is going on a mission trip for several weeks in January. One of the Sundays she's out she asked me to give a message to her middle and highschool students. It's been a long time since I was involved in youth ministry and I'm having a hard time deciding what to speak about. I'm definitely praying about the message but was wondering if any youth group students or youth workers out there could give me some suggestions.

    Do you prefer to hear the testimony of a person you've met for the first time or rather a message based on a central passage in the Bible? 

Related Posts

Comments (36)

  • heyyoulady@xanga

    Kids and teens don't care what you know until they know that you care about them. If it's your first time with the group, or if you are an "occasional" substitute for them and they don't know you very well, I'd go with the personal testimony. If you're able to work in a central passage from the Bible into your personal testimony, then they get the best of both worlds -- the  Bible as it relates to someone who is real to them.
  • IamKelleyK@xanga

    When I used to work with a youth group, I asked them the same question - what do teenagers want to talk about? 


    Some of the answers they gave me were interesting.  The first thing they said was "no more abstinance talks - we get it!!"  Many of them said they were tired of hearing about sex, waiting until marriage, not dating, etc. 


    They told me that they wanted to hear the bible brought to life.  Many teens haven't read the bible and they view the bible as a boring old book.  There are so many stories in the bible that can be creatively brought to life.  Girls in general love to hear about beauty, and what God thinks is beautiful.  So why not turn to Ester, Rahab, Ruth?  They want to know what true friendship is, so share the story of David and Jonathan.  They want to know that they're not the only ones who struggle with sin, so it's OK to tell about the downfalls of other people and how God brought them through it and used them to fulfil His perfect plan, despite their imperfections..  And above all, they want you, as a leader, to be honest and real with them.  Share your struggles, get on their level.  You don't have to have the meaning of life figured out, just be there for them.


    Good luck!  I hope that helped.
  • crevis05@xanga

    I think testimony would be the best from a person I've just met.
  • emra_cadaver@xanga

    current issues they can relate to. i'd personally take a bible character and compare it to an issue they can relate with. something like that. and if it fits, add your testimony. i don't think they really need to know you necessarily, but just relate with you. if they can tell you're sincere and passionate about what you have to share, then they'll get whatever message it is that you're trying to express.
  • MagisterTom@xanga

    @heyyoulady@xanga-@IamKelleyK@xanga- They hit the nail right on the head here. Unless you can make a passage exciting or clearly relevant to their lives as @emra_cadaver@xanga said it is difficult to start out with something directly from Scripture. Sad to say it, but, most church kids have barely opened their Bibles. But, a personal testimony involving passages of Scripture could go a long way.

    I asked a question similar to this awhile back.
    http://weblog.revelife.com/Tom/660713358/the-word-was-with-god.html

    Revelife also featured that question here:
    http://weblog.revelife.com/revelife/661021456/bible--boring-book.html

    Hope this helps!
  • ashay24w@xanga

    I am a teenager and what I really enjoy is doing a character study of someone in the bible and I have also noticed that teens struggle with issues of the heart and need some encouragement not to lose heart and that Christ can heal their broken heart.


    Shay


    P.S. hope this helps!
  • Pass_the_Aura@xanga

    When I was in youth group (which I should mention I did not enjoy, on the whole) one thing I can tell you for sure I never, ever wanted to hear was what somebody thought youth group students would want to hear. I could smell the foul exhaust of that train of thought coming a mile away: "Young people today swear a lot. Christian youth today want to hear about swearing. Let's talk about swearing." The bald assumption that all people between the ages of 13 and 19 could be considered generically as a homogenous class disgusted me, and disgusts me still.

    (Perhaps at least partly because no one seemed to consider that there were young people, like me, who didn't give a darn about swearing and wanted to hear about C. S. Lewis's apologetic of the supernatural.)

    There are many young people--more than you might think--who will jump at the chance to get some in-depth Scriptural exegesis.  There are many others who will connect deeply with a personal testimony.  The point is, what will connect best to the particular people you're being asked to teach? What works well for one group might not work for another--for that matter, what works well for one person might not work for another.  As your message will be tailored for a specific audience, you can afford to be particular. 

    So I can't give you an answer, since I don't know the young people you'll be teaching.  But the Holy Spirit does.  Ask Him.  He'll let you know.
  • SWAurora@xanga

    As a teenager my biggest issue was that I wanted to be seen and treated like an adult. Not be talked down to. I wanted to go in depth, instead of having surface talks about dating, drugs, swearing, etc. Those are things that teenagers deal with, but I think (and thought then too) that a lot of those issues are more about self-control, obedience to God, patience, and kindness, and all of that stuff is in the Bible with real stories and can easily be made into real application. I agree with the people earlier, practical application and showing you care (which is right there with not talking down to them) is a good way to go. 
  • SeitekiChibiNeko@xanga

    if you have a bit of time to prepare, you might want to consider talking about gideon. it's not something that gets spoken about to a youth group much, generally...but the passages are very interesting.
  • jmallory@xanga

    Both can be nice... but I say stick with a testimony
  • leadworshipper82

    I'm trying to keep my messages Christ-focused... but because I'm more of a theology freak... i have to kind of dumb it down... because many kids would rather hear about HOW to live the Christian life...


    but i'm learning that the more Christ-centered I teach, the dominoes of living WILL fall into place because for cryin out loud it's Christ... He'll begin the work if the kids decided to choose that route of following Jesus... so...
  • anonymous

    I'm in tenth grade. I really dislike the "today's issues" discussions. A REALLY good passage can be good. But if it's your very first time teaching this class, I would want to hear your testimony. And, testimonies are always lessons.
  • Biblerapture@xanga

    @Pass_the_Aura@xanga - Amen to that!


    I have found my personal testimony is best to let them know I am real. Then, having a personal leaning to fun, exciting biblical things, I love to weave in a 'signs of the times' like the SIX Eclipses that NASA predicts in 2014/2015 that perfectly coincide with the Jewish Calendar Festival dates! This is NOT a coincidence.


    Then talk about whatever the Holy Spirit puts on your heart. They will be listening...
  • TheGreatBout@xanga

    I have spoken in a youth group twice lately while my friend (their pastor) was out of town. The kids have seen me but don't know me. They do now of course. But here's what I have done, and the response has been great.

    1. I introduce myself, give a 30 second bio.
    2. Let them ask 7 questions (after all, it's the number of completion right?) about me but no more so they better be good.
    3. Give a strong biblical message.

    The first time we explored what it means to be 100% sold out to Jesus, and we went all over the scriptures. This last time we examined Matthew 1 (the genealogy of Jesus) for advent and they loved it. I think teens need to be treated like adults and that youth groups are places meant for biblical education, fellowship, and worship.

    Also, it's good to use multisensory tools for youth. Videos, music, opportunities for prayer, reflection, group talks/activities, painting or writing or something artistic, using volunteers, etc. You have to serve the short attention spans by keeping it fresh every few minutes. I do this, and these kids stay with me for near an hour. Which is amazing because they are the most distracted and chatty group of kids I've EVER met. It's ridiculous.

    Hope it goes well. Listen to the Spirit above all else. Find out what they NEED to hear as a community.
  • AngelBeast777@xanga

    I agree with Pass_the_Aura@xanga.  I always wanted someone to open up the Bible and show me what it means - how to read it and how to make sense of it.  Purpose to teach from the scripture and let the Holy Spirit lead you to what to teach on and how.


     
  • shards_of_beauty@xanga

    Open the word of God to them.  Maybe sharing your testimony super-briefly at the beginning to give an understanding of where you're coming from would help, but it's God's word that will have the most enduring impact.    Or if you do give your testimony, weave Scripture in all the way.
  • naphtali_deer@xanga

    Ditto @Pass_the_Aura@xanga's comment.

    Instead of asking what the youth group students want to hear, you should pray and ask God what these young people need to hear, what will challenge them and grow them and nourish their souls. And then trust God to equip you to give out the His Word as He leads and trust Him with the results. Perhaps most may end up bored and tune out, but maybe there will be one life there which will be impacted. Jesus didn't ask the people He spoke with what they wanted to hear and neither should we. And remember God doesn't look at the results of our ministry (although we seem to fixate on that), but God looks our faithfulness. And any fruit that comes from your work is all to His glory.

    @leadworshipper82 - I'd encourage you in your efforts to go strong on theology. The meat is what's really going to grow people, not the fluff. You can only learn how to live the Christian life as you understand the theology of the Christian life. Dumbing down the message does no one any good in the long-term. You may get the kids' attention for a while, but it's less likely they'll really begin to take root and grow deep in the Christian life.
  • Stephanie_J_B@xanga

    IMO, hearing a testimony of someone who is new to you (or  even someone who is not new to you, but you never knew their testimony before) would be great! It's always inspiring to hear people's stories, how God has worked in their individual lives. So, to me, that's what would probably have the most impact.

  • livingfortommorow@xanga

    testimony. 
  • AYlEENAX3@xanga

    For me, I'd just like to hear your stories about God and how he has helped you (: Just be truthful. In my confirmation classes, the guest speakers just talk about their experiences. It's sometimes sad, sometimes happy, but quite interesting to hear (: I hope this helps. 
  • ELIZerson@xanga

    I think a good mixture of different types and topics is good.
    Although, sometimes.... it does kids good to hear things that are hard to. Just saying :)
  • laurenmaureen@xanga

    I went on a kind of retreat for my youth group, and what we did was have a fish bowl of questions. We were all given pieces of paper and we were given a few minutes to write any question in the world, and then our peer leaders would take a question each and answer them. A lot of the questions were really good. I was surprised at how anonymity gives people a confidence boost to ask such questions.
  • theycallmecrazy7@xanga

    As a teenager that goes to youth group alllll the timmmee, I would say something not cliche, light, or 'dumbed-down'. Be real. Teenagers are adults, and we like to know that adults think of us as one of them. For this reason, I would say go with a testimony.
  • king_tobo@xanga

    I went to a Christian high school where we frequently had one-time speakers and I know I responded best to a personal testimony (and it seemed most of my classmates did as well).  It's a much more effective way to get to know and trust someone than just having a stranger teach a lesson.
  • SCBennett

    I'm in a youth group of about 200 and the biggest thing for me is just hearing how we should live in our daily lives. A while back we did a study of James, it's a short book with lots of great stuff about how to live. I think it would be great if your just going to be there this once. If you want to talk more you can e-mail me at sambnntt@yahoo.com

  • Choose Identity

  • Give eProps (?)

  • New! You can now edit your comments for 15 minutes after submitting.