This week’s posts from the ym360 Blog

We had one of “those posts” this week on the blog. Our post, “When Is A Youth Minister Too Old To Be Effective?” generated more page views in 36 hours than most of our posts do in a few months. If you haven’t read the awesome stories from youth workers in the comments section, you’re really missing out.

The post also generated some really wonderful responses by Doug Fields on Doug’s blog, and by Leneita Fix and Darren Sutton on Phil Bell‘s Blog. You can read the original article and the responses by clicking the links below:

• The post: “Youth Ministry Essentials: When Is A Youth Minister Too Old To Be Effective?“
• Doug’s Response: “5 Reasons That I Am Not Too Old For Youth Ministry“
• Leneita’s response, “Advice For A Veteran Youth Worker, Part 1″
• Darren’s response, “Advice For A Veteran Youth Worker, Part 2″

Other ym360 Posts From The Week:

• Youth Worker BOOST: I’ve Got A Secret
• FREE Valentine’s Bible Study Lesson!
• 3 Reasons Your Student Ministry MUST Have Small Groups

Posts From Other Awesome People

We search the Internet to bring you relevant information to help you be a better youth worker. Here are some links from posts we thought were pretty great.

• Adam Reed, “4 Things To Do At A Student’s Sporting Event”: Such a simple and practical post by Adam. Dead on.
• Benjer McVeigh, “When You Feel Stuck“: This is such a great post. Transparent with some really solid application. I know I’ve been here. And my hunch is that most people have, as well. Worth a read.
• Brian Berry, “So You Don’t Know The Answer . . . “: One of my favorite posts of the week. Brian deals with this perfectly. If you’ve ever NOT had an answer to students’ questions, this post is for you.
• Chris Wesley, “Simply Focus“: Really like Chris’ thoughts here. Good takeaways. 
• Doug Franklin, “3 Keys To Starting A Student Leadership Team“: Short and practical post by Doug. Good takeaways here. 
• Eric Dye, “All About Millennials“: Love this from Eric. Such a good infographic that nails the millennial perspective. Good stuff.
• Jim Candy, “The Coming Wave In Youth Ministry, Part 1“: Thought provoking post here. I share Jim’s concerns for my kids and my students. Looking forward to seeing how he defines the coming wave.
• Josh Evans, “5 reasons Your Student Ministry May Never Grow“: Ouch! Josh Evans hits a nerve on this guest post from More Than Dodgeball.com.
• Michael Kelley, “David, Goliath, and the Gospel“: Not youth ministry centered, per se, but this video of Matt Chandler that Michael passes along is a really great treatment of what a “gospel-centered” approach is.
• Steven Orel and Matt Reynolds, “Don’t Assume Your Students Know Jesus“: Steven and Matt write a good post here. Something we’ve all encountered. Good perspective.
  
  

That’s all the links for this week. As always, have an awesome weekend . . . And THANK YOU for the chance to serve you as part of the ym360 community.

Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 13 years, leading small groups and developing Bible study resources for several organizations. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading small groups, and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance.

That’s why we’re happy to offer Youth Worker Boost, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog. Boost is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, “boost” your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students.

We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry.

CLICK HERE to have the Youth Worker Boost delivered right to your inbox whenever we publish a new one! We call these the E-BOOST!

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.”–Colossians 1:27-28

The word “secret” can mean a lot of different things.

Tell someone you have a secret surprise gift for them and the person will experience the joy of expectation. Tell a friend or loved one you have been keeping a secret from them, and the person will experience the fear of bad news. A secret told can lift you up, or bring you down.

The two secrets revealed in today’s passage are the “lifting up” kind of secrets. One of them is great news and the other is even greater!

When Christ died on the cross he made a relationship with God possible for all people, both Jew and Gentile. But the second secret was even greater. Paul said that those who put their faith in Christ will have Him living in them. The secret was out: God, who up to that point was always worshiped with a certain level of separation, became a man and lived among us before sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. It’s a powerful reminder for those of us who are tired, lacking motivation, and wondering why we still do what we do. It’s equally as powerful a reminder for those of us who are on top of the world, riding high, and bursting at the seams with energy.

But the key is this: This secret isn’t just for our benefit. We have an obligation. What do we do with this knowledge? We do what Paul said he did: tell everyone everywhere about Christ.

Our prayer for you:
Our prayer is that the Good News of Christ would be lived out in you in such a way that it’s impossible to keep it a secret.

Richard Parker has been a student minister for the past 33 years, serving at First Baptist Church in Russellville, AL for the past 23. He’s written a three volume set of Character Education curriculum for schools, has written “Character,” a year long devotional book for students, and writes Youth Worker BOOST, a weekly devotion for youthministry360.com. Richard speaks in schools as well as at various church and civic conferences.

Encouraged by today’s Youth Worker Boost? Don’t keep it a secret! Pass it along to a fellow youth worker or your adult volunteers. Share the love!

<--- Sharing with your friends is as easy as the click of a mouse . . . Share by email or through facebook messaging (be sure to log in to facebook to do either)! Go ahead, share!

Look for a new Youth Worker Boost each Wednesday on the ym360 Blog.

Last Week’s BOOST: The Imitators

Next Week’s BOOST: Foundations

Get more BOOST articles HERE!

At ym360 we’re committed to equipping you with resources that are Bible-focused, creative, and relevant. (To see our entire line of Bible Study resources, click here.) That’s why we’re excited to be able to give you a FREE Valentine’s Lesson. It’s a simple way for us to serve and equip you and to show you how much we care about you and your students.

Lesson Title>>> AMAZING LOVE: Finding And Living Real Love

Lesson Objective>>> To help students contrast the world’s idea of love with the real examples of love found in the Bible.

Scripture Focus>>> Ruth 1:16-18; 2:8-12; 4:9-15

Overview>>> Students today are bombarded with messages and images of love . . . or at least what the world would like them to believe is love. From billboards and magazine ads to commercials and Internet pop-ups, everyone is trying to appeal to teenagers’ desire to love and be loved. These messages are usually motivated by the desire to sell a product, but they serve to erode and confuse students’ concept of healthy, God-centered love. God’s view of love isn’t about manipulation, as is evidenced through the Bible. The Bible is full of examples of the real, lasting love that flows in and through us when God is at the center of who we are. And the Book of Ruth is an awesome look at what this love looks like. The story of Boaz and Ruth is one of the great love stories of all time, and while it’s important for students to grasp what real, God-centered love looks like, Ruth’s story isn’t just a love story. It has a lot to teach us about God’s character, and even points toward the future when Christ will come and bring His example of perfect, redeeming love for all people.

What’s Included?
Lesson/Teaching Plan, Dynamic PowerPoint Slideshow
Size:
Approximately 7 MB
High Speed Download Time:
Approximately 2 minutes

Thanks for the chance to partner with you. It’s a real privilege. One we take very seriously. We see this FREE lesson as just another way ym360 can be a part of equipping and serving you as you lead teenagers closer to Christ.

Free Lesson Download:

“Prepping week 1 of Live Different by ym360; I don’t usually like working from pre-written curriculum, but their stuff is rock solid!”

@BenjerMcVeigh via Twitter, Washington Heights Church | Ogden, Utah

Free Stuff from ym360! All free. All the time. Made for you.

DNow Online. Resources for your youth ministry Retreat or Disciple Now Weekend.

The ym360 Daily Blog. Daily posts covering Training, Bible Stuff, Trends & Culture, Freebies and more! Great for you, your staff, volunteers and parents!

More ym360 Bible Study Resources. Biblically Solid, Culturally Relevant, Creative.

Join ym360 on Facebook. A great source of youth ministry conversation.

Join ym360 on Twitter. Youth ministry trends, culture, and more.

Youth Worker Boost Made for youth workers. Powerful, short, weekly encouragement.

A student pastor can stand before a group of students week after week and teach them the Bible, but its not until the students get in a small group, led by a trained and impassioned leader, that they start to really own and live what they have been hearing from the student pastor.

Unfortunately, many student ministries still don’t do small groups. Now, there are many different factors that contribute to this. Some people are limited by group size and/or availability of adult volunteers. But for others, there doesn’t seem to be any real roadblocks to introducing a small group strategy. For these folks, I’d like to offer three reasons why your student ministry really needs to have a small group strategy.

Jesus Did It

If you read through the Gospels you’ll find that Jesus spent most of His time with twelve men. (And even within the twelve, He had a group of three He was even more intentional with.) Jesus invested His time and energy into these guys, helping them own their faith and compelling them to ultimately change their world. Yes, Jesus spent some time among the sinners, the sick, and the outcast. He met people’s needs. But the majority of His time was spent teaching the Twelve. These small group of men would carry on His work when He left. Jesus knew the importance and effectiveness in investing time into a smaller group of people rather than ton of people.

It Is The Best Way To See Discipleship Happen

In the book The Greenhouse Project, Ric Garland says that one person can only effectively disciple five to six people. Even if you added a few people to Ric’s number, this is still a problem as the majority of youth ministries have more than six or eight students. If you’re still trying to teach your group of 20 or 30 by yourself, you’re not discipling as effectively as you could be. Consider recruiting adult volunteers and giving each one five-to-six students, encouraging and empowering them to invest their time and energy into discipling those students.

It Gets Adult Leaders Involved

If you take the last point I said seriously than that means you will need to have a team of adult leaders that you disciple first (they become your small group), then they will in turn disciple a group of students which becomes their small group. An effective student ministry depends on the student pastor building a team of adult leaders who invest in the students. If we want to see each student in our ministry reached, and watch them grow in their faith, we must make sure to get adults involved and to give them the training they need to invest in students’ lives.

Our student ministries are filled with students who desperately need to be challenged how to live out their faith.

If we don’t get them into small groups where they feel comfortable talking, sharing, and connecting with an adult, they may end up graduating our ministries in much the same way they came in.

Putting the time and effort into making small groups a part of your student ministry is worth it!


Austin McCann is currently a pastoral intern at Weymouth Community Church in Medina, OH. He enjoys reading, writing, playing basketball or golf, and working with students within the context of the local church. You can visit Austin’s personal blog at www.austinmccann.com.

I’ve noticed something that happens to us youth workers around our mid-30′s, or so. We find ourselves unable to naturally relate to teenagers. Most of us have reached a point where we don’t automatically pick up on their references like we did in our 20′s. They mention a fad or a movie and we realize we have no idea what they’re talking about. This happens enough, and it begins to bother us.

We begin to think that means we’re too old. We hear a clock ticking inside of us. We say something like, “I’ve lost my relevance.”

There are other signs, as well . . .

The needle on our fun-meter is not as often moved by the games and the recreation. We think, “I need to move on to more adult things.”

We see our peers “advancing” to become Minister to Adults or Teaching Pastors. We say to ourselves, “I need to move on to real ministry.”

We see our friends leaving the ministry. We say to ourselves, “Is it time for me to quit playing around and get a real job?”

The problem with this scenario is that it comes at the precise time when we are positioned to do some of the most meaningful ministry of our lives (up to this point).

At the exact time when these feelings are banging around in our heads, many of us are just arriving at a point where we can really pour spiritual wisdom into the lives of those we lead. When I was leading students at age 25, if I was being transparent, I led as a peer as much as anything else. The 35 year old me and the 25 year old me have very little in common spiritually speaking. And it’s not just spiritual experience. I’ve lived life! In 10 years I’ve had three children, changed careers, lost a sibling and three grandparents, gone off to war, traveled and ministered around the world, and so on. I bet your story is similar.

In each of these situations, I’ve learned more about God and how He works in this world and in my life. My faith has been tested and stretched and shaped in ways I couldn’t have begun to imagine as a younger man. I bet you’d say the same.

Aren’t we in a better position to lead students in their faith based on our faith-shaping experiences?

I am a more effective discipler in large part because of the wisdom that God has worked in my life through these years.

The same can be said about your ability to lead others.

The same can be said about your ability to listen to others.

The same can be said about your patience, and your ability to work well with people who may be difficult to work with.

And one of the biggest tragedies of people leaving youth ministry at this critical stage in their lives is the wealth of practical knowledge that leaves with them.

It seems each week I encounter a youth worker who is just getting started. Some are just kids, some are moms and dads. I hear them asking me and others for help. Help with strategy. Help with methodology. Help with with their heart and vision. When youth ministers who have been in the game six, or eight, or ten years moves on, they take with them a treasure-trove of practical experience.

As a middle aged youth worker, you are in the best position to be a mentor to younger youth workers. And when you leave because it’s maybe not as “fun” anymore, or because you “feel” out of touch (when the truth is that you simply have to try a little harder), or because you’re envious of your friend who has “moved up” in the ministry world . . . when you walk away because of these things and NOT because of God’s leading, you rob youth and youth workers from the spiritual and practical wisdom that God has birthed in you.

When is a youth worker too old to be effective? Never. And as I’ve stated here, an argument could be made that you’re at your most effective with a little age under your belt.

Thoughts?


Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 13 years, leading small groups and developing Bible study resources for several organizations. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading small groups, and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance. Andy blogs daily about discipleship at andyblanks.com.

This week’s posts from the ym360 Blog

• You Might Have Missed The Journey
• Youth Worker BOOST: The Imitators
• Re-Discovering Your Awe For God
• Youth Ministry Essentials: 5 Truths About Bible Study Curriculum
  

Posts From Other Awesome People

We search the Internet to bring you relevant information to help you be a better youth worker. Here are some links from posts we thought were pretty great.

• Doug Fields, “5 Ways To Build Support Into Your Marriage”: Such a great post on marriage. Short and sweet with some solid advice. Worth your time, for sure.
• Jonathan McKee, “5 Tips to Get Your Teenagers Talking”:  Jonathan McKee wrote this post on Doug Fields’ blog. It’s a really, really good post for parents but could also be applied to small group leaders, as well. 
• Josh Collesano, “What Emerging Leaders Need To Excel”:  This is some really strong perspective from Josh on what leaders can do to help the emerging leaders they lead excel. Good stuff. 
• Josh Evans, “Student Ministry Event Idea–Geocache”: I have had friends who geocache. It’s a cool concept. But I have never thought of it as a youth group game until now. Great idea!
• Lantz Howard, “3 Reasons Why We Don’t Ask Meaningful Questions”: Love this post from Lantz. Short and sweet. 
• Matt Reynolds, “It’s Awesome When Students Minister To Each Other”: Loved this from Matt. Revealing and insightful. A quick read and a great story.
• Phil Bell, “Advice For Students Looking Into A Youth Ministry Career”: I thought Phil was dead on here. A great post to pass along to any student in your life who feels called to youth ministry. 
• Rachel Blom, “How To Motivate Your Volunteers For Youth Ministry Training”: Practical and insightful article from Rachel. Great tips here.
• Youth Ministry Media, “Infographic: 2011 Year In Review”: I loved this so much. Visually appealing, socially revealing. Great infographic.
  
  

That’s all the links for this week. As always, have an awesome weekend . . . And THANK YOU for the chance to serve you as part of the ym360 community.

Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 13 years, leading small groups and developing Bible study resources for several organizations. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading small groups, and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance.

I was so focused on the destination that I never considered I was losing sight of what was happening around me.

The other night I was listening to Jon Acuff on the Catalyst Podcast and he talked about how too many of us are looking to what’s next when we should be enjoying where we are. Youth ministers aren’t immune to this philosophy. Some of us think:
“In my next position . . . ” or, “At my next church . . . ” or, “When the ministry reaches X number of teens . . . ”

The problem with that philosophy is that we forget to focus on the journey and lose site of what we witness along the way. And if we miss the journey, it seems like we open our selves up for disappointment and frustration as we go.

So what are we at risk of missing?

The Small Wins

In our journey there will be bright spots when we see the vision reached. These moments provide the fuel we need to keep going and the stories we need to inspire others. Taking in these moments will prove valuable when we need to break through a paradigm or bring people alongside of us.

The Small But Significant Relationships

There are going to be people who walk in and out of your ministry. Some of them will be there for years, others for a very short period of time. Noting the significance, not the longevity, of these relationships will help you grow as an individual, manager, and leader. Acknowledging these encounters will help us remember that we are simply planting seeds, and impacting others in any way we can. This leads to authenticity.

The Greater Vision

When we’re focused on our journey and the vision we’ve set out for our own lives, we forget that it’s not about us. Each relationship, moment, experience and encounter is about God’s plan for His church. We might live for 100 years. However, it’s a blip when it comes to His entire plan. Every moment counts because it sets the stage for the people who follow you in the journey.


You don’t want to miss the journey because sometimes it is greater than the destination. I’m not saying it’s greater than the vision. However, if we only look to the next step, we’ll miss the many things that surround us. We’ll miss the things that could change, inspire, and motivate us. So before you think about the next event, position or job ask yourself:

What’s Happening Around Me Now?


Chris Wesley is the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD. With over 6 years of youth ministry experience you can read more about his journey on his blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

That’s why we’re happy to offer Youth Worker Boost, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog. Boost is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, “boost” your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students.

We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry.

CLICK HERE to have the Youth Worker Boost delivered right to your inbox whenever we publish a new one! We call these the E-BOOST!

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”–Philippians 4:8-9

Have you ever seen someone who’s really good at impersonations? If so, you quickly realize it’s not just the voice that these guys mimic. Those who do really great jobs of impersonating others are masters of picking up all the body motions and facial expressions of the person they’re imitating. It takes a lot of time and dedication to be a good imitator.

The question for us is how well are we at imitating?

Paul was pretty good at imitating. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul asked the Christians there to imitate him. It wasn’t his voice he wanted them to duplicate, it was his lifestyle. Paul told them to practice what he taught them through not only his words but his actions. This is a powerful teaching. But for those of us who work with students it’s an awesome responsibility. You may very well be the main person your students are imitating when it comes to their faith. How does that make you feel?

It’s human nature to feel uncomfortable when we read this. It’s a challenge to us all. Our students are watching us. If they imitate you, how close would they be to imitating Christ?

Our prayer for you:
Our prayer is that you would be walking so closely with God that you could confidently look to others and say, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” . . . and mean it.

Richard Parker has been a student minister for the past 33 years, serving at First Baptist Church in Russellville, AL for the past 23. He’s written a three volume set of Character Education curriculum for schools, has written “Character,” a year long devotional book for students, and writes Youth Worker BOOST, a weekly devotion for youthministry360.com. Richard speaks in schools as well as at various church and civic conferences.

Encouraged by today’s Youth Worker Boost? Don’t keep it a secret! Pass it along to a fellow youth worker or your adult volunteers. Share the love!

<--- Sharing with your friends is as easy as the click of a mouse . . . Share by email or through facebook messaging (be sure to log in to facebook to do either)! Go ahead, share!

Look for a new Youth Worker Boost each Wednesday on the ym360 Blog.

Last Week’s BOOST: A New Start

Next Week’s BOOST: I’ve Got A Secret

Get more BOOST articles HERE!

The problem is that this doesn’t work. To feel closer to God, we have to rediscover or awe of Him. We have to draw near to Him and find joy in who He is.

Again, you can read the text here.

A good friend of mine responded with a comment that really got my attention. I think she did a great job of articulating what many people feel. Here’s what she said:

so then…how do we rediscover our awe? i feel like so often i long for those early days of being a believer and that new fire. but so much refining has happened since then. you can’t go back. but how do you go forward to where you were in the past? sorry, rambling. and probably doesn’t make ANY sense. but this is something i’ve really been struggling with lately.

So that’s the question: How do we re-discover the awe?

Here’s the thing: I’ve struggled with this a TON over the years. And my hunch is that many of you struggle with it, and many of our students struggle with it. And while I don’t offer an exhaustive solution, here are a few response my friend’s question challenged me to come up with.

Expect To Be Awed

I know it sounds overly simplistic, but our expectations are key to re-discovering our awe of God. If we want to find God, but don’t go throughout our day (and our days) looking for Him, we’ll miss Him. After all, He isn’t distant from us. He’s unchanging. When God feels far away, the distance originates with us.

Ask And You Shall Receive

We forget what prayer is and what it isn’t. At its core, prayer is conversation. Ask God to help you engage with him in fresh ways. Ask him to open your eyes to Him and His character. Then, (as I just said) act in expectation of him honoring your prayer.

Use Your Head To Feed Your Heart

Scripture is the main way God gave us to know Him and His ways. Our knowledge of God and His character feeds our love for Him. Engaging with God through the Bible is one of the main ways we re-discover our awe for Him. But, you might need to . . .

Change Your Style

I’m not sure how many people have been taught that there are different purposes for Bible Study. Maybe the most common way people read the Bible is studying it seeking to mine a truth from a passage and apply it in their lives. But, there is another way of using the Bible to find God: contemplative and meditative. For instance: This is a short post from Kara Powell on a practice called Lectio Divina. It’s a great practice for changing up your style.

Competition Kills

We are flawed and sinful. Even when we direct our affections toward God, we miss the mark. One of the biggest ways this happens is when we don’t carve out space to encounter God. Space where our attention doesn’t have to compete with the noise (both literal and figurative) of the world. In our Pause Bible Study, we define the concept of “hitting pause” for students as “Seeking God in solitude and silence through prayer and Bible study.” This is great advice for us (and for our students) to apply as we seek God.

Take A Different Way Home

Our personalities and preferences in many ways dictate how we interact with God. What is your default way of encountering God? Are you a head person, drawn to engaging God through knowledge, such as scripture meditation, reading the works of others, or reading creeds or catechisms? Are you a heart person, connecting with God most easily through an emotional connection such as prayer, or song, or journaling? Are you a hands person? Do you connect with God by serving, or being outside, or painting?

Figure out which one of these you default to. Then try engaging with God through a different means. Why? We get in spiritual ruts. Sometimes shaking it up really helps.

Fight The Good Fight

Most of all, don’t give up. Keep plugging away. That may seem counter-intuitive to something as organic as re-discovering your awe for God, but we are imperfect. Sin will always lead us to take our eye of the ball. Keep going, keep trying, and God will honor your efforts.

The problem of needing to re-discover the wonder we have for God, the joy we have in our salvation, is a common one. These are just a few thoughts on how to break through the fog we put up between God and ourselves.

What are your thoughts? What has worked for you?


Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 13 years, leading small groups and developing Bible study resources for several organizations. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading small groups, and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance.

If you have a second, take a look at what we’ve done so far . . .

I don’t know it all, and I have a ton to still learn. But here are five truths about Bible Study curriculum I thought I’d pass along. (And just to clarify, when I say curriculum, I am referring to curriculum you purchase, not the kind you would write yourself.)

1. All Curriculum Needs Tweaking

There’s no perfect curriculum . . . not even ym360′s.   Few lessons, “as is,” straight out of the box, perfectly meet the spiritual needs of your students or capture the personality of your group. You know why? The man or woman who wrote it doesn’t know your teenagers. They don’t know your structure. They don’t know what resources you have access to and which ones you don’t, and so on.

What does this mean? Two things . . .

• You must create a culture where it’s expected that your teachers will invest the time in adjusting lessons. Help your teachers see that this expectation is part of their role.
• As you choose curriculum, you might want to consider how much time you’ll need to spend tweaking the lessons. Look at samples. If you think you’ll have to spend more than a couple hours a week tweaking a lesson, you might want to consider another curriculum. Just a thought . . .

2. Curriculum Isn’t For Everyone

If your spiritual gifts are in the writing, teaching, and speaking mode, then you might enjoy writing your own curriculum. If you have the time and the chops, you’ll find nothing but a supportive voice here. If this describes you, you might find your curriculum needs on the lesser end of the spectrum.

3. Except That Everyone Can Benefit From Curriculum

There is good reason to plug in Bible Study curriculum into your teaching plan, even if you are a “write your own stuff” guy or gal. First, it’s nice to have a break every once in a while. Second, it’s a change of voice/perspective. Your students may benefit from a different viewpoint every now and again. Third, there may be seasonal responsibilities that take more of your time. Purchasing Bible Study curriculum for a 4 or 6 week emphasis may buy you time to plan that DNow or Weekend Retreat, or mission project.

4. Put ”Bells and Whistles” In Their Proper Place

At ym360, we have a unique mix of product features on our studies. Video, Parent Pages, Facebook Devotions, and so on. And there are other providers who can say the same thing: video delivered, customizable lessons, etc. These bells and whistles are great. They really can help you build a strong environment around your time of study. But put them in their proper place (yes, even ours!). The main reason you should choose a curriculum is for how it treats the actual teaching of the Bible. Is the lesson plan solid? Is the curriculum Bible centered? Does it teach sound, inductive Bible Study? And does it put a focus on actually helping students apply what they are learning?

Bells and whistles are awesome. But if the lesson plan isn’t solid, bells and whistles are merely a distraction.

5. Free Is Fine, But Strategy Rules

Like many other curriculum providers, we regularly offer free stuff. We work hard to make sure our free lessons and devotions are solid. And we are pumped that so many of you take advantage of them. But here’s the deal. If you’re living off the next free lesson, you’re really depriving your students of learning God’s Word in a planned out, well ordered structure. Free lessons are great, especially seasonal ones. But, you need a strategy for teaching students God’s Word. Your strategy can be flexible enough to include the occasional free lesson. But if you’re going from one freebie to another, it’s going to be really challenging for your students to grasp any real big-picture understanding of the Bible.


What are you thoughts when it comes to choosing curriculum?


Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 13 years, leading small groups and developing Bible study resources for several organizations. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading small groups, and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance.