Rhythms of Teaching: A Balanced Approach To Teaching

“Salty and Lit for the Lord,” “Why Jesus is the G.O.A.T.,” and “How to be Sigma Without Losing Your Soul.” If reading these message titles made you cringe, imagine how your students feel! When we teach, we have to avoid focusing on style over substance.

These are extreme examples, but this is what happens when youth pastors put relevance at the forefront instead of content. We end up with messages that may feel current but can actually hinder our students’ spiritual growth.   

WHAT YOU TEACH MATTERS

When you teach your students, what do you teach about? What does your weekly content focus on? Whether it’s a midweek program or something else, where does the inspiration for your content spring from? This process ought to always begin with prayer and hearing from the Lord, and not something you throw together Wednesday morning (I know life happens, but that should be the exception, not the norm).

You may choose to write everything yourself and say, “Who knows my students better than I?” You might use an annual subscription with messages written by a qualified team, allowing you more time to help build relationships with youth and volunteers, or maybe you use some combination of both methods. Neither are inherently good or bad. They’re simply tools that many youth pastors use to organize what they teach.

When you speak, your message will likely lean towards something more thematic or something more expository. Friendly reminder: Thematic messages deal more with themes like relationships, success, and other aspects of life. These messages (hopefully) use Scripture to support their points. Expository messages focus on what the Bible actually says, its original meaning and purpose, and the wisdom we can glean from it. 

The temptation in youth ministry is to focus on more thematic messages because we want our students to show up and be engaged. We want our messages to be applicable and relatable. We want to make it easy for students to invite their friends. We want parents to feel like we know how to connect with their teenagers.

But is it worth the cost?

WHY TEACHING THE BIBLE STILL MATTERS

Students need to know what the Bible says for themselves. If we focus solely or mainly on thematic messages and fail to teach them what God’s Word teaches, we are missing out on an incredible opportunity. Today’s teenagers are searching for the truth! David Kinnaman from Barna research has stated, “Our research shows that teens generally have positive opinions of the Bible, and they’re curious about it… Despite these high views, engagement with the Bible remains low, and we see many teens express uncertainty about how Scripture can influence their lives and the world around them.” We need to help students make Scripture a firm foundation in their lives and know that His Word can be trusted. This only happens when we put the Bible in the spotlight.

What can we do about this? We need to be willing to reevaluate our teaching and our messages. It’s even better if you can have another youth pastor or your senior pastor help you with this. Don’t be afraid to ask yourself hard questions and why you do certain things. How spiritually mature are your core students? Are there weekly programs designed for the churched and unchurched? If different programs are designed for different audiences, do your students and families know that?

FIND YOUR RHYTHM

I believe that maintaining rhythms in our lives is important, especially for those of us in ministry. Rhythms help us have some semblance of equilibrium. They keep us fresh. For example, we need a daily quiet time and seasonal retreats to be refreshed by the Lord and prevent ministry burnout. But have you considered applying rhythms in how you teach? I’ve been the youth pastor who spends a whole year focusing on thematic messages. By the end, my group may have grown, and students might be more engaged, but I could see that they were spiritually malnourished. Now, I’ve found it best to keep a rhythm in what I teach, to make sure students are hearing topics they care about but also that they’re learning from the Bible.

Here's how I approach it: I try to focus on three key areas in my message series throughout the year. Each of these areas represents what a series will focus on:

• Book of the Bible
• Thematic
• Person of the Bible

When we go over a book of the Bible, I want students to know God’s Word for themselves, so we might read through a New Testament letter over four weeks together. We may highlight the key stories in an Old Testament book. In the next series, I deliver messages with a theme. I still make sure Scripture supports the topic, but it’s not the focus. Then I’ll go over a person of the Bible; this teaches students the Bible but also shows them these people from thousands of years ago were a lot like us! If each of these series lasts about a month, you will cover each of these areas in a quarter, then continue that rhythm four times a year. Those quarters may focus on a theme or an idea, like facing life’s challenges. For example, you could start teaching students about Elijah and the obstacles he faced, followed by a series on how to deal with stress and anxiety and end the quarter with a series on the book of James and its practical wisdom on living the Christian life.   

So, have you considered a strategic approach to how you teach the Bible to your students? Teaching God’s Word is too important to just wing it. As youth ministry leaders, we’ve got to consider and think through a balanced approach to teaching the Bible. If you don’t already have a plan in place, I encourage you to consider taking some time to pray about it, talk to some volunteers on your team, and get to dreaming.

This idea of rhythms in teaching is just an idea of how you might better incorporate the Bible into your weekly program. You may find another method that works better for you in your context. If that’s the case, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! In the meantime, I’m praying this verse for each of us in youth ministry; “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2). May we be found faithful in the preaching of His Word.

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

1. What’s your teaching plan? Is there anyone you could invite into your planning process who can help evaluate your content?
2. Will students graduate from your ministry with a strong understanding of the Bible? If not, how can you begin making those changes this month?

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