Creative Youth Bible Studies and More!
Youth Bible studies are essential - not only in our churches, but also our homes. We need creative youth ideas to help us successfully compete with the world for our teens' interest and time. This is a crucial time to continue planting those seeds of God's Word into their lives. Youth ministry is vital to our homes, our churches and our world!
God never meant for His Word to be boring! Sometimes the "distractions" of the world may seem more desirable, but they're NOT! The Psalmist says, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103). Honey has a pure, natural sweetness that artificial sweetners can't conterfeit. The same can be said for God's Word. Nothing can replace the pure sweetness it can bring into our lives.
Need excitement? How about youth Bible studies based on popular movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean - at World's End?!" Whether you are a teen yourself or someone that works with teens, check out these free resources at Dare2Share. They offer "Soul Fuel" - lessons that answer key questions of the Christian faith. They also offer really creative ideas on sharing your faith - like talking about the movie - Shrek the Third.
Or better yet, use the release of Halo 3 to teach youth Bible studies on Ephesians 6 and our spiritual weapons with which God has equipped us as believers to battle against evil.
Dare2Share also had put together a youth Bible studies curriculum to go along with the movie
"The Passion of the Christ."
Bible Basics include eight lessons on how we got the Bible and know it's true, how it's organized, and how to study the Bible.
Still another "out-of-the-box" method to get your teens inspired to engage in Bible study is to use Christian books for teens. Both fiction and non-fiction Christian books can be used as tools to stimulate youth's interest in God's Word.
Our youth don't just need to "hear" a lesson, they need to experience it. Ken Sapp offers suggestions for leading effective youth Bible studies.
Youth ministers are great about sharing their creative ideas of how to teach quality youth Bible study lessons as well as how to relate to youth on a personal level. Youth ministers from various U.S. states, as well as Canada, contributed these sixty-one lessons.
Youth Bible studies need to be upfront and honest, as well as unique and fun. With over 100 creative teaching ideas ,including youth Bible lessons revolving around games, Christian object lessons, or other unique Bible activity, you will be equipped to do just that. Use Scripture to create a Bible "Treasure Hunt" for a fun way to get youth into searching the Scriptures. For a really innovative Bible lesson, try this cell phone scavenger hunt from Group Publishing called "Grappling with Guidance" that teaches how important it is for us to follow God's guidance. This would be a great youth activity to use at a lock-in! They also include previews of ten other great Christian object lessons from their book - Faith Metaphors: 50 Interactive Object Lessons for Youth Ministry.
And don't miss this great collection of over 1500 absolutely
free youth ministry games and resources!
Whether you are a youth minister, volunteer youth worker, youth Sunday school teacher, or parent, the following free Christian e-book has some really great practical and creative ideas about youth ministry just for you.
Another free ebook full of youth icebreaker ideas is available too! It's written by Christian youth minister, Grahame Knox, and is called
40 Icebreakers for Small Groups
Knox brings 27 years of youth ministry experience to the Internet for free; make sure to check out all his other ideas on his
youth ministry blog!
Remember - variety is the key. BE CREATIVE!
Still another way to capture our youths' interest while planting seeds of faith in their hearts is to use Bible object lessons.
Use games with a point to change up Youth Bible studies. "Fun" keeps them wanting more, but these games still teach Bible truths that are important for us all to learn.
If you still need more fun ideas, try over 800 games to stimulate even more high-energy encounters with youth.
Christian websites are another tool we can use to spark interest in Christian growth for teens. Many are designed for just that purpose.
Charles Stanley's In-Touch Ministries sponsors Teen Connection. This site offers teen devotions, interviews with popular Christian artists, and more!
Focus on the Family also offers their magazines for teens online - Brio ,for girls, and Breakaway ,for guys. Both of these offer articles and advice relevant to today's teens.
Prayer for teens is another essential part of ministry. We need to let our youth know someone cares and wants to pray with them and for them.
All four of our children have now crossed the threshold from childhood to the teenage years; our youngest recently turned fourteen!
I remember James Dopson's advice in one of his books to "just get them through the teenage years." These years can be somewhat trying, but what a joy it is to see them grow in their knowledge and love for the Lord.
We've learned that communication during these years is a must! Many times it's just being there and listening to what they have to say that nurtures their relationship with you as well as their relationship with the Lord.
One of the greatest gifts we can give kids, at any age, is our time. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, youth teacher, or friend, invest your time in nurturing their spiritual lives. Be there for them; they need to know that someone is on their side.
They need to know that Jesus is on their side.
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