Do your youth Bible class teachers know what today’s teens really need?
If they don’t, how will they structure lessons and relate with students in ways that impact their lives?
What Do Today’s Teens Need?
Teens do need an adequate view of the Bible. A series of posts on the MinTools.com Blog looks at young people’s perception of the Bible today based on a Barna study.
Teens do need to value the church so they stay after graduation. Another post on the MinTools.com site looks at a different Barna study about young people dropping out of church.
What Teenagers Need the Most
We could keep the list going but what teens really need today is relationship, first with God and then with others in the Body. Everything else we could list would be mute if not encased in relationship.
Without a relationship with God, through Jesus, the Bible will only seem like a book of rules and stories.
Without a relationship with others in the Body, the church will seem empty and like a waste of time.
Implications for Training Teachers in the Youth Age Division
Remember the high premium God puts on loving relationships. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40)
In light of what teens need most, and what God values most, make sure teacher training includes specific help in this area of relationships.
- Train your teachers on how to help students develop a relationship with God.
- Train your teachers on how to build relationships with their students.
- Train your teachers on how to foster a relational environment among students.
- Train your teachers on how to encourage relationships between their students and the church at large.
Of course, Bible teachers of teen classes also need training in a variety of other areas as well. For more, go to: Youth / Teens Age Level Teacher Training Resources
I can see great success in the study and would love to hear more about it.
I’m glad you find this beneficial. Let me encourage you to follow all the links in the post as well as related posts below the article for more.
I find this article to be very useful to my recent work on Teen Teachers. Please keep me updated as the study progresses.
Praise God the article has been helpful. May God use you to spur on the Teen Teachers to serve in ways that truly reach today’s young people.