One of the very important tasks of the youth leader is the planning and implementation of curriculum.

I realize that this process may be very different from church to church. Some churches have Christian Education professionals or committees whom decide on curriculums for all ages.

Other churches, particularly in their Sunday school, will adhere to a quarterly, often denominationally published. Still, there are other churches which have no idea what they are teaching month to month (or even week to week in some situations) and depend on a variety of resources for the instruction of their kids.

Yes, there certainly are a lot of approaches to curriculum decisions for youth groups. I do not know what your churches approach is, but let me say this:

Curriculum decisions, design, and instruction is a CRITICAL element of successful youth ministry. In short, what a youth leader chooses to teach and the way he/she teaches is of paramount importance!

Currently I am teaching a Youth Ministry Skills course at a local Bible College. I will submit to you, the reader, the same thesis I gave that class of young youth ministry students the first day of class:

You can be the finest trained Bible scholar around but unless you can make it relevant and teach so that a 14 year-old can get it, you are sunk!

With this in mind, I would like to spend the next several articles sharing some thoughts on the subject of curriculum decisions, design, and instruction.

I think it goes without saying that the following articles will not be exhaustive on the subject. However, I hope to throw out some principles that will get you thinking about your approach to curriculum decisions, styles of presentation, and some tried and true teaching techniques that will reel in even the most disengaged of teenagers.

I pray the following entries will be helpful and encouraging to you. This subject of curriculum design and teaching is close to my heart and I really love writing and speaking on the subject.

I was at a church in New York doing a youth leader seminar. A new committee had been formed to oversee the ministry and I was asked if I would sit in and observe the meeting and offer any insights that may be helpful. It was fun and they were a great group of laborers for the Lord.

When it came to a discussion about what the group would discuss and learn about in the bible teaching time, several of the leaders chimed in with statements like:

“I really want to teach End Times in the book of Revelation.”

“I read a great poem on attitude. We should teach about that.”

“I have a great lesson on prayer that I did with the adults.”

And on the discussion went….

Now, do not misunderstand me, maybe there were some great lessons to be taught on end times, attitude, and prayer. But these people were forgetting to ask one very important question:

What do the kids need?

Maybe you do have a lesson you are really excited about…great! But is it the right time to teach that lesson or are you just excited about it?

Friends, this issue is so fundamental! When you are putting together your next quarter of teaching, please think and pray about what your kids really need. Remember this basic tenant of teaching teenagers: If it is not relevant, it is not real. And because of this, youth leaders need to be plugged into what their kids really
need to be hearing.

This topic then begs the question, “How does a youth leader know what their kids need?”

I’ll touch on this topic next week.

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We have been discussing how important it is to encourage the students in your youth group ministry. In my last entry, I offered phrases that work great for encouraging kids. Today let’s begin to look at some practical ways you may be able to encourage students in your group.

As I go through some of these ideas in the next few articles, I understand that not all of these will work for all readers. That is ok. As the saying goes, “Eat the chicken, spit out the feathers!”

Two simple but effective ways to encourage youth in your ministry is through telephone calls and letters. It is a powerful thing when a youth leader calls one of his students on the phone just to see how they are doing. Some good reasons to call could be:

– To invite them to the next youth meeting/activity.

– To ask them how they are doing or how a particular event went that
they were involved with.

– If they were sick – check on him/her.

– To thank them for a particular service or duty performed at the
church.

– Remind them of a promise of our Lord from the scripture.

There are many other reasons a leader may call but those are just a few ideas.
Remember to follow a few rules if you are calling a student:

– Don’t call too late at night. There are kids who are not allowed to receive calls after certain times. Be family friendly!

– Be sure to say who you are and that you are calling from the church. This way a parent knows what adult is calling for their child.

– Keep your call short and let them know you look forward to seeing him/her that week at church.

Another super effective technique for encouraging kids is to send them a note, particularly a hand-written note. First of all, most young people really do not receive much mail so getting something can be sort of cool for them. Second, a hand written note shows that you as a leader really took time to think about them and that makes a strong impression.

A short hand written note letting John or Sandi know that you are thinking about them, praying for them, and you really appreciate them is a powerful ministry tool.

Also, the note is something the student can keep as a constant source of encouragement. I can see where many of my youth keep notes I have written them inside their bibles. I recommend you set a goal of sending five notes of encouragement every week. Just choose a day, spend a few minutes writing the notes and drop them in the mail. It will be well worth it!

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Last week, I discussed how teenagers desperately need
encouragement and youth leaders need to become great cheerleaders.

Today I want to offer you a list of encouraging phrases. The
thoughts listed below would work great at a youth meeting, in Bible
study classes, on trips, or around the church. I did not categorize
these specifically for each occasion.

I will trust you the figure out the context. Hope this helps!

1. I like the way you handled that.

2. Wow, you really thought that out!

3. I know you can do it

4. I appreciate you being here every week!

5. You are really showing growth!

6. I know you will figure out a good way to do it next time

7. Thanks for all do.

8. I trust you to be responsible.

9. It must make you proud of yourself when you accomplish something
like that.

10. You are a very valuable part of this youth group ministry!

12. How can we turn this into a Godly solution?

13. I’m proud of you!

14. It is so awesome when you make Godly choices!

15. You’re awesome!

16. You teach me a lot.

17. You look great today.

18. I can’t believe you bring so many friends to church. Keep it up!

19. I know that God is really going to use you in a big way.

20. Do you know how awesome the leaders think you are?

21. Wow, what a great insight!

22. Super thinking!

23. God is making you into a great leader.

24. You add so much when you are here.

25. I bet your parents are really proud of you.

Now go to your youth group ministry and encourage!

Encourage!

ENCOURAGE!

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