Only with the Lord can we

understand it…

• A closer look at what the book says regarding teaching patterns to maximize effectiveness with teenagers will be considered.

• There are some insights I would like to share from my personal experiences as well.

• The information used in this PowerPoint presentation was mostly from personal convictions and my notebook notes from our textbook: The Teaching Ministry of the Church – 2nd Editioncited as follows:

• Yount, William (editor). The Teaching Ministry of the Church: 2nd

Edition. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2008.

• The Holy Word of our LORD was also used.

• I don’t know when or where the LORD will have me take a youth ministry position but I am ready to take it for His glory.

• My heart beats for youth ministry everyday and the thought of ministering to young people makes me shout for joy.

• The youth today, in my opinion, need so much and I know I cannot give them everything they need.

• I desire to work with a Spirit led ministry and a willing team of people ready to help so we will be able to do our best to meet those needs.

• I very much enjoy seeing parents of students care about the spiritual journey their family is on as individuals and as a group.

• The most important thing to me is that students fall in love with Jesus Christ in a way that is indescribable and make Him the Supreme Ruler and Redeemer of their lives on a daily basis.

• When I was a teenager I remember wanting to participate in anything I could with my friends and family.

• I feel like hanging out with them gave me a sense of belonging to a group of people and I know youth need that today.

• Teenagers today must know they are loved and cared for in order to really feel connected.

• What I mean is that as a group of teenagers in a student ministry must operate with an open atmosphere attitude to welcome in any newcomers to promote Christian living and community.

• John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies.

• 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

• This is the truth students need to hear.• They are dealing with relative and secular humanism each day of

their life and we must remain strong teaching them how to overcome this and put on the armor of God.

• Jesus died for them for this life and for the life to come.• Embracing Jesus Christ and believing in His supreme power is

something we must do as ministers. • Einstein came up with E=MC 2 and as youth ministers we need to

teach T=GJH (Truth = God*Jesus*Holy Spirit).• God revealed to us the truth through His acts as the Father in the

OT, His willing sacrifice of His Son in the NT, and the overwhelming theme throughout the Bible of His Spirit being present at all times.

• God cannot be ignored and we should never attempt to ignore Him.

• In chapter 15, with an introduction to preschoolers, I was made aware of the learner’s mind at that age and gained some knowledge for myself.• Even as a young child, they need to be respected as someone who

can grow spiritually.• They are spiritually sensitive at the ages of 3-5 and have the

ability to learn spiritual truths.• Parents should not overlook teaching spiritual truths at an early

age.• As children are the lifeblood of the future, they must not ever be

overlooked. • This truth comes into affect at the beginning of the next

chapter.• From birth – 15 years of age, the above is always true but looked

at from different angles as the young child becomes an older child and then a teenager.

• Chapter 15 mentions five different ways a learner grows as they age:

• Mental development

• Physical development

• Spiritual development

• Social development

• Emotional development

• Clearly, a teenager is more developed than a preschooler in each of these areas, but the development does begin at an early age.

• However, There are similar trends in parenting represented by the numbers presented in the book.

• As children are sensitive to the Spirit, if the parent does not take charge to nurture the child spiritually then a pattern has a tendency to set in and the role of spiritual leader is passed to the church.

• The church was never meant to serve as the spiritual leader for a child or teenager.

• Parents, parents, parents are the ones who lead their household and those living in it.

• Children, like youth, need consistency in order to remember the lesson, the application, the verses used in the lesson, and why they are there in the first place.

• Colossians 2:1-10 discusses the need for consistency in theology, Christology, and philosophy.

• Without it, children and teens will be tossed out and most likely be part of the 60+% who drop out after high school.

• Consistency begins at the home and continues at the church.

• A child is confused when home says one thing and the church says another!

• Knowing is half the battle – I know it was on G.I. Joe and it is true.

• If our students know what is being taught to them then the LORD has done something great through us.

• I agree with the book that one central and clear point that a student can see through to connect it with the application to their life is amazing and necessary.

• Jesus taught in Parables (ex: Matthew 25) and usually had one point to them.

• A teenager must learn to survive in this world that negates all they know to be true.

• The teens of today are at a serious crossroads in history floating in a relative cloud containing nonlinear thinking, and they come from broken homes where they talk to their parents less than 15 minutes a week about things that matter.

• Many of them feel distant from the church and are not considered as vital to the life of the church.

• An average of 77% of people accept Christ by the time they are 21 yrs of age.

• Over 50% of young adults who profess to be Christians when they are freshman in college walk away from their faith by the end of their bachelor’s degree.

• Over 60% of students walk away from the church after high school.

• Over 80% of youth attend church for an average of 2 months when they are a teenager.

• Parents, as a majority, are not involved in the spiritual outline of their student’s life.

• They alternate between maturity and childhood.

• They are on an emotional roller coaster and they need some help.

• They need leaders who are loving and patient

• The teens of today are realizing their dreams may or may not come true.

• Youth desperately want to belong and they need a leader to show them they do.

• They are in a fight between dependence and interdependence as adulthood approaches and childhood is left behind.

• They need to be taught Matthew 22:37-39 – Jesus MUST be loved with ALL of them and made supreme and their fellow neighbor must be shown the love of Christ.

• They SEEK an identity constantly.

• They ask multiple questions and are expecting an answer for each one.

• They are developing• At different rates

• Spiritual and moral values

• An adventurous mind wanting to discover new things.

• They must be taught how to serve each other.• The parents are vital in this role.• Without the parents, it is VERY difficult to get a

student on track with serving the LORD and other people.

• A parent is the GREATEST person in the world for a student to learn from because they have the greatest amount of influence on them.

• This critical relationship must be nurtured by the Holy Spirit as it is key for the youth to develop a respect for spiritual truths they will carry with them for the rest of their life.

• Luke 10:27, Matthew 22:36-38, Mark 12:28-30, and Deut. 6:4-9 are all instances when God or Jesus state what is the most important act we can do.

• Teaching these concepts to the youth are without question a necessity.

• Teaching the parents to do it, when necessary, must be kept in mind.

• Teenagers are great, I look forward to serving them for the rest of my life, and I will connect them with their parents on a spiritual level.