Need help with youth

hey all!

i hope you are all doing good in the Lord today

I am currently teaching the youth at my church and well im not much of a youth teacher i have always taught college and adults but when duty calls you must respond (im helping a small baptist church so they need ALOT of help).

What i need are youth lessons for kids in middle school and high school, i really want lessons that help them interact and keep them talking/thinking cause they have about a 2.5 sec attention span :(.

I was wondering if there was a good website where i can get good stories and even ideas from, so that i may sprinkle it on top with fasting and praying and let the Spirit do his work, cause to be honest i have realized im not very proficient at teaching this age group :(.

Anything will help, including ure prayers. As always thank you for your help, much love and blessings in Christ to all.

bump

Lamp and Light Publishers has a lot of good material.

Phone: 505-632-3521

They don't really have a website to my knowledge ... unless it's this one:

http://www.anabaptistbooks.com/cgi-bin/bkstore/perlshop.cgi?ACTION=thispage&thispage=welcome.html&ORDER_ID=115914666

I have the catalog, and it seems to have more. If you call they will send it.

http://www.persecution.com/

Wake them up with some reality. Blessings!

I am not sure the age group you are looking at, but I must assume mid to late teens? I have worked with youth for close to 20 years now on and off, and I have done a lot of things wrong and have learned a lot. This idea of a 2.5 second attention span and entertaining lessons that have to be kept hopping is really false. Teens are like anyone else. They are hungry for intimate encounter with a living God and for truth. They don't want to be entertained, nor do they want to be blasted with all sorts of "how to live a better Christian life by doing these things and not doing these things" sort of lessons. They want someone with a real intimate and vibrant relationship with a living God to teach them how to have the same. They want someone to love them, listen to them, and speak truth into their lives.

We have defined youth a bit differently. We have a teens and twenties group that meets together every Friday night. There is lots of worship, prayer, and anointed teaching and they are engaged continually for two or three hours straight. It is not so much about entertaining youth in hopes of teaching them something, but about a passionate pursuit of God. It is transforming their lives.

Just some things that I have found to be true.

Dear Alf,

thank you for your request. I was also asked to help with the Sunday School youth. My personal opinion is that I do not like to use courses or material from others - except the bible. I compare it with eating ready made meals from the super market versus a freshly cooked meal with love.

This seems to be the hard way but God will definitely assist you. This is a daring adventure, but you will see that God is faithful! I have done it myself and I have encouraged others to do so.

You can go to God and ask him that if he wants you to teach the youth, he should tell you what to teach them. The Holy Ghost will (have to!!) show it to you and it will be most authentic then. Pray that you want to teach nothing apart from what he wants you to teach and God will answer your prayer.

1 Peter 4:10-12 (King James Version)

10As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

11If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

God bless you in this.

DeVern Fromke put together some books that contain some very helpful stories for building character and emphasisizing godly virtues. Not sure what age you are teaching but the Hive of Busy Bee books are excellent for younger children and the Seeing God's Wisdom and Seeing God's Purpose books are excellent for children and teenagers. I have used these books at times to supplement Bible reading during devotional time with my children and also while teaching at church, the stories keep their interest and they make for excellent discussions. Here is a link...

http://www.kingsleypress.com/devern-fromke.html

In Christ,

Ron

Hello,

Here is a resource I have found to be very good. A study on the Attributes of God. It is based on Scripture and not commentary. If you want your youth to be motivated then show them who God is in His Word!! The more we labor to see who God is through His Word the more we see our sinfulness and then the amazing Christ our Savior!

http://www.monergismbooks.com/The-One-True-God-p-18238.html

In Christ

"http://www.persecution.com/

Wake them up with some reality. Blessings!"

I am totally going to look into my youth group to write letters to the prisoners! If not my youth group then just me this is so AWESOME!

I am totally going to look into my youth group to write letters to the prisoners! If not my youth group then just me this is so AWESOME!

Praise the Lord brother. Make sure that you sign up for their free newsletter. It is truly life changing to read. You can also get a free copy of "Tortured for Chirst" sent to you. Very good book.

Also, this is a great organization to donate too for church members or folks in House Churches.

I am totally getting connected brother thanks for the reference, I believe one of my gifts is encouragement, I just didn't have a way of using it fully now I have that outlet! I already signed up for the Free Booklet and anticipate reading it. Also finally a place I can use my money where I know it counts :).

Alf,

I did not read all the posts on this thread, but I do have one suggestion.

I, also, have taught people of all ages at church: adult ladies, youth girls, children (junior). In doing so I see a great need among people in knowing how to study the WORD. This seems like a no-brainer, but the reality exists - big time.

I suggest you teach these youth the Inductive Method of Bible Study! Make up your own lessons! And walk with them through this process. (I took this class in Bible School and it is the most practical and useful class taught, IMHO.) If you are unfamiliar with this method, do your own research on the web...

Actually, in all the times I have spent teaching, there were several times I wrote my own lessons. Prepared lessons have a way of irritating me....Basically, my modus operandi is to know the WORD, let it fill your heart, mind and soul and then let the HOLY SPIRIT use it to teach. What you say will be an outgrowth from time spent in the WORD. Doing so will result you sharing insight you never thought of before. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Awesome! God is awesome and it is this fact that one works to communicate.

God bless....come back and tell us what you did.

ginnyrose

EDIT: I usually refrain from reading much in a class. I would retell the story, keeping eye contact with the students, and being dramatic in the retelling of the story. Interspersed with it I will ask questions - working to help them visualize the incident and what it would have been like to have been there: help them to smell the flowers, as it were.