There are many ways you can get your child interested in studying the Bible, but here are a few great ideas for youth Bible studies.
Planting Seeds
Bible lessons are essential at any age and they shouldn’t be limited to churches. They can take place in people’s homes, a pizza restaurant, or just about any place in the community. Between childhood and adulthood, young people are at a critical period of personal development so it’s important for the seeds of God’s Word to be planted into their lives, so they will continue nurturing them.
[1]
Pressured to Sin
Temptations are all around young people. If their character and determination aren’t strong enough, then temptations may easily lead them into sin.
Today, young people are surrounded with social media, rough language, questionable values, and modern culture. When they try to remain modest, they are often mocked by their peers. Part of their temptation is because they are pressured into being like most people around them. Nobody is immune to the surroundings, and we shouldn’t perceive temptation as a sin. The goal is to support them through this period of transition and help them to stay true to their values.
The role of a youth Pastor, parent and counselor is a tough one, but with a bit of inspiration and creativity, you can inspire and engage young people into productive Bible studies. Let’s see how.
Ideas for Youth Bible Studies
1. Teach Them about Prayer
Teenagers are confused beyond our understanding. Adults have already forgotten how it felt like. Today’s youth is faced with a whole other level of challenges, which is why it’s difficult for pastors to establish a deep connection. That’s why they should teach teenagers how to communicate with God.
God understands everything. He wants believers to communicate with Him through prayer. Young people shouldn’t feel guilty to ask God for guidance or for whatever else they need. It’s the pastor’s role to teach believers to trust that God will provide what’s best for them.
Studying various prayers in the Bible is a great way to start. Jesus spoke about prayer, so the pastor can focus on those elements from the four gospel accounts.
2. A Session Based on Listening
[2]
We should strive to promote the role and inclusion of young people in church activities within their communities. Many young men and women can actively promote a culture of faith, dialogue, peace, and justice.
They need to know they are an important part of our community and have the potential of enriching it; however, their voices are all too often unheard. That’s why so many retract and close themselves off from the community, and in time, they may even rebel against it.
We should enable our young people’s voices to be heard through a supportive and calm dialogue. They should be allowed to have input so they can learn how to express themselves in a calm manner. Pastors should make them feel comfortable in talking about their insecurities, when they ask questions, and when they express different points of view without disrespecting other people’s opinions. A Bible study shouldn’t be perceived as a sermon or a lecture. Instead of presenting it as a conversation between young people and the most “advanced” Christian in the group, you should make everyone feel equal, as indeed they are before God.
3. Encourage Them to Research and Write
Writing is a task that teenagers despise at school. That’s because their teachers sometimes give them difficult topics, which don’t inspire students to research and think about what they’re writing about. If you give them interesting topics related to the Bible, you’ll turn writing into a meaningful activity for them. Ask what they’re interested…and listen.
Here are a few topics that you can encourage them to explore:
· Self-image
· Commitment to God
· Anger
· Friendship
· Integrity
· The connection with our parents
· Laziness
Give them a general theme and allow them to focus on any of its aspects. They can explore the Bible to see what it says about that particular theme, and then they can combine that knowledge with their own personal understanding on the matter.
Do not impose the traditional essay format for these assignments. Let young people express themselves in a free format, which reflects their creativity and voice. Rules about writing are what make school assignments so tough, so let’s break those limitations.
4. Practice Inductive Bible Study
When reading the Bible, teenagers might not understand what the passage says, especially if they’re new to the group. The Bible’s language might not correspond to the clarity they are used to. This is why inductive Bible studies are essential for youth. They’re intended to find out what a passage is saying, and how Christians can implement those insights into their daily lives.
[3]
Pastors should teach young people to ask the right questions and look for clues. They should think about the way they understand the words’ meaning, however, they should also talk to someone who can guide them through the process if they need help. Through conversations, we can help broaden their understanding.
Inductive Bible studies are based on three types of questions:
· Interpretation
The group should think about the meaning of words and phrases in the passages. The pastor’s questions can help them make connections.
· Observation
These simple observations answer obvious questions: what, who, when, where, and why. Who wrote the particular passage? What is it saying? When did the event happen? Who are those words meant for?
· Application
Once they understand the meaning of the passage, Christians wonder: how can they implement that lesson in their daily actions? Do they need to change their actions and attitude in some ways? Should they avoid particular actions?
5. Play a Game
Student-centered learning is essential for the participants to start enjoying the knowledge they gain. We want young people to enjoy Bible studies so we shouldn’t be afraid to introduce a healthy dose of fun into the process.
Here are a few ideas on Bible games that‘ll be fun for teenagers:
· Prophet, King, or Apostle
Since the Bible includes many events and characters, it’s hard for teenagers to remember them all, but this game will test their knowledge and it will also enhance their memory.
Write several names from the Bible on pieces of paper. The participants will draw them, and answer: who is the character? Was it a prophet, king, or apostle? They should tell the group whatever they know about them. If nobody knows anything about the particular character, the pastor will be the one to answer.
· Book It
[4]
Throughout this game, the host will give clues about an event or a character from the Bible. It can be a team game. The participants will need to understand the clues, and the first one that comes up with the correct answer of that book in the Bible, wins.
· Bible Jeopardy
This’ll be like a classic game of Jeopardy, but the answers will be extracted from the Bible and the reward won’t involve money. There doesn’t have to be a reward; the participants will enjoy the game for itself.
Conclusion
The Bible is an endless sea of knowledge and moral support. It gives young people peace, and it helps them grow. Inspiring teenagers to read or study the Bible is a challenging task. That’s why we should make the process as approachable as possible.
Here is some related reading for you: Bible Study For Youth: 10 Suggested Topics [5]
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
BIO: Vendy Adams loves exploring destinations, but mainly travels because she enjoys connecting with Christians from all around the world.
This is her advice to students:
“Writing is a great way to express yourself. If you don’t know how to do it, the essays you can buy at EduBirdie [6] will give you a good example and inspiration on how to do it the best way.”