Strategic Youth Ministry; nothing new about that idea. Doug Field’s classic book, Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, began it’s quest for youth ministry world domination almost TWENTY years ago. And while it outlined the most popular (and in my experience extremely effective) youth ministry paradigm, it certainly wasn’t the first or last.
Most of us could write our purpose/mission statement on a whiteboard and draw out the strategic ways in which we fulfill it. As a whole, the youth ministry nation is fairly strategic.
But a friend of mine takes it to another level; one I find fascinating: He teaches strategically.
Now, most of us would say we teach strategically; we have our teaching calendars planned, our important topics dialed in….heck, we may even have an official scope and sequence that we follow to make sure we hit all the important stuff. But that’s not what he’s talking about.
Alan Mercer does all those things….and then takes it a very interesting step further: He teaches every lesson, writes every small group study, following the same flow:
How it was (creation), How it is (fall), How it can be (redemption), How it will be again (restoration)
Most of us probably only use that language when talking about the whole story of God or presenting the Gospel, but Alan would say the whole story of God and the Gospel can/should be part of everything we teach!
Friendships: How they were meant to be, how they are, how they can be and how they will be again.
Sex: How it was meant to be, how it is, how it can be and how it will be again.
Pain and Sorrow: How it was meant to be, how it is, how it can be and how it will be again.
Etc.
Talk about strategic teaching!
I like that and will incorporate it into my lessons this year. We will be going “back to the basics” this year dealing with the foundational truths and practices of our faith. I believe with many of these topics this model will help students understand the purpose of them and the hope of Christ’s restoration upon His return.
Thank you for loving students, families, and communities.
I like that and will incorporate it into my lessons this year. We will be going “back to the basics” this year dealing with the foundational truths and practices of our faith. I believe with many of these topics this model will help students understand the purpose of them and the hope of Christ’s restoration upon His return.
Thank you for loving students, families, and communities.
Kurt,
Love this. Love being strategic and then being even more strategic. I think it is too easy to just do the next lesson and not incorporate all that you are trying to be about.
Kurt,
Love this. Love being strategic and then being even more strategic. I think it is too easy to just do the next lesson and not incorporate all that you are trying to be about.