How to Teach Theologically at Youth Group
This is part four of a month-long series about the role of theology in youth ministry. Many youth workers suspect they should be teaching theologically, but they either don’t know how to begin or question whether it’s worth the extra effort. YPT hopes this series, Teaching Theologically in Youth Group, will persuade you to get started. Part One highlighted the necessity of teaching theologically at youth group and Part Two addressed some common objections to this approach, and Part Three shared six reasons why teenagers actually want to learn doctrine.
What does Youth Pastor Theologian mean by advocating for youth workers to teach theologically? There is a difference between teaching theology and teaching theologically. They aren’t entirely separate from each other. But they aren’t the same thing, either.
Teaching theology is something we do when we’re teaching about the attributes of God or addressing big topics about what it means to be a Christian. Teaching theologically is a posture, so every message can be taught theologically. And yes, I recognize that “everyone is a theologian” and “everything is about theology.” I get that, and I agree. That’s actually my point. If everything is labeled as “theology” then I think we lose the value and dignity of “theology proper.” Hence, I’ve found it helpful to distinguish between encouraging youth workers to teach theologically every week, and theology occasionally.
Don’t Exchange the Bible for Theology
There is an important distinction between biblical depth and theological depth. Your pursuit of theological depth is dependent on your biblical depth. The two are intimately related, but not identical, and the difference is worth noting.
Biblical depth pertains to exegesis, hermeneutics, and what we’d normally consider “Bible Study”: what happened in the text, who are the people involved, how do we make sense of the passage and apply it to our lives?
Theological depth, on the other hand, flows out from biblical depth. It is biblical depth, applied to life. Hence, teaching theologically is anchored in biblical depth and directed towards pastoral care.
This is why we teach the Bible at youth group, rather than teaching from our favorite theology book. Teaching theologically means we teach Scripture with special attention to biblical theology because we want students to know who God is and what it means to be a Christian.
Youth Pastor Theologian strives to help youth workers – full-time, bi-vocational, and volunteers – to teach theologically with confidence, regardless of how much (or how little) theological education they have under their belt.
How to Teach Theologically With Confidence
Feed Your Own Theological Curiosity
Be curious about what the Bible teaches… and why it’s in there. If you’ve stopped growing in your faith, grown content with “knowing enough,” or have become jaded towards simple biblical truths to the degree that you avoid them because they sound cliché then you simply won’t have theological conversations. Don’t stop learning.
If you want to lose weight, then you’ll pay attention to your diet and begin exercising. If you want to grow in theological confidence, then you may need to stretch yourself. Read some good books. Subscribe to blogs or youtube channels that, though they may be less than entertaining, will provide clear and helpful explanations of doctrinal truths. And if those options seem daunting, then ask a pastor or a Christian friend to meet with you to have semi-regular conversations about doctrine. Catechisms and Confessions of Faith are often a very good, clear, and accessible way to begin digging into theology.
Ask Students What They’re Learning
Do you enable students to remain disconnected from their Bible during the week because simply assume they don’t read it. Instead, imagine what might happen if we began to regularly ask students, “Hey, what are you learning about God’s Word lately?” If (or when) they respond that they haven’t been reading it much, then you can either invite them to read Scripture with you or you can share with them about what you’ve been learning. Obviously, don’t shame students about this. But do encourage them towards biblical curiosity. Additionally, these conversations can help you identify topics and questions for your own study, so that you’re better equipped to help students grow in their theological curiosity.
Remember the Goal of Theology is Worship, not Knowledge
Jason Engle wrote an excellent article on the goal of theology that should be required reading for every YPT reader. In that article, Jason writes, “The goal of theology in student ministry is not so much about presenting concepts for them to grasp as it is about spotlighting the treasure for them to behold: the Truine God. While the task of theology certainly requires the intellect, the ultimate aim of theology is the transformation of the heart.“
This will keep your mission front-and-center. Only God can produce the awe and transformation we want students to experience. We pursue theological teaching because we want students to become worshippers, and to know the One who is worthy of the love and obedience.
Teach the Bible, Theologically
I’ve heard many sermons and youth talks that teach the Bible as an instruction manual for life or as a study guide to God. These messages were about the listener and about “Three ways to….” They were hardly about God at all, unless they mentioned the ways he serves us. Don’t teach like that. Teach the Bible with the mission to lead students to God, not merely to their best life now.
The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God and has power to transform lives and to call students to himself. They don’t need my best thoughts about God or life or whatever – they need God’s Word. YPT encourages youth workers to remember the Bible is the best theology book in your library. We teach the Bible with a theological posture, inviting students to learn who God is, what he’s done, what he promises, and what he expects of us. Our best thoughts about God must clearly flow from Scripture, and our students need to recognize that.
Climb the Ladder of Abstraction
Learn how to climb up and down the ladder of abstraction. This is a communication tool that represents abstract and concrete ideas: highly abstract language is at the top (person) and more specific or concrete language is at the bottom (Taylor Swift). In between runs lead from Person to Taylor Swift (Person / Musician / Pop Star / Female Icon / Taylor Swift). Leaning this communication theory is one of the best ways for you to improve as a teacher.
Remember that many of the students in your youth group struggle with abstract ideas until you give them a frame of reference. If you are using theological terms and giving clear definitions of those terms, but not making an effort to make those terms and definitions something they can visualize or imagine then you’re still speaking fairly high on the ladder of abstraction. Learning how to climb down the theological ladder of abstraction will serve your students well. More here for Ten Tips on Preaching to Teenagers.
Can You Teach it to a Child?
A long time ago, I heard someone say, “You don’t really understand something until you can teach it to a child.” I think that’s especially true of theology and Christian doctrine. Please avoid talking down to teenagers. The goal is not to “dumb it down” but to make theology accessible. Theological depth with simplicity is a beautiful thing.
Speak to the students who are entrusted to your care, not to an imaginary audience you want to impress. I suspect a number of theologically-minded youth pastors prepare their youth sermons with their theology professors in mind, rather than the middle school boy who loves video games or the high school girl whose girl-squad is her life. Think carefully about when and how to use more technical theological terms – sometimes it’s unnecessary and can distract from your main point, but other times it’ll help you reinforce or explain what you’re trying to teach. Remember your audience and love them through your message. In general, it’s best to speak as plainly as possible.
Fill Their Cup
This is my favorite metaphor (which I think I got from Duffy Robbins somewhere, but I’m not sure) about how long to teach. Some students’ cups are very small, others are quite large. Overfilling their cup doesn’t mean they get more water but it does mean you made a mess. Study your students and prayerfully discern what they are capable of learning, what they need to learn, and then patiently fill their cup while trusting the Lord to grow it over the course of time so they’re ready for more.
Resources to Help You Get Started
Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith. I wrote this book to provide a theological resource for student discipleship.
RYM’s Track Series includes a number of short books on theological topics (Justification, Sanctification, Glorification, etc.). These are written for teenagers and can offer a short monthlong-type of reading group for students.
New City Catechism is an accessible way to begin studying theology. There is also a NCC devotional book that offers short devotional commentary on each question. The NCC app is a free downloan and brings lots of good resources to your device. Someday, I’d love to see a youth curriculum built around this catechism!
Rooted’s “Knowing Jesus” Curriculum is a ten-week study on the person and work of Jesus.
