A Generation That Wants to Learn Theology?

It is imperative for youth workers (and parents, of course) to make sure that doctrine and theology are an integral part of their comprehensive teaching plans. It is a shame that some youth workers look at theology as boring or irrelevant for today's high school students. I believe the opposite is true. It has been my experience that this generation wants to know what they believe. They don't want us to "spoon feed" them or cram our own particular viewpoints down their throats. Instead, I am absolutely convinced that many millennials have a desire to learn the meat of Scripture which includes Biblical and systematic theology. They can get "fluff" and entertainment elsewhere. This post is a call to youth workers everywhere to make Biblical theology a major emphasis in their teaching ministries.



The following are some starting points for incorporating doctrine and theology into today's youth ministry.



1. Implement a thorough scope-and-sequence.

Most youth ministries provide a six-year doctrinal window (7th through 12th grade) to teach God's Word to teenagers. What do you want those in-coming early adolescents to know by the time they graduate from high school? An intentional, comprehensive educational curriculum is essential to attaining these goals.



2. Utilize teaching resources that are characterized by doctrinal and Biblical integrity.

I am afraid that one of the most insidious dangers facing today's church educational ministries is the serious lack of doctrinal content in so many books and materials. Have you visited a Christian bookstore recently? Do that sometime and carefully look through that store's youth ministry section. You will probably find a wide range of creative and seemingly relevant teaching guides with colorful and creative covers that contain interesting and innovative teaching methods. Look a little closer. My guess is that you'll find many of these products contain very, very little Biblical or doctrinal content. The publishing trend these days is to sell materials to churches of all stripes with little regard for any particular doctrinal perspective. Please be careful in what you present to your students. Make sure that the materials you select have a Biblical integrity - and that the content matches what your church believes and teaches in other ministries. We must be discerning. If we want our students to grow up with a clear understanding of the Bible and doctrine, we must be consistent in what we teach and in what materials we use in our ministries.



3. Give your students practical opportunites to develop constructive critical thinking about what they are learning in church.

My emphasis here on theology is NOT a push for rote learning of sterile facts and boring lists of proof texts. The Bible is far from that. We must never forget that the Word of God is alive, powerful, and life-changing. The Holy Scriptures can stand up to the most difficult scrutiny. So my advice to youth workers is to provide practical learning opportunities for your students so that they can learn firsthand the truth of God's holy, inspired, imerrant, and everlasting word.



Readers: I'll continue this article in my next post. But, I'm very interested to learn how you are teaching theology to your youth group. Please send me your ideas.