How to Get Students Excited about Youth Bible Studies

Many students are intimidated when it comes to reading the Bible. They don’t know where to start, how to understand it, or how to break the Bible study down into smaller goals. Most start in Genesis and by the time they get to Leviticus they’ve lost steam. They know they should read the Bible, they just don’t know how.

Here are a few tips to get your youth group headed in the right direction:

Youth often do better with a Bible study planGet a Bible Study Plan

If your students don’t have small achievable goals, the goal of a Bible study will be too vague and they just won’t do it. Break things down into smaller goals. There are some great read-the-Bible-in-a year resources. I highly recommend the Read the Bible for Life plan recently put together by George Guthrie, professor at Union University.  It’s also a great idea to keep a Bible study journal.

Set Aside Study Time

Your students might find it challenging to make time in their busy schedules for a Bible study. It’s important to give God your best time, not necessarily a specific time of the day. Some people believe it is imperative to read the Bible first thing in the morning. If you’re like me, I’m half dead in the morning. I find that I can focus and retain more if I read later in the day. Be flexible and reasonable so your Bible study won’t be self-defeating.

The Right Bible can Help

Reading the Bible is a great aspiration, but if your students can’t understand what they are reading they will quit out of frustration. They need a Bible that will help them understand the messages. There are some great study Bibles, including archaeological Bibles that have maps, chronological Bibles, or Bibles with reading plans built in.  There are also free Bible resources  or Bible apps.  Help your students choose the Bible that is right for them.

Pray

The best way to start a Bible study, whether individual or corporate, is with prayer. Ask God to speak to you and He will. Tell Him all the things that are crowding your mind and keeping you distracted so you can focus on what He has to say. Remember what a blessing it is to actually own a Bible in your own language and thank God for what He will do through His word.

More great Bible study resources:

youth-ministry-preach

I heard a pastor of a large church say the following, “I’m going to give you the cliff notes version of the Bible:

-Love God
-Love One Another
-Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”

This might sound pretty good to the average congregant, but it presents some serious problems.  Let’s examine these three statements one by one and see what we’re left with.
As a Sunday school teacher, I am always on the lookout for engaging new materials for youths. Peter: Rock Star from Galilee: A Guided Bible Study for Teens by Sherree Funk, is an eight-week Bible study for teens that combines music, Bible learning, and modern-day applications.
Bible Study: Subscription VS. Sacrifice

Is your relationship with God a subscription or a sacrifice?  A subscription means that you go to God when you need to.  A sacrifice means that you intentionally make God a part of your daily life.
A person who loves God’s word literally cannot function without it. But does that mean I have to like it?
 
youth-ministry-prayer

 It is very important for us to learn about the nature of God and what it means to be His people.  We are blessed to be a blessing to others.
youth-ministry-rest

Stressed. Tired. Worried. Frustrated.

For most of you school started about two weeks ago and around here I’ve heard these four words muttered from several students. To be honest, I’ve been muttering them myself lately.
Josiah Road by Luke Harper

The Josiah Road Leader's Guide contains everything necessary to lead Josiah Road, a spiritual development study that focuses on motivating students to lead as Christ followers in their communities.

Inspired by principles gleaned from the biblical account of King Josiah (2 K. 23; 2 Chron. 34), this study examines Josiah’s journey of faith that brought him face-to-face with a culture that had turned its back on God. Instead of simply going with the flow, Josiah sought to restore his nation’s spiritual and moral foundation with a zeal only God could provide.

This leader's guide for the corresponding five-week curriculum can be adapted to a weekend retreat.

Includes:

• leader helps
• discussion cards
• memory verses