Sermons for Youth to Preach
How to reach contemporary audiences has always been a source of debate among Christian believers. Nowhere is this more evident than among youth ministries, which are experimenting with many different approaches to attract teenagers who may have never set foot inside a church. By working to understand what makes teenagers tick, youth pastors can broaden their potential audience without watering down or compromising the Gospel message they want to bring to them. Dry, boring sermons or simplistic morality tales will not satisfy this age group.
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History
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For American churches, reaching out to youth has been part of their mission since the mid-1800s, as authorities began to see children and adolescents as a group with unique needs and feelings. This marked a major break from Colonial practices, under which children were literally treated like miniature adults. By World War I, interdenominational youth groups like the Lutheran Church's own Luther League were established fixtures of the American landscape. However, these efforts tended to be more localized affairs. The World War II era ushered in some major changes, beginning in 1940 with the founding of Young Life, a national interdenominational organization aimed at high-school students. Observers noted some setbacks during the 1960s, as more youth fell in with the era's fiercely anti-establishment mood. Virtually overnight, the idea of more formalized activities, such as holding lengthy revival meetings in local sports arenas, looked old-fashioned and irrelevant.
Time Frame
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As the 1970s dawned, however, a younger, iconoclastic breed of youth ministers or performers like Larry Norman--the so-called "Father of Jesus Music"--saw an opportunity to harness the counterculture's anti-authoritarian stance and acceptance of popular music, while keeping it in within the context of the Christian message of redemption and forgiveness of sins. In message and in tone, today's youth groups are fundamentally starting with similar building blocks of low-key, informal activities--ranging from car washes to drama presentations, field trips, lock-ins and talent shows--to inspire young people to pursue a relationship with God. In larger metropolitan areas, these efforts have taken on theatrical proportions, often before thousands of listeners, while rock bands, overhead projectors and other visual aids are used to drive home the message.
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Function
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The Bible contains numerous injunctions to heed the needs of youth, as Proverbs 22:6 makes clear: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." A Christian youth group's or minister's mission flows from its core task of reaching out beyond its circle of unbelievers, in hopes of reaching un-churched youth. From the central sermon of striking a relationship with God and Jesus Christ, several other key themes can be identified, such as the need for closely studying the Word of the Bible and applying its themes to every day. Another key theme would focus on the need to resist temptations or blandishments that get in the way of being a good Christian. By talking closely to teens, youth pastors or group leaders can help identify topics that make potentially good sermons.
Types
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Family and personal-life issues can also provide rich areas for exploration in sermons, particularly if the youth leader of pastor can link the Christian message to a forum for resolving them. Peer pressure and sexuality, for example, are only two of the more obvious areas, which are only limited by the group leader's imagination. A particularly effective technique involves focusing on a popular movie, song or other piece of media, and using it to open up a discussion on how the images being portrayed conflict with the word of God. This approach effectively brings Christianity into the here and now, while providing a forum to help reach those youth who might be skeptical or otherwise uncommitted.
Considerations
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Like many issues in Christianity, the discussion about what kinds of sermons to write, let alone how to preach them, is far from settled. Christian fundamentalists frequently express opposition to using many aspects of contemporary culture--such as rock music at a worship service, for example--on the grounds that it becomes a distraction from teaching the Christian message. In the more modernistic perspective, these objections are considered less important than the need to reach people who have not already heard the message. Youth-group leaders will have to determine which approach prevails in their area and adjust their presentations accordingly. At a minimum, however, both groups can agree on the need to preach the message, even if the routes they propose to reach their goals are dramatically different.
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Resources
- Photo Credit allaboutgod.ning.com, www.marshallfumc.com
