Whether you are a parent, pastor, or youth leader, the challenge of generating enough interest to get a hearing is important. As a campus pastor and a parent of high schoolers, I want to effectively communicate Jesus and the life he inspires us to on campus and at home. Good intentions and prayer are necessary, but they are not enough. We need to use the tools of good communication.
Youth have questions, and we should be supplying answers. As I look for topics I am concerned with both their questions and what I think every Christian should know about their faith. My presentation schedule will reflect both.
The list of things every Christian should know about their faith does not change, but the questions that students are asking changes with the times. There may be nothing new under the sun, but the focus of our culture is always changing as are the issues that capture the heart and the mind at any given moment. The issues of the 1960s really were different than those of the 80s or the 90s. I don't want to be answering yesterday's questions, so I need to keep up.
How do I know today's questions? The first rule of thumb: Don't listen to the Christian cultural commentators (you might as well stop reading now). Why? Because they are usually twelve to fifteen years out of date (who, besides Christians, talk about postmoderns anymore?). So why are you still listening to me? Okay, not everyone is so far behind, but how would you know? Christian commentators should not be your first source of info.
Your first source should be the students. If you need to read a book to know what your neighbor is thinking, then you don't understand the call of God on your life. We are all called to minister to the people around us, to love and serve them. The first step, of course is to get to know them. The same is true of students. Get to know them. Listen to them. Let them tell you who they are and what their questions are.
Secondly, keep an eye on their media. What films and books are they involved with? What television shows and music is popular. What are the messages, if any that are being shared? What I am looking for here are trends. I could care less about fads. Fads are here today and gone tomorrow. By the time I prepare to address them, no one cares anymore. But trends have a shelf life. They reflect things people really care about.
What I am looking for are felt needs and interests that are either entry points to topics I want to cover or reflect questions that Scripture speaks to. I know what students need to hear to prepare for adult life, but it will be hard to get them to pay attention unless it connects to something they care about.
I then boil that down to a title that will intrigue and provoke my audience. This is the hook. It has to reflect what I will really be talking about and it must also connect with a felt need or interest. This helps to generate interest in regular attendees as well as in their friends who are still outside the faith (My personal belief is that everything I do should be open to preChristians. Evangelism should not be out of the ordinary).
So where do I go for ideas? The bookstore! The headlines in the magazine racks can be helpful. Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stones usually have good film, TV and music reviews that discuss content as well as style. I check out what books are selling and which are being promoted. Checking these out regularly helps me to see trends.
Here are Some Popular Topics: Problem of Pain; Is God Really in Control?; What Difference Does Jesus Really Make?; Science & Faith; the Holy Spirit; Heaven & Hell; How to Make (Good) Choices; Finding the Will of God; Social Justice: Jesus Style; Dating, Mating and Waiting; Women & Ministry; Where Did the Bible Come From; How Can Jesus Be The Only Way?; How Can Jesus Send People to Hell?
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