Recently we took a survey of Youth Specialties customers. The results of one particular question completely shocked me. Here it is:

When I was looking through the initial survey results I turned around to Tic, and said… “Wanna know why so many youth groups are struggling to keep students for the long haul? There’s the problem, right there.”

Of our sample of 600 youth leaders 76.8% of them teach mostly topically?

The words of Paul echoed in my head:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

But apparently many youth workers don’t believe this is true. They believe that topics are more important than Scripture!

Let’s review:

• All topics are not God-breathed.
• All topics aren’t useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.
• All topics are not equipping the man of God for every good work.

But God’s word is!

Look at it another way– Most youth workers are getting in the way of this.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Don’t even give me the parent comeback. “It’s a parents role to teach their kid the Scriptures.” That’s a joke. Youth workers aren’t paid to babysit, are they? Certainly, parents have a role in teaching their children. But, as a person called and equipped to teach and reach middle and high schoolers doesn’t teach the Bible– what kind of example is  that?

Don’t give me the “all the kids in my youth group know the Bible” comeback either. If all you are reaching are kids who were born and raised in the church than you’ve lost sight of what youth ministry is all about in the first place! I would argue that if you aren’t reaching teenagers for Christ than you aren’t likely doing discipleship while going anyway.

Here’s what I am saying.

• Get back to your first love.
• Teaching the Bible is more useful than teaching purely topically.
• Teaching the Bible is taking students to the primary source.
• Teaching the Bible is equipping your students for every good work.
• Teaching the Bible is long-sighted and strategic.
• Teaching the Bible is teaching a man to fish instead of giving a man a fish.
• Get back to your first love.
• If you want to change a persons’ life, you need to get them in God’s word.

If you only read my blog via RSS, you may want to come to adammclane.com and check out a new widget. 

For the longest time I’ve pretty much blogged whatever I felt like. Sometimes I rant about stuff, sometimes I post silly things, something I try real hard and post something thoughtful.

Well, I want to make sure that I give you the opportunity to suggest stuff for me to write about. That’s why I’ve added Skribit. How it works is that you suggest something for me to write about. If you don’t want to create an account, your suggestion is completely anonymous. See a good suggestion? Simply vote it up and put the pressure on me to write about it. 

Deal?