YM Confession #1...

I'm learning that I don't always do youth ministry right.

This is my confession:

Somewhere along the line I bought into the idea that a good youth ministry would put the Bible passage they were studying on a screen with a cool background so students could read along as you studied. I would read the verse(s) and they would read along on a screen or a handout, or sometimes just sit and listen.

Then this summer it dawned on us that maybe that wasn't the best approach. Maybe we should try to get them to actually bring their Bible and then encourage them to open their Bibles and read along.

Seems so simple, doesn't it?

And tonight I was reminded why we need to get students opening their Bibles when we study a passage. Most kids have no clue where to find anything. It takes some kids that have grown up with a Bible as much time to find a specific book, chapter and verse as it does the kids who have never had a Bible.

Sure, it's faster to put it on a screen. It saves 3-4 minutes of "where is that" and "what book" and "what page number" and "huh" types of questions. It's way less awkward to just have someone double click the mouse. It's less chaotic to have everyone trying to find Bibles that have been pushed under couches or left hidden under jackets. But it isn't doing the students any favors.

By taking the time to find a book, chapter and verse, they are learning. They start to become familiar with what a Bible looks like, how it's organized, and where they can find certain books. It's a teaching moment within a teaching moment.

Do your students a favor and ditch the screen for an actual Bible.