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Input Welcome.
For too long the junior high ministry I lead has had a teaching strategy that feels too loose. In essence our plan has been this: 1) Identify four or five key things we want to teach each year and make sure we cover those. 2) rotate from a felt need/topical series to an expository/bible education series every month. While that has served us well, we are in the process of re-tooling our strategy. Here is what we have landed on so far as a two year plan:
- 1/3 of our lessons will be on key christian education/doctrine issues that we are still in the process of narrowing down to approximately 33 lessons, most of which will be in three-week series form.
- 1/3 of our lessons will be on the topic of “Junior High Survival Skills” (what we call this category in house….students won’t know this is what we call it). These are topics we know our students need…they may not know they need them, but we do! We are still in the process of narrowing down to approximately 33 lessons that will include jr. high survival skills such as making wise choices, peer pressure, friendship, sex and dating etc.
- 1/3 of our lessons will be “felt need”. What are students talking about? What is going on in culture right now that we need to address? Is there world news and issues that we can look at from a biblical perspective etc. These 33 lessons can’t really be listed ahead of time.
Here’s where I could use your input: What are some non-negotiable christian education/bible instruction/doctrine truths that you would include in those 33 lessons?
What are some key “junior high survival skill” topics you would be sure to include?
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I’m one of those ‘with the end in mind’ guys (natural bent for me, not ’cause someone published that this is ‘better’!!) so I have us constantly evaluating what we’re doing against (1) what we’re wrestling with personally, (2) what former students are doing well at, poorly, etc., and (3) the ever-changing, self-created standard of Perfection (ha!).
As for ‘current issues’ we look at the rise of female homo/bi-sexuality, meth, meth-and-sex, gossip, friendliness/kindness, SHAPE-type stuff, lying, deception-as-lying, how to create small pockets of ‘positive peer-pressure’ that make it easier to live life the way one wants (the ‘pressure’ is to do what they already think is a good thing: ex. not swearing or smoking, laughing easily, no need to be universally wanted because they are ‘locally’ accepted), the drive for significance or security or acceptance, what’s a girl/boy-friend even for, how to spend your/your parents’ money.
When it comes to Christian Doctrines, we’ve seen that over the years, it’s those lessons that allow kids to _become_ that are the most influential. Having former-students in their 20′s and 30′s say “Now I get it!” implies they heard but didn’t fully grasp (and/or apply) what was taught in Jr. High. So rather than coming up with doctrines we all think/thought are/were ‘foundational’ we started thinking in terms of doctrines that will – eventually – be the ones that call them into deeper trust, intimacy, truth, right-living, etc. For example: not just the doctrine of ‘the Body of Jesus’ in-itself but what it ‘could’ be like if it worked. Or what “sold out” means – not for today but as an ever-increasing way of life. How do ‘lead’ and ‘love’ go together? HOW to be and be-becoming a follower (since the VAST majority of people are NOT leaders – influencers, yes, but Leaders!).
Another excessively long comment,
David Malouf
I’m in my second year of leading our junior high service and in my ninth year of being on staff with the student ministry of our church. The main issue I feel like I need to address with the younger ones as far as survival skills go, is learning how to be secure with who they are, even if that means they don’t fit the mold everyone else is squeezing into. Maybe that could be broken down into a million different topics – but I think it’s highly important
I’m anxious to see others’ responses!