Ministry Coach: Youth Ministry Tips & Resources
Kristen Lascola from North Coast Church gives weekly insight and tips on how to grow the size and health of your Youth Ministry! With over 20 years in Student Ministry, Kristen shares her knowledge and experiences and frequently features guests from various ministries, churches and leadership roles so that you can use proven strategies to increase your impact from your leadership role. This podcast will help you grow your leadership skills, enhance your youth group, learn new youth group games, put on impactful youth ministry events, build a thriving volunteer staff, grow your influence and create a healthy environment so that you can help take the ministry God has you in to the next level. Hit subscribe and get ready to advance your youth ministry!
https://www.growyouryouthministry.com/
Ministry Coach: Youth Ministry Tips & Resources
Top 10 Bible Study Resources for Youth Ministry
Check out our new partnership with Onward: Youth & Young Adult Pastor Cohort https://www.onwardleader.com/the-cohort *** Are your youth ministry students getting enough spiritual nourishment? Most youth pastors know the feeling of wondering if their sermon is the only biblical engagement students get all week. The truth is, we need to equip our youth group to become "self-feeding Christians" who can navigate Scripture independently.
In this comprehensive guide to Bible study resources, we share our favorite tools for studying the Bible. From discipleship-focused materials to leadership development resources, these recommendations cover both teaching aids and student-directed studies.
Whether you're looking to enhance your teaching or put materials directly into students' hands, these carefully selected resources will help bridge the gap between Sunday sermons and daily discipleship. Check out the links below!
Materials Mentioned in this Podcast:
📕 Habitudes #1: The Art of Self Leadership - Tim Elmore https://amzn.to/3VocjZ8
📕 Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations - Alex & Brett Harris https://amzn.to/3Vl45AZ
Summit Ministries: Light Bearer Curriculum
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You may also enjoy this episode:
4 Discipleship Strategies That Will GROW Your Youth Group
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Check out our new partnership with Onward: Youth & Young Adult Pastor Cohort https://www.onwardleader.com/the-cohort
Today we're talking about 10 of the best Bible study tools for your youth group.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Ministry Coach Podcast, where we give you weekly tips and tactics to help you fast track the growth and health of your youth ministry. My name is Jeff Laskola and this is is.
Speaker 1:Kristen Laskola and today we're going to spend a whole episode answering a question. We get a lot from our listeners. I get a lot of emails or messages on YouTube people asking what are the best Bible study materials for youth ministry and, to be honest, I never know if they mean like for them to study the Bible to teach to students or if they mean a Bible study to give to students so that they study the Bible on their own.
Speaker 1:And then maybe you come back and talk about it like in a small group discussion. So since I don't really know which one you mean, we're going to talk about both of them. But I feel like seriously this question, ever since we started the podcast, like five and a half years ago, it just like keeps coming up over and over. So I'm like great, let's condense it into one episode and this is no doubt going to help you in your ministry, in your journey as a youth pastor, whether that's giving Bible studies to students or using them in your teaching. So I would actually write a lot of my own Bible studies for students. You know like resources were pretty limited 21 years ago, like the internet and youth ministry work as been created.
Speaker 2:No, I was writing on a dinosaur to work.
Speaker 1:Uh, but it's just now. I feel like there's a lot more out there, so I'm just going to share a few of my favorite ones. Doesn't mean there's not more out there, so you can comment below if there's another company or resource that you have just been like. Oh, this was a game changer for me. The first one is Leader Treks.
Speaker 1:I love Leader Treks because it's super focused on discipleship. So you may have heard of the DNow Bible Studies, discipleship. Now, like they are so focused, I've even done some writing for them and the format that they use is like always trying to move students toward action is like always trying to move students toward action. Like now, what do you do? Who's going to hold you accountable? What is your next step? And I love that it's focused, like it's so perfect after the episode we talked about last week was all about discipleship and so you can go back and check out that episode if you missed it. But I think Leader Treks is a perfect pairing for that and, by the way, they're not sponsoring this episode, so I don't get any, you know, cut from recommending them. It's just I've seen behind the curtain a little bit since I've written content for them. So, who knows, maybe you'll come across one of my lessons that I've written for them. But I'm like wow, like it's always trying to put the Bible in the context for students to understand and then take it and run with it. And I've looked on their website recently and there's so many to choose from and what it does. It's kind of a both and like. It gives you material that you study and helps your teaching.
Speaker 1:But then there's also stuff to literally put into the hands of students so that they have something tangible to study and come back with and grapple with on their own, which I think is a really important skill for students. Like I've heard pastors say my whole life, which I think is so good Like eventually you have to pick up a fork and feed yourself. You know, I don't think that the sermon should be the only spiritual nourishment our students are receiving for an entire week. We always give the example of like do you just eat one meal a week? You know, like you, maybe Sunday was the feast in the locker room. Like, yeah, game day. Like we're all hyped up on, we're doing this together. But then was the feast in the locker room Like, yeah, game day. Like we're all hyped up on, we're doing this together, but then you go out for the week and you have to figure out how to keep the training going Like.
Speaker 1:So putting material in the hands of our students is really important and then teaching them like you have to be a self-feeding Christian at some point in your life and it's really hard for a student just like, okay, open the Bible ready, and I'm in lamentations for what do I do now? So this helps them? Have like a stepping stone of like could I read and understand the Bible on my own with some guidance? And the answer is, of course, yes, if we give them the right materials. Leader Treks has a ton of that highly recommend. Another thing I'd recommend for now. This is for students specifically two books that I would recommend. One is a series. It's Habitudes by Tim Elmore. I feel like I struck gold when somebody like randomly was like, have you ever heard of Habitudes?
Speaker 2:It was Luke Kimmel. Luke Kimmel in our YMGA group. Ymga group Yep.
Speaker 1:I'm finishing all your sentences. I know what am I going to say next.
Speaker 2:I remember that Sandwiches. I remember the day? No, I remember he recommended that and you've been over the moon about it.
Speaker 1:Thanks, Luke, and that wasn't even that long ago. I mean, I wish I'd known about Habitudes my whole life. I haven't. And so it's like a series of books and each chapter is like a particular topic, with a short reading and then a ton of questions at the end. I love this for leadership. That's really what it's geared towards. So leadership, yes, I love this for leadership.
Speaker 1:That's really what it's geared towards so yes, I've written my student leadership curriculum based off of it. I've actually bought copies of this book, like the young professional version, to hand to my interns and my young leaders, and we tried to go through it together. They didn't always do the reading, so sometimes it was hard to talk about about, but I tried and I felt so sharpened by it too. It's just like leadership from a Christian perspective, with so many good like nuggets in there. He brings in scripture. It's like such a great bible study slash leadership study. And then another great book is Do Hard Things, and this one someone recommended it to me, I think like my first year as a youth pastor, so it's old now. The foreword was written by Chuck Norris.
Speaker 2:Wow, I know Impressive.
Speaker 1:It's like these two brothers who just kind of went on this quest to challenge themselves, to not be like a lazy adolescent but to realize that within themselves, with the help of God, they have capability. And I love pointing students to how young some of these people that we consider heroes of the Bible, how young they were and like by today's standards they'd be considered children, yet they were changing entire nations, you know, with their actions and it's just amazing. So I love that book as inspiration again for probably, like a student leadership team, you could even kind of turn it into a sermon series if you kind of read it, digest it and then regurgitate some points. Read it, digest it and then regurgitate some points, and I'll just pause on that for a second. We've talked about the fact before that it's not like leaders are readers, but it's more like leaders are learners.
Speaker 1:And so I encourage you guys to be learning constantly about everything. I think it makes you a better speaker, I think it makes you a better teacher. I think it gives you a more dynamic perspective as a communicator. If you are just constantly learning and can grab different illustrations and stories and your communication becomes richer, I think the more educated you are. And I'm not talking about go get a PhD or do do whatever you want, but I think, like I'm always disciplining myself. Am I learning something in leadership? Am I learning something biblically? And then am I learning something like historically or scientifically or something like that? Because it's all God's story, you know, like history, all history is God's story, all science is God's story, and so it just makes us be able to communicate God's truth that much richer. So you know, I'm recommending these books and it reminded me, like we as pastors and leaders, what are we learning right now, you know, and it just makes our us much more interesting of people to listen to and gives us such a breadth of knowledge. I feel like when I listen to speakers, I'm like, wow, like you really brought in like this beautiful thing about astronomy or science and history and how God has worked in all you know, and it paired perfectly with your sermon and just being overall well-rounded, it just I think it helps you become a more dynamic speaker. Just my two cents.
Speaker 1:The third one is ministry to youth. This is a lot of lessons. I went on their website again very recently and I was just like wow, like they have every topic covered. It's very youth friendly, very youth oriented and again, they have things that are great for the pastor and great for the student and I felt like it was very simple. So if you're just starting out in youth ministry and trying to get your feet wet in teaching, I think Ministry to Youth is a perfect resource. It's yeah, it feels very current and very relevant.
Speaker 1:Number four I always put DYM at the top of the list because they are publishing new content constantly and if you're looking for help with your teaching or Bible studies for your students, you're going to find both there and they're so, so cheap. It's like ridiculously cheap. They have so many resources. If you haven't tapped into DYM yet, I mean that's what saved me as, like a 21 year old youth pastor, it wasn't called DYM at the time, it was called, more than dodgeball, josh Griffin's blog, and I would go there all the time Like all right, what can I grab? Like what, what is he putting out? And he would put stuff out quite a bit. And now it's just exploded Like there's games, there's Bible studies, there's worship stuff, there's one-off lessons. I mean you might as well get a gold membership, because it's so cheap and you could just go crazy and buy everything right.
Speaker 1:And then G Shades is another one, so that one is more of a curriculum type feel.
Speaker 2:More robust. Yeah, Comes with sermon bumpers and like the whole start to finish kind of curriculum right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like a package deal for you and I feel like you know, gone are the days like, maybe, if we're solely a senior teaching pastor, I don't think a youth pastor should be spending 20 hours building a sermon every single week. Not because the sermon isn't important Obviously it is but because as youth pastors, we wear way more hats than just teacher, and so anything we can get like a G shades to supplement our teaching and give us graphics and bumpers and notes and whatever.
Speaker 1:Again, I never look at it as like I'm reciting a manuscript. I'm looking at it as wow, it was almost like a brainstorming session with someone and I take the best parts and then I run with it and kind of communicate it my own way, but it's like reading the textbook, you know, and then giving a presentation.
Speaker 1:It's not a crutch, and if you don't connect with it, move to the next lesson. Right, you know, but G Shades is awesome for that. Another one that I've loved personally, because this is my own personal interest, is Summit Ministries Lightbearer Curriculum. I've talked about it on the podcast before I've bought it. I actually use it for my own kids because they go to public school and so I do a bible study with them with another mom. We switch off every week because they have like a homeschool curriculum and then a private school curriculum, like for Christian schools. That's where I found it, because I used to sub at a Christian school, and it's solely focused on worldview. So I love the idea that we're teaching students how to think, not what to think, so that they can identify what is truth, where did it come from, why does it matter? And then start to see sort of this global version of like well, what is what do those people believe and how can I spot a lie?
Speaker 1:or how can I spot, you know? And what is the criteria for that? Not just like well, I've always been told the bible's true because god said so. Well, that's great when you're four. But like what? When we start asking some deep questions, can we answer like why is the reliable? Those start to matter the older that they get and they're pushed up against with, like all these questions. So this one, I feel like, is more of a teaching curriculum. However, there is a student workbook. So if you wanted to turn that into a Bible study for the students, you can make copies of the workbook and you can pass it out. If you wanted to do something like that, it has like a teacher manual, so it walks you through like as if you were, you know, like a private school teacher and you were going to give a lesson on this thing.
Speaker 1:It even has a student textbook. Not that I would like want this to feel like school or something, but the reading pairs with the workbook and you could use it however you wanted. And this is kind of something I would do for like maybe four to six weeks and then kind of switch gears If you were doing it as like a sermon series or a Bible study series. I think it's kind of dense to keep going and just make this the only thing we talk about, but it is really important. So I like what's the origin of life and how do we know and what's the purpose of God?
Speaker 2:Do they do theirs based off of like a calendar year, like here's 52 weeks, or is it just a bunch of resources?
Speaker 1:Probably it's really long. So I bought the textbook, the leader guide and the student workbook and they all kind of work together but it's very oriented for school, so it might not be your thing. I just think worldview curriculum is fascinating because to me, like that's again sort of what saved my Christianity and my faith. You know, as a high schooler, you know where I just needed. I just needed to think about my faith differently, not just the same old well, it's true. Because it's true, or it's true, because God said so.
Speaker 1:But things like, you know, if everything has a beginning, then it means it had a cause. And if it had a cause, it has to be a cause outside of the entity acting upon it, outside of time, space and matter. And I started putting all these pieces together of like this makes so much sense, like how could I mean, even though I don't understand every tiny thing about the way God thinks or why God does what he does, I know it's true, like, whether I want to like, and I couldn't shake it's true. It's true because of the way I finally could think, not just another Bible story and me learning now go out and be a good person. It's like all right, but this isn't cutting it anymore.
Speaker 1:So that's why I love Summit Ministries, the Lightbearer series on worldview, number seven, the YouVersion Bible app. So if you are only using it for Bible, you are missing out. Like it is a online Bible. So if you're, you know, in a sermon and they say turn to John 1, 4, you're like already there, but it is so much more than that. So they have so many Bible studies, so many series on all kinds of topics yeah, and you can do one and it is pre-packaged, done for you. If your students have phones and you want to direct them to a good way to use their phone, here's one for you and this is what I tell them.
Speaker 1:A lot Like you're, you have no excuse to not read your bible like it's on your phone, right and well, I'm never on my phone, yeah, right and these bible studies are very bite-sized, like the students can do them, like it will have like a reading which is short it's usually about five verses, and then there's like about a two paragraph sort of dive in summary, and then there's usually a prayer prompt for them and then sort of like an action prompt and then it just will kind of check box, like you did it for today, see you tomorrow, kind of thing, and so it's like I mean it's in their hands all the time.
Speaker 1:I don't even know if a lot of students know the depth of what the YouVersion Bible app is capable of. Thank you, craig Groeschel. Him and his team developed it and they've done such a good job and they do have a kid version. I think it's—I need to investigate it a little more. I'm just going to throw it out there that it does exist, but I think it's sort of on the young side, I don. I think it's sort of on the young side.
Speaker 2:I don't think it's meant necessarily for students, it's more for probably kids.
Speaker 1:So I think that the Bible studies I've been a part of on the YouVersion Bible app are definitely like understandable for students. And then this is a new one that I found recently that I'm like, oh, this is kind of cool. This is something I totally would have used when I first started youth ministry minibiblelessonscom. So there are again like all these different topics Like so. For example, I kind of investigated the one on anger. Sometimes I struggle with anger. Who would have thought?
Speaker 2:And I was like I want to see what they have to say. Jeff would have thought I yeah, I don't want to say anything anyway either way, cause I don't want you to get angry, see.
Speaker 1:So it's like the topic, and then it goes, it gives the students like seriously, it was like 10 verses of like what does the Bible say about anger? And then it's like gives the reference and the meaning. The reference and the meaning of what it says, and then, kind of like, takes them through, like let's digest what we just read together. And then sort of, here's what we do with it and.
Speaker 1:I think these would be perfect to just print out and give to your students and then they come back the next week and you can do a roundtable group discussion.
Speaker 1:So this is perfect, like we talked about this last week a little bit as a discipleship model.
Speaker 1:If you have a smaller youth group and you don't want to do just like sometimes it's awkward like I'm up here giving a 3.25 minute sermon to four kids like the read the room a little bit. This is weird, the energy's off. Well, what you could do is you could give them the bible study and then have them do it at home and you always have them out on the table because they'll lose them or not bring them. And then you guys bring it back and then your sermon is literally you guys talking about and walking them through, you know, and maybe you bring a little something like tie it up in a bow like some kind of you know five minute, like little snippet on the topic to introduce it, and then you go to the discussion like all right, we'll pull out your Bible studies because I'm sure you guys had a lot that you, you know, read last week or questions, so let's sort of dive in and then sorry the mic, and then you do it together.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I think that's a really great Bible study thing and many, many Bible lessons and many, many BibleLessonscom. It's adorable.
Speaker 2:What was the other one? You? I feel like someone brought it up in our Bible study and then everyone was like oh my gosh, I love that. Some video series.
Speaker 1:The Bible Project yes, you're always talking about that. Oh, I love the Bible Project.
Speaker 2:I've never seen any of the videos. What so? Who is it geared towards?
Speaker 1:Oh, so anybody?
Speaker 2:And would that make this list?
Speaker 1:I would say junior high and up could understand it. And yeah, I think you could. I think I've used them as part of my sermons. So I think I mean he has entire courses. Tim Mackey has entire courses that you can be a part of for free. By the way, speaking of educating yourself, you could go take a course on you know the life of Jesus for free from Dr Tim Mackey. I don't know if he's a doctor, but he should be. So, tim, I know you listen every week. Are you a doctor? Drop it in the comments below.
Speaker 2:Is it on YouTube? Yes, and it's fascinating.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, like you could watch the video all together and then talk about it and it could be a part of your sermon. I mean, you could send the kids a link for them to watch it on their own. You know, every youth group is such a different size and structure. I don't think that would necessarily work for us, but definitely using it as a part of my sermons has been huge. So he has a video on almost every book of the Bible.
Speaker 1:So if you're starting, like James, you know, put it up so it gives you like the overview. He's illustrating and talking at the same time while the other guy's illustrating and he's talking, and so it's like you're the learning process is like full circle. I'm such a visual learner and so and then he has specialty topics like spiritual beings and Elohim or spiritual warfare or the nature of God or what is sin. You know all of this stuff that are specialty topics that, yeah, you could throw one of those up and then turn it into a Bible study, you know, with your students and he has notes on like so it is on YouTube, but the Bible Project has its own website.
Speaker 1:So, I've found sermon notes on there. I mean, it took my sermons from like a C plus to a plus because, thank you to Mackie, it was just this stuff that blew my mind. So, yes, if you're not into the Bible project yet, that is um, that is good stuff.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:I'm glad you brought that up. And then this one is a classic and I'll oh, I thought you. Sorry I was skipping.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm glad you brought that up, and then this one is a classic. Oh, I thought you started, I was skipping ahead. I thought that was your last one before that Silly me.
Speaker 1:This one will be short, but I just had to throw it in there because this is the way I learned to study the Bible on my own. As a junior higher, I went to a Christian school and my Bible teacher, mr Kelly, had.
Speaker 2:Dr Kelly.
Speaker 1:Maybe school and my bible teacher, mr kelly, had dr kelly, maybe he's not, oh sorry, he's not, unless he got some more education after. But anyways, he was very smart, loved him a lot and he would have up on his desk for the taking our daily bread and it was great because it was just these little booklets and they were seasonal, so it'd be like um seasoned bread.
Speaker 2:Take two.
Speaker 1:All right, it'd be like june, july, august, and it would be like a three-month thing all in one, and then every day it would have a reading and then a little excerpt and then a final thought. I know why you're laughing. So, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I know why you're laughing. I don't know why.
Speaker 1:So I was able to like literally read the Bible on my own as a middle schooler every day and I would say those changed my life. Like it got me in the word, it kept me disciplined, it felt very doable, it was very understandable and I personally am a tangible person. I love tangible calendars. I love tangible books. I mean, I only read on my Kindle so that I can pass out and go to sleep without turning off my light, but I would rather have a book, like I'm tangible, so grabbing our daily bread and putting in my physical, tangible Bible.
Speaker 1:I loved that routine as a 12 year old of like here's my Bible, here's my daily bread, I'm on this page and like just something about holding it and seeing it and interacting with it was just very helpful for me. I still have notes in my prayer journal to this day from some of the authors of Our Daily Bread that were just so good. They always will give like a quote and a verse and a passage, and then they would have this other little section on the page for the day. It was like, if you want to read the Bible in a year, here's what you should read today.
Speaker 1:And so I never did it, but it was always a goal of mine. And then as an adult I finally did read through the entire Bible, but it was kind of always there beckoning me of like, oh, I should probably read the whole Bible. So it's just kind of cool to plant those seeds for students, you know. So I feel like between all of that, there's so much in there to get you going, and if you're feeling, you know, creative, write a few of your own and flex that muscle a little bit. Why not? It's your voice for your students which is super valuable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, make sure you guys check out all the resources. We'll link everything below, including the books that you mentioned and then all the other websites and things like that, so they're all in the description below. And also, if you have any that you'd like to add to the list, please put it in the comment section below. If you're watching on youtube, all right, let's do a community comment of the day. This comes from royalty blue, who says I'm planning for a young people's camp for the first time and coming across this channel and material is just God sent. You guys are resourceful. God bless you. Whale size what, what? God bless you.
Speaker 1:Whale size Like a whale size Bless me.
Speaker 2:Oh because, there's no comma, so I don't think they're calling us whale size. I love that. God bless you, whale size. Sometimes, Either way, thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, I think I'm going to use that now I'm stealing that. I like that. We appreciate it, and if I don't like you, it'll be mouse size.
Speaker 2:Here's a mouse size blessing for you. Thank you so much. We appreciate you guys watching and listening and we'll see you next time.
Speaker 1:You do got to pay a little bit. You have to pay a little bit, it's you know.
Speaker 2:One time, though, once you Whoa you have a spider on your face.
Speaker 1:I felt it. I thought it was a hair. Is it gone? Was it a daddy long leg?
Speaker 2:No, it was like a. It might've been a bug, I don't know.