On an episode of The Basement podcast, I once heard Tim Ross say that “God has wasted nothing.” That statement has resonated with me because, growing up, I always wondered if church had room for people like me. When I looked around at my church context (rural, predominantly Black, baptist, family-oriented), I really didn’t see a lot of people that thought about things the way that I did. And while I had a lot of friends at our church and at school, I still felt a bit different.
What I mean is, I’ve always been super nerdy. As a kid, I learned to draw when my grandpa would give me the Sunday comics, and I would sketch out my favorite characters (Charlie Brown was always my favorite). Even now, in my 40s, I watch all the Marvel and DC movie releases. When I preach, I’m usually wearing a comic-themed graphic tee, denim jeans, and Nike sneakers.
I also can recall a lot of “seemingly” useless facts. I’m the guy who reads the fun facts that used to be printed under the lid on a bottle of Snapple (this makes me a good trivia partner). In math classes, back when we had actual textbooks, I used to read all the descriptions and terminology first while my friends jumped straight to working the problems. Lastly, I have a very active imagination and see things in pictures. So, you can imagine how reading Revelation for the first time might have been a bit frightening!
Discovering God’s Word
Being wired this way proved to be challenging for me growing up. I believed that you had to pray like my father and grandfather did, talk like my pastor did when he preached, and live in such a religious way that God could not possibly hear from me. My mind was too loud. As a result, I began to think that Bible reading was very boring (I was reading from the KJV), church only catered to the older adults, and that there was no room for kids like me.
Middle school, for me, was a transitional time in my life. I had gone to live with my father, and he was doing the best that he could to ensure that I would go in the right direction. I attempted to be obedient out of fear to God but not necessarily out of love and reverence. And so I didn’t have a connection with Jesus, and I really didn’t have a connection with the Scriptures like I knew I needed. I began to sleep in and stay away from church as often as my parents and other caregivers would allow.
But the God who wastes nothing had other plans. He used two of my older cousins, Brad and Brian (who happened to be interested in the same things I was interested in), to challenge me to look at Scriptures exactly as I was—through the eyes of a nerd!
I want to take a moment to encourage youth ministers and others who serve teenagers not to be afraid to go deeper theologically with students—especially the ones who ask the seemingly weird questions.
God Works Through His Word
It was through those off-the-wall questions and conversations with my cousins that God showed me that it was okay to ask questions about what I was reading. We could even use our imaginations to visualize what the Scriptures were saying. My cousins introduced me to an NIV Study Bible, and we would spend time making connections to things that were relevant to us.
The creation account, the parting of the Red Sea, and Jesus’ walking on water became easier to imagine. Jesus’ miracles seemed more real when I was able to see the practical needs being met. More importantly, reading the Bible this way showed me how badly I needed Jesus as Lord and Savior. I not only fell in love with reading the Bible, I actually wanted to start doing what it said. It led to my eventual baptism and pursuit of God’s perspective on all things above what the world was offering.
This approach to studying the Bible helped to shape who I ultimately have become as a pastor of middle and high school students. Because of how my mind works, along with all the TV (and other forms of media) that I’ve consumed in my life, I’ve found that I’m better able to equip students with a biblical worldview. When I’m preaching, I frequently draw illustrations from comics, social media, movies, and popular culture that connects with middle and high school students. I also use those same strategies and techniques when preaching to adults when given the opportunity. How could I not draw from this deep well of inspiration to connect with audiences in the same way that Jesus used parables to do the same?
As urban youth leaders, we have a tremendous opportunity to draw our students “into the deep.” Contrary to all the reports and feelings about GenZ’s biblical literacy, I’ve found that they are quite hungry and refuse to settle for surface level responses. Many of them crave theological depth (just look at the questions they ask on TikTok and YouTube). They just need an invitation from that trusted shepherd to go deeper. However, too many of us are afraid of “getting it wrong.” We have to be okay saying “I don’t know,” “I’ve never thought about that before,” and “can we look into that together.” Authentic responses like these will speak louder than any event ever could.
Three Challenges to Pursue Theological Depth
Commit to teaching the Scriptures.
Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) says “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Scripture has shaped my walk in every imaginable way and at every stage of my life. Because I started off kindergarten and first grade in private school, I was exposed to reading the Bible and memorizing Scripture at a very young age. Even though this was done out of obligation, and not out of love, this was a very important foundation for me. It can be a foundation for your students, too. They have an appetite for the wisdom that comes from God. Our obedience to “training them up” is what helps feed it. So leaders, don’t avoid the difficult topics! Identify ways to teach through the books of the Bible. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know that yet…let’s explore this together.”
Don’t give up on the seemingly distant student.
As it was in my case, there are a multitude of reasons why students might seem distant or disconnected. It’s not our job to save everyone. However, it is our job to serve and feed! In his article about giving students theological depth, Stephen Yates provides a list of considerations for assessing students’ different levels of understanding.
Leaders, I want to encourage you to pray for all of your students. If possible, call or text the parents of those students to see how they’re progressing during the week. Lastly, consider getting creative with the delivery of your message. Incorporate the use of actionable sermon titles (e.g. “Be THAT Friend”), use Kahoot for more active engagement, and never be afraid to invite a student on stage to provide wrap-up reflection.
Remember that depth takes time.
Investing in the lives of students can be emotionally draining at times. It gets even more difficult when, despite all of your efforts, your students don’t seem to be getting it or growing. Leaders, I want to encourage you to stay in the game and to remember that we are in the seed planting business.
When we plant seeds in the ground, it takes time for us to see the plant sprout and break through the soil. So keep planting seeds during Bible Study. Keep planting seeds during small group time. Keep planting seeds when you show up to students’ plays, graduations, and special events. And keep planting seeds when they talk to you about the struggles they’ve been having. Just keep planting! Although we can’t see it, growth is happening. Our job is to plant the seed. Leave the growth to he only One who can make it do it so (see 1 Cor. 3:6-8).
A Prayer for You
Father, thank you for being the source of our belief. You are the Author and Finisher of our Faith and the one who inspired us to pursue this work. I want to pray for all those who serve the next generation. I pray, in the name of Jesus, that you encourage each one of us as we seek to feed the lambs.
Help us not grow weary when they’re not showing up, falling asleep during messages, and actively tuning us out. Help us rise above offense and to keep planting seeds. Endow us with the knowledge, creativity, and skills needed to reach our students (regardless of our context). Help us to not be afraid to dig deep into the Scriptures with our students or take on the difficult topics that often show up. Show us how to engage our students, leadership teams, volunteers, parents, church staff, and community members in God-honoring ways.
Lastly, I pray that you get all of the glory and are pleased with how we respond to this challenge of theological depth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
For more gospel-centered encouragement for youth ministry, we hope you’ll listen to Youth Ministry Unscripted with hosts Isaiah Marshall, Danny Kwon, Rebecca Heck, and Josh Hussung.
