During my first year as a Youth Minister, I “let the Holy Spirit guide” a lot of my lessons last minute…and I dreaded every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. My lessons were sometimes amazing (pressure makes diamonds, right?) but also flopped on occasion. During my second year, I started using LIVE Jr. High Curriculum for Wednesday nights and Group’s Core Truth for Sunday mornings. WOW! What a freedom I’ve experienced. It’s not like I use them exactly word for word. There is much room for the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and I still need to prepare. But my dread is gone. The lessons are still amazing sometimes…but now I never flop. Bullet point #1: Get a curriculum. When the Holy Spirit does inspire you, you don’t have to use it, but you can’t use it if you don’t have it.

I rearranged the lessons from both LIVE and Core Truth to fit in with my calendar for the year. In other words, I use my LIVE lessons completely out of order. I arranged my calendar around some basics I think should be taught every year (like Bible basics, simple apologetics, sex, what was Jesus like, etc). I also customized the lessons to match the “vision” that guides our Jr. High ministry. Bullet point #2: Arrange and customize your lessons to fit the overall goals of your ministry.

Mid-way through my second year, it occurred to me that the thing that is my full-time passion, Youth Ministry, is only a small portion of my students’ lives. They have lives with a rhythm and calendar separate from that of the Youth Group. I now schedule lessons with an awareness of the students’ mindset. For example, I teach basic apologetics in late-January or February when they are fully invested in thinking, fun topical lessons in late-August and September when they are energetic and just excited to be socializing. I agree, don’t forget to work with the holidays. Bullet point #3: Schedule your lessons and events to cooperate with the rhythms and schedule of your students.

This year, the Holy Spirit did actually guide me with a complete calendar for the year. I had the year scheduled as normal, mixing lessons from LIVE with those of my own invention. Just before our back-to-school party, I had a vision of something completely new. The Holy Spirit kept feeding me ideas almost faster than I would write them down. I have a ton of work to do, but I’m charged with excitement for this new task. Anyone interested in helping flesh out a 38 week curriculum?! Bullet point #4: Leave room for the Holy Spirit.

Thanks again!