It’s pretty amazing how God would use me to work with Him in Nepal in sharing the burden of strengthening the youth ministry. The passion of the youth leaders for God and their people made me realize how huge our role is in mentoring the youth and how little effort has been done and how so many ministers look past the potential of young people and demean their abilities.

Nonetheless, I still believe that God is raising up an army of young people who would work with Him in advancing His kingdom. The Bible is full of stories of how God raised young men like David, Jonathan, Josiah, Timothy, and John Mark to accomplish His purpose. This is the very reason why GYMN and other youth organizations are in the business of mobilizing the youth.

This is what I see in Nepal. The few who responded to the call are the very ones whom God will use to influence the society. God is raising up the young people towards a godly Nepal. The Nepali youths will be God’s arm for good governance in the public and private sectors. God will use them to bring glory to Nepal for the praise of His Name.

In the movie The Departed, Jack Nicolson said, “I don’t want to be a product of my society; I want my society to be a product of me.” Putting it in our context, if we want a brighter Nepal, the youth sector and all believers should work hand in hand to impact the society.

The challenge is now on the shoulders of those present at the training and to all believers who love Nepal. The baton has been passed on to you. What you make out of your life today will dictate the kind of Nepal we will have tomorrow. The choice is yours to make.

Nepal used to be the only Hindu kingdom in the world. But then two years back the Maoist-led government declared this country as a secular state which allowed every individual to practice their faith openly.

The church growth in Nepal is as rapid as in other Asian countries. God is moving so mightily in this little country to build and make His Kingdom lifestyle to each and every individual, raising and reviving His Church where there are lots of belief systems and people have many confusion about the spirit world and frustrated by their own belief systems. God is raising pastors, leaders, evangelists, bible teachers, speakers, women leaders, children ministers, youth leaders and worship leaders in this country to draw His dear children into His kingdom.

God allowed me to speak in many big youth conferences in the year 2006 and I asked the same question to the youth leaders who attended those conferences throughout the country “How is the youth ministry in your church?” Almost everybody replied. “I am a youth leader in the church not because I am trained and know how to lead youth but because there was no one…”

Those answers really caught my heart and I knew since then that most of the churches have no idea about youth ministry— this has been my passion since then to train youth leaders of the local churches to see their youth ministry become more effective in discipling young people in God’s way and their leaders to understand the value of youth ministry and trained youth leaders in the Church.

We praise God that He is raising God fearing young people in this country but then there is so much to do and to see Christian young people leading the change in the communities with Kingdom value so that the Kingdom taste will be tested by everyone in this little beautiful country. This is why there is a need for training youth leaders and the youth ministry in Nepal.

Be praying and be a part of what God is doing in this nation.

Jomesh Tamang
Youth Ministry Coordinator 
Himalayan Bible Study Academy, Nepal

Now that you have understood the three basic learning styles and have seen some specific examples of the styles, you need to be able to look at your lesson aim and find ways to connect your teaching elements to the aim. You need to think about your aim and see what elements (or method of instruction) will help you connect to all types. This will probably mean you need a variety of elements to insure you capture everyone involved. You have to realize that you do not know what learning style each person has, so you have to offer options for all and in this way everyone will connect to the aim at some point.

As you outline your lesson, beginning with the aim and working down through the actions you want to take, it is essential to include all types of learning styles as you go. For example, you may want to have pictures, videos or handouts for the visual learners. Use music, your verbal teaching and small groups for the auditory learners. For the tacitile/kinesthetic learners utilize the small groups as well as an involved project or building of objects and group movement, activities or dramas. Once you have some ideas then you have an outline for a lesson that meets. Putting these ideas into action will lead the students to that aim through teaching methods that meet them where they are (their learning style).

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All of the above is incredible and very practical to know as a teacher and it works for all kinds of teaching. But, in the ministry of Jesus Christ we have to have the power of God through His Holy Spirit as our guide. Though we end this article with this section, it should be your first thought in teaching. In fact, the Holy Spirit along with Christ are to be the center part of our teachings. If we do not keep them as front and center then all of the above is temporary earthly knowledge. Jesus promised all believers that, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another helper (Counselor), that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth…” (John 14:16-17a, NASB)

As you teach to groups of any size keep these elements in mind regarding the learning styles of others. You will find that God will give you creative ways to engage people into the lessons. Even as you read Scripture take note of the different ways that God taught His people and how Jesus Himself taught. Jesus Himself was the master teacher and He taught with style, now go and do likewise!

Chris Davis
Executive Director – Global Youth Ministry Network

Now that you know the target, you need to now take a close look at the students. You have to know your students in order to be able to move them to the target. One key way of knowing them is to understand that in any group there are different learning styles spread across the group. If the students have different learning styles, what does that mean for you as a teacher? What that means is that you have to offer the content and experience in all the styles that can connect the students to the truth. Let us take a look at the basic learning styles and even list some methods to engage those styles in your teaching.

Most would agree that there are three basic learning styles, we will work with those.

1. Visual – learning through seeing. These students/youth learn through sight. Visual cues help them learn. Anything from facial expressions, pictures, videos and handout sheets helps these learners.
2. Auditory – learn through sound. Verbal lectures, group discussions, tone and other audio devices help these learners     (written material does not help these learners as much as hearing material read).
3. Tactile/Kinesthetic – learn through moving, doing and touching. Hands on work, projects, object lessons and movement helps these learners.

This shows you who your students are in regards to how they learn.

We talked about first setting your teaching aim/target, then we said you need to understand the learning styles of students. Now you have to figure out how to connect the two. How do you lead the students with different learning styles to the one target? The bridge that must be crossed is called offering different learning activities and methods that are all aimed toward your target.

For example let us list the learning styles and add in some specific methods or actions you can use to capture a student of each style.

• Visual: Usage of graphs, pictures, charts, hand-outs, drawings, videos, dramas or anything that can be experienced more with the eyes is best for these learners. They are better at grasping the reading of materials than the auditory learner.

• Auditory: Anything dealing with sound. Music, voice, small groups (where they hear from others), audio recordings of teachings and other methods will be very helpful for these learning types.

• Tactile/Kinesthetic: Hands on projects, using objects that can not just be seen but passed around and touched as well as active learning using games, activities, drawing, etc… will greatly enhance the outcome of great learning for this style of learner.

Youth are always into style. They want to be “in-style”, meaning they want to be whatever they think is current so they can connect to others they may look up to. As teachers we need to be concerned about style as well. I am not talking about how we dress, but how we teach. When I say how we teach, I am not talking about putting on a show, or trying to be cool or stylish in our teaching. It is good to be funny and to be relevant but it is always important that the youth walk away impressed with God, not impressed with you the teacher/preacher.

When I mention style, I am referring to the art and science of understanding that there are different learning styles that people have. The youth you teach learn in different ways, these different ways of learning are called learning styles. Allow me to do some review from the trainings you may have received from GYMN on Teaching Methods, then we will connect that to the learning styles as well. You may recall that as teachers it is key to remember that true teaching is student focused, not teacher focused. It is not about me as a teacher, how well I did but the true measurement of teaching is what life-change occurred in the students. Therefore, true teaching is student based, not teacher based.

With that in mind, as you begin to teach or preach at any level, you need to begin with asking, “What is my target, aim or objective?” Or stated this way:

“The student will __________ ” (you fill in the end of the sentence).

They will know what? Do what? etc… note that you should list what they will know AND do (as discipleship = knowledge + experience). This statement becomes your lesson aim or its targeted outcome.

Youth ministry must be a venue where adolescents can positively develop holistically–as Jesus manifested during his teenage years. He grew in “wisdom (intellectual) and stature (physical) and in favor with God (spiritual) and man (social/emotional)”.  As we desire to witness genuine spiritual growth among adolescents, we must also reflect on the effects and implications of growth in other areas of their lives. Overall, balance is the goal!

These series of posts have been written by Ptr. Ronald Molmisa who blogs over at Ako si Big Brother.

See previous posts on Adolescent Development:

Physical Development of Teens

Intellectual Development of Teens

Social Development of Teens

Emotional Development of Teens

Spiritual Development of Teens

First, spiritual development in teens includes doubt and disbelief. With their newly acquired ability to think, it should be expected that adolescents will challenge the faith of their childhood. They are also bombarded with different information that complicates their faith-formation.

Second, it is personal. Young people experience the transition from “received faith” (from parents, church) to “existential commitment” (personal decision to embrace a moral standard). Hence, the church and family should always create an atmosphere of acceptance and friendship and opportunities for teenagers to discover Christ. Sometimes, forcing them to attend church will provide them more reasons to resist the faith we want them to embrace.

Third, adolescents have difficulty living their faith. Rice writes, “One of the most frustrating aspects of youth ministry is seeing adolescents not good at connecting what they believe with what they do.”² Elkind calls this phenomenon “apparent hypocrisy”—young people do not walk the talk by living two lives.  They may show “appearance” of religiosity/spirituality by attending youth worship services and Bible studies, but may not have truly “received Christ” as their Lord and Savior. Given this scenario, it is essential that youth ministry leaders possess a “sower mentality”—not to get frustrated by superficial confessions of faith. As Kurt Johnston puts it, “Youth ministry is a process and that we won’t always see immediate results. The world is full of Christians who were exposed to the gospel in junior high, but did not become believers until later.”³

Fourth, adolescent faith includes failures. As toddlers in faith, they are expected to stumble and fall in some areas of their Christian walk. Adults must help them learn from their moral lapses rather than be overpowered by them.

Fifth, it involves feelings and emotions. Young people must validate their faith through tangible and spiritual activities. Positive emotional experiences can reinforce their spiritual convictions. When youth shed tears, they represent their real feelings which will have significant impact on their lives. Nonetheless, adults should be always cognizant of the dangers of using teenage emotions to achieve ministry ends.

Lastly, adolescent faith is idealistic and requires models of faith. The church should affirm their idealism through positive activities that will enhance their spiritual beliefs.  Teens can be easily misled by people who can capture their admiration and allegiance. Hence, their “hero-worshipping” attitude should be complemented by adults and church leaders who demonstrate integrity, righteousness and Christ-like character. They must be instructed to imitate “heroes of faith” rather than mimic secular music/movie “idols” who can lead them astray.

A conclusion.

Previously discussed:

Physical Development of Teens

Intellectual Development of Teens

Social Development of Teens

Emotional Development of Teens

References:

1.    Rice, Wayne. 1987. Junior High Ministry. Youth Specialties Inc. Pp. 127-140
2.    Rice, 1987: 133
3.    Johnston, Kurt. 2001. Controlled Chaos (Making Sense of Junior High Ministry). Standard Publishing: Ohio. pp. 33.