Duffy: I like materials that get students into the Word. For me, the best curricula do that in a way that not only help the students dig into the text for themselves, but also move them to a place of response.

Les: Curricula that have the greatest impact on teenagers are the ones that are biblically-based, and by that I mean more than a token nod to Scripture. They also need to be activity driven, especially in reaching boys. The final ingredient would include terrific investigation and application questions. Everything I see available now is missing one of these ingredients.

Mark: I thought Michael Novelli’s Shaped by the Story is a very interesting approach to Bible exploration that has some interesting implications for how we can focus on helping students learn by “implication,” not just “application. ”

YWJ: What impact do the games, activities and fun of a meeting have on teenagers? What would you say to a youth minister who is afraid to get serious and put the games aside?

Les: In answer to the first question, games and fun provide come-and-see, entry-level activities in a group. They pull in new students and help teens develop tolerance, persistence and patience. They also improve problem-solving skills. The teenager’s life is crowded and complicated. Games provide an oasis of laughter and fun, shared experiences and memories. Games and play help us develop a richer imagination. Play relieves stress, boosts self-esteem and builds community.

Duffy: I still think it’s okay—dare I say important?—for youth group to be a place of creative, hilarious, unpredictable fun: Fun makes memories, and memories shape lives. But youth ministers are not primarily tour directors, baby-sitters, recreational directors or party planners. We are primarily spiritual directors.

Mark: Every culture on the planet has developed its own games. Play is important not as a time-filler, but as a means of eveloping community and intimacy. We often forget games carry a message, too; although it may not be the one we desire to communicate.

YWJ: What are some techniques you feel are effective for youth ministers who want to go from tossing Nerf ball questions to hard ball questions? What works, and what doesn’t?

Mark: I think the best youth mentors do something I call “structured spontaneity” or “spiritual improv.” The mentor knows where they are trying to lead a student, but allows the student to provide elements the youth worker “riffs” off of to help a student grow in his or her spiritual maturity.

Duffy: I would remind people to go beyond simple informational questions, such as: What does this passage say? We have to become better at asking analytical questions, such as: What does this passage mean? (We also should be asking) personal questions, such as: What does this truth mean in my life?

Les: Present real-life scenarios and have students wrestle with the potential choices. Create a safe environment in which they are allowed to be honest about what they feel. They need to be able to verbalize their views and feelings, however unorthodox they may be.

YWJ: Did we miss anything? What are your parting words of wisdom for youth ministers hoping to have a greater impact on kids’ lives?

Les: We need to be in the students’ corner; they have to know that. We need to be their advocates. They need to sense we are on their side. They need to know we are not perfect and that we don’t have it all together. They need the freedom to say things that don’t make sense.

Duffy: We haven’t said anything here about family, and family would be one of the most crucial components of long-term impact in a teenager’s life. By family I definitely mean moms and dads and trying to nurture this absolutely critical support relationship. I also mean the larger family—the family of God, the church. If what we are now learning about adolescence is true, that it really extends in many ways into the mid- to late-20s, it is absolutely essential for youth groups and churches to recognize that nurturing students ONLY through high school is like giving an eighth grader his driver’s license.

Mark: Increase the relational surface area available to your teens. You can connect deeply only to so many students. If you can invest in other adults who can deeply connect, your personal time with students may diminish (as well as your fame), but more students will be better served.