In today’s age of high-stakes testing and school-safety concerns, more than ever, youth workers have increasing difficulty finding their way onto middle- and high-school campuses to interact with students. Many youth workers serve in a volunteer capacity and still a lucky few may be allowed visitor privileges on school grounds. Those who feel shut out of their students’ daily experience due to time constraints or school policy still can make intentional efforts to close the gap between school and faith.

Youth ministry exists (among other reasons) to prepare students for a life-long journey of Christian formation even after they have moved on from our programs. By teaching, equipping and encouraging students in living out their faith daily in their educational settings, we begin the process of preparing them for a life away from youth ministry. By teaching students how their faith fits into the story of humanity we help them see God’s hand in all they encounter. By equipping youth to lead and serve we enable them to make a positive difference in their world. By encouraging young people to develop a Christ-like attitude in all of their relationships, they will begin to understand their faith as holistic, impacting all arenas of their lives.

Teaching

Students interact with school curriculum five days a week; effective youth ministries can find ways to integrate this knowledge into regular Bible studies. Take every opportunity to place the stories we teach every week, from Abraham to the apostle Paul, in their historical context. Doing this allows us as teachers to activate students’ prior knowledge. Having students understand the wider context of our faith story also facilitates an integration of their faith into the bigger picture of our world.

I taught several sections of ancient world history for six years. Once, while leading a high-school Bible study on the Book of Esther, I encouraged students to tell me what they knew about King Xerxes and the Persian Empire. I got nothing but blank stares. Then I started jogging their memories of some things they’d learned in ninth-grade history (some of them had been in my class).

Immediately, they started to remember the things they’d learned in class, excitedly making connections to what we were learning about Esther. They expressed that they had no idea that it was all connected. I went on to name other biblical episodes that were tied to their historical studies—the Hittites, Nebuchadnezzar, the Roman Empire. One student said, “I never knew this stuff in the Bible had so much to do with history.”

Christianity and its Judaic roots play a vital role in the development of the modern world and students will learn about it in the secular environment of school. Tying our Christian heritage to its place in history gives it greater credibility in the minds of our youth and affords the opportunity to see God’s hand at work even through the words of a textbook.