Stop, pause, and take a deep breath! I repeat, STOP, PAUSE, and take a DEEP BREATH!
Be honest, it feels good to slow down and just breathe even if it is just for a brief moment. So as a leader, stop, pause, and breathe from time to time. The world is moving at 100 miles per hour; we are bombarded with noise, distractions, conflicting messages, and the list goes on and on. If this applies to us, then of course it applies to the students we are trying to engage with the gospel.
As leaders, reaching teens for the gospel starts with our own personal walk with God. If we are trying to reach teens in our own strength, gifts, and talents, our efforts to reach out won’t last long. Jesus has to be at the center of it all, so start with prayer, asking God to fill you for the task at hand. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of starting with prayer! Without God’s help, we cannot succeed at the calling God has placed on our lives!
1. Learn about Community and Context
I pray and hope you find a suggestion that works best for your youth ministry context. I want to encourage you to start learning about your community—the culture, the family dynamics, student demographics and activities, etc. All these factors speak to the ways in which we may or may not be able to engage with students. Jesus knew the culture, the people, and how to engage with them. Are there felt needs you can meet? Think beyond just food or money; think wholistic, emotional, spiritual, and physical. How we engage in a student’s life will often determine how we are able to speak effectively into his or her life.
2. Build Genuine Relationships
Teenagers have this innate ability to tell when people are being fake. Be real and show up faithfully. There is the old saying “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Learn to listen more. One of the greatest tools I learned from a cohort was to learn how to listen; listen for facts, emotions, and values. Try to get out of the habit of listening just to respond or give an answer. Find ways to engage in life together, such as sporting events, serving with students, having meals together (teenagers love food.) From my experience, “Alpha Youth Series” is a great youth outreach resource you may want to check out. As you build genuine relationships, do so with healthy boundaries and safeguards in place. Create safe spaces for teens to come where they don’t feel judged, where they can have safe conversations around doubt, sin, fear, insecurities, etc. This is a great opportunity to make the gospel personal, because we serve a very personal God.
3. Artistic/Athletic Nights
Host a creative arts night or sports activity night for students to display their gifts and talents—open mic, painting/drawing, dance showcase, instrumental talent, etc. Plan open gym nights; many teens love to play sports or get involved in athletic activities. Such opportunities open opportunities to speak into the unique ways God has formed each person and allow room to share the gospel in practical ways.
4. Share the Gospel
Live what we believe! If we truly believe the gospel, then our lives should reflect that. People around us watch our lives—listening to what we say and do, and even what we post online. We are not called to be perfect, because we are far from it; however, we are called to be holy, and we have a choice to live how Christ taught us. We will face challenges in life, but we should choose be joyful, encouraging, kind, and genuine as possible. People should notice something different about our lives, which often will lead to questions. There is power in your story, so share it. We too were once away from God’s ways, but now we are different.
- 4 Practical Ways to Reach Teens with the Gospel - May 28, 2025