Can teenagers have a faith in Jesus that’s strong, vibrant, and their own? Absolutely! But the question as youth leaders is, how do we help them get there?
If we look at how Jesus built His disciples’ faith, we see that He gave them experiences to match their knowledge of who He was. With each miracle they witnessed, each lesson He taught, and each risk He asked them to take, their faith grew. These men went on to turn the world upside down with the Gospel, and this is the kind of faith we’re after.
Let’s look at ways we can help our teens own their faith and then some tools to support your ministry efforts!
What Helps Students Own their Faith?
A teenager who is ready to go all-in for Jesus is fueled by love for Him and personal responsibility for the Great Commission.
Spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, and reading the Bible are obvious parts of the faith-building equation, but there’s more to it!
Like Jesus’s disciples, our teenagers also need personal experiences with God. They need opportunities to learn that:
- God is real and loves them
- Jesus is the only answer to the problems of sin and death
- They have a mission to tell others about Him
Sharing the Gospel = Owning Your Faith
Here’s the deal: people by nature don’t usually value something unless it costs them something. So, if we want to help students value their faith as their own worldview, we need to provide them opportunities to risk for it. They need chances to risk something of value like friendship, reputation, popularity, etc. as they share Jesus with others.
What’s the best way to do this? By training and leading them in sharing the Gospel!
Training teens to share the Gospel using tools like Life in 6 Words and Ask, Admire, Admit helps them learn relational evangelism tools and language to articulate the Gospel themselves. If Jesus’s message is fuzzy for them, Gospel training will help them understand what they believe and how to share it.
Once the training is in place, the experience of sharing their faith will empower and embolden your students in what they believe.
They’ll have to decide if they believe the Gospel enough to lovingly explain it to others.
They will develop compassion for others and eyes to see the lost around them.
They will see God working in and through them in their Gospel conversations, and they will never be the same.
Students Can Own Their Faith This Fall at Dare 2 Share LIVE
If evangelism and Gospel training aren’t normal parts of your youth group, it can feel daunting to incorporate them into your programming!
The best place to start is with basic Gospel training (Life in 6 Words is the best resource out there), and then prioritize Gospel training events to bolster your weekly efforts.
Dare 2 Share LIVE is an event that covers every part of the training that your students need to own their faith. It’s a fall event, which is perfect for setting the tone in your youth group for a school year of knowing God deeper and sharing the Gospel wider!
Because Dare 2 Share simulcasts this event live around the globe, your group can participate right from your own church. Oh, and it’s free, so there’s nothing getting in the way of your teens learning to truly own and share their faith this fall!
Interested in joining us at Dare 2 Share LIVE? Learn more about the full event and how you can get registered here. We hope to see you there!
If you’re serious about training students to share the Gospel all year round, then building a Gospel Advancing Ministry is the next step you need to take. The seven Gospel Advancing values help you be more effective in mobilizing students with the Gospel, taking them deeper in their relationship with God. Start your Gospel Advancing journey here!
