Engaging Generation by Tim McKnight

Author:Tim McKnight
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Published: 2021-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

4. The secret to great teaching is contagion. “What you do screams so loud I cannot hear what you say,” as Emerson is said to have stated. “They will likely feel when you have been much with God. That which is on your hearts most, is like to be most in their ears,” stated Puritan pastor Richard Baxter.9 And “that which we learn with delight we will never forget,” Aristotle is said to have stated. Young people will follow your example more than your teaching. If you are excited about the things of God, they’ll eventually catch your passion.

5. See where your students could be, not where they are now. A great teacher sees the potential in students that they don’t see in themselves. A missionary was once asked how he got so many young people—who on the surface had little potential—to do great things for God. His reply was, “I put a big crown over their head and help them grow into it.” That’s a teacher’s calling.

6. Illustrate to educate. A great way to teach is by analogy. The Bible is full of stories, and youth love them.

7. Love your students. I probably have less in common with young people than most who read this book. I’m a middle-aged professor. I live in the world of the academy. When I speak to students, I don’t have automatic rapport with them. Many youth ministers seek out the “hot” speaker of the moment, adding to the insecurity of so many who teach the Bible to adults, confirming their fears that they can’t communicate to youth. Paul was not the hottest thing going when he came to town. But he had the hand of God and a passion for those to whom he spoke.

If you teach adults and don’t have immediate rapport with students, it’s not a big deal. Be real with them. Love them. Expect them to develop a love for God’s Word.

Is it true that the closer in age to youth the speaker is the better he can communicate with them? No, communicating truth is not affected by age, but it can be helped by maturity.

8. Start well and end well. Start your class with excitement. You have one hour a week to pour the Word of God into a group of young people, and it is an awesome honor. Because I don’t have immediate rapport with students, I work very hard to get their attention in the first five minutes. I may use a question, an illustration, or an object lesson. I like to use self-deprecating humor. Remember, be yourself.

An old rule of thumb for teaching still applies: when you teach, tell them what you’re going to tell them (give the point in a nutshell). Then tell them (teach the lesson). Then, tell them what you told them (summarize and apply). Creative repetition is a powerful way to teach.

End well. I try to finish every message or lesson with a specific point of application. Do not just teach about witnessing; point every student to a gospel app and challenge him or her to share it with someone.

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