Quick! Define creativity in youth ministry!

If we’re honest, we’re going to think of the whiz-bang, golly-gee visual that we hope will stick. Maybe we think of the perfect Powerpoint slide to illustrate our lesson or talk. Maybe we think of the awesome flyers we’re preparing for our next big event.

Certainly, there is creativity involved in each of these, but remember there is also creativity involved in the way in which you as a leader guide the discussion in the youth group. Over the years, I have noticed this to be particularly vital in those groups that aren’t quite big enough to split into smaller subsets but are almost too large to ensure active participation on the part of all the students.

Whether we talk about creativity in teaching, in guiding discussions or in our visuals, there really is a simple solution. Or better yet, a simple solution broken down into a few component parts.

The simple solution? Be alert!

The component parts? Be alert to the news. Be alert to what others are doing. Be alert to your students’ interests. Be alert to the world around you.

Now, each one in turn.

Be alert to the news.
In our prayer time this past week, one of the younger students in my class asked that we remember the British teacher who was being held in Sudan for allowing her class to name a teddy bear Mohammed. Having heard the story throughout the week in the news, I was able to explain the story to the students who had not heard it and translate that instance of oppression into a discussion (albeit a brief one) of oppression in other countries.

The ultimate Teacher clearly had a grasp of the news of the day in ancient Palestine. In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus is discussing the need for repentance and mentions a local news event — the fall of a tower at Siloam. Likewise as teachers, we can draw connections between the news and various points in our lesson or discussion.

Be alert to what others are doing.
Keep an eye out for good ideas from other ministry sources. Please note, I did not specify youth ministry sources. Believe it or not, senior pastors and speakers who deal primarily with adults can be creative (sarcasm alert)! You don’t have to copy what they did in the exact same manner, but you can adapt it to your own needs to come up with a memorable visual for your students.

For example, my students and I were working through Wired, the small group version of Louie Giglio’s The Air I Breathe. In the leader’s book, a footnote suggested breaking a mirror to illustrate how we are imperfectly reflect our worship back to God. I took that visual in a slightly different direction for a talk in front of a larger group when I described humanity as being made in the image of God. As I moved on to discuss the Fall, I took a hammer and smashed the mirror (very effective if you hide the hammer and use one of those door mirrors they sell really cheap for college students to use in dorms). Similar idea to what was in the book, but adapted to what I wanted to convey at the time.

Another way to unleash your creativity is to see what others are doing and head in the completely opposite direction. Powerpoints and videos all the rage? Break out the whiteboard and dry erase markers. Draw diagrams. Make arrows pointing here there and everywhere. It’s fun, really. Of course, since I have started doing this very thing I discover that others are doing a similar thing (i.e. Rob Bell’s everything is spiritual tour). My next idea? Bust out the flannelgraphs. I’m thinking life-size so the whole congregation can see it. Younger youth pastors, go ask someone in their 30s or older.

Be alert to your students’ interests
This is where you hand off the need to be creative. Remember those stunning videos and Powerpoint backgrounds you want? Let the student who is always making YouTube videos go crazy on a project. Ask a student who loves photography to snap a few images to use as background images.

This is also where you find out what really matters to your students and address those issues in your ministry. Don’t just think in terms of lesson content. Think also in terms of activities. If your group activity schedule is all sports (whether watching them or participating in them), you need to include a few things for the artistic students like museum trips, concerts or even movies (that you screen ahead of time). Oh, and as far as the concerts are concerned, let’s not limit ourselves to the latest Christian artist passing through town. Many towns have a college or university within reasonable driving distance that offers a host of musical events throughout the year — many of them free. Take advantage of that!

Be alert to the world around you.
Admittedly, this is my catch-all category. Remember that when Jesus was teaching he drew examples from the world around him be it the lilies of the field, a mustard seed or a sparrow. Be observant. Be a people watcher. Be a story collector. Think in analogies. Sometimes those analogies will turn into visuals to use in a lesson and sometimes they will turn into a hands-on activity for the students.

If you’ll pardon me for using another example from my own ministry, I was listening to the Tomlin song, Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), one day and for some reason the image of handcuffs popped into my head. I churned that around for a bit and came up with the idea of doing a whole talk with my hands chained together to represent how we can become trapped by our temptations and failures. Believe me, I use my hands all the time when I talk so this was no small feat. Christ, then, offers the key to overcoming the temptation.

The key is to remember that, as those made in the image of the Creator, we all have the capacity to be creative. It just takes more training for some than for others. Don’t sell your self short. Stay alert and your nect ministry idea may be just around the corner.

(Another post in a series inspired by this post at Life in Student Ministry.)