Pastor B Culture, Oakwood, Parent Cue

Teaching Middle Schoolers About God: How to Be More Strategic and Relational

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Check out the Just A Phase Blog and Resources here

]Ok, let’s do some math.

More than likely, the average six graders who are coming to your church will actually come less than 50 percent of the time.

That means they’ll likely spend about 25 hours in your church this year.

Of those 25 hours at least 30 percent will be spent:

  • Getting into the room
  • Saying “hi” to friends
  • Playing games
  • Updating social media
  • Saying “bye” to friends

So that means they’ll actually experience less than 20 hours of teaching or small group interaction in a given year.

The reality is that your middle schoolers will use their smartphone more in one week than they will attend your church in one year.

Related: 35 Reasons My Middle Schooler Might Be Freaking Out

So, here’s the question: If you have less than 20 times to connect to a sixth grader this year, what are you going to teach them? How are you going to influence the spiritual direction of the average child or teenager when you only have a few minutes every other week? READ ON

Pastor B Culture, Parent Cue, Spring

Monday in the Life of a Middle Schooler

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Check out http://justaphase.com/oc16/monday-in-the-life-of-a-middle-schooler/

Monday in the Life of a Middle Schooler

“You can’t speak the truth in love if you don’t love who you are speaking to.” – Reggie Joiner

EMPATHY BEGINS WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THIS PHASE

What was life like for you as a middle schooler?
What is life like for middle schoolers today?

SIXTH GRADE

Crisis: Puberty – the turning point
Questions: Who do I like? Who likes me?
Goal: Provide stability.

SEVENTH/EIGHTH GRADE

Crisis: Self-Awareness – the turning point
Questions: Who am I?
Goal: Help them discover uniqueness.

This is where empathy begins:
knowing and loving our middle schoolers.
And empathy is where influence begins.

Understanding our people helps us minister effectively and maximize our influence.

SINCE MONDAY IS COMING…

We need to affirm their personal journey.

A MIDDLE SCHOOLER IS AFFIRMED WHEN…

  • They are known.
  • They are loved and liked.
  • They are listened to more than they are talked to.
  • They are met at their level.
  • They get quality time with you.

*Affirmation is the fuel a middle schooler needs to face Monday.*

HOW CAN WE EQUIP MIDDLE SCHOOLERS FOR MONDAY?

  • Remind them they belong.
  • Give them Biblical teaching in a relevant way
  • Match them with a leader who will check-in with them during the week
  • Encourage them to lean into their community.
  • Pray for them regularly
  • Give them starting points so they can draw close to Jesus on their own
  • Utilize social media to encourage throughout the week

MONDAY IS COMING….

“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:14-19

KATIE EDWARDS
Middle School Pastor at Saddleback Church
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