Free file for youth pastors:

“The Integrative Motif of all of Scripture: What is the first and final thought of God?”

The absolute most important truth I learned in seminary was the integrative motif to all systematic theology.  “What the heck is that, and what in the world would it have to do with student ministry?”  I’m glad you asked!  Our integrative motif is that central theme that we constantly teach, we constantly come back to, and we try to hammer into the teens heads every time we stand up to speak. Here are a couple things about an integrative motif:

1. Everyone has one whether you know it or not.  If everything you teach on comes back to the love of God, the glory of God, salvation, or the gospel…you have an integrative motif.

2. Your integrative motif is what your students will learn most from their time in your student ministry.  They will forget individual sermons and events, but what you pound into them week by week will last.  So make sure your integrative motif is the God’s IM of Scripture!

3. Your integrative motif had better be Jesus Christ since He is the one that makes sense of the creation, the incarnation, the cross, the church, and the consummation of history (eternity.)

To read more about integrative motif, to discover yours, and to hear mine defended from Scripture…read this paper: “The Integrative Motif of all of Scripture: What is the first and final thought of God?”