Free file for youth pastors:

The Grace and Truth Paradox (chapter 1 and 2 discussion)

I don’t want my students to be either a bunch of theoogical egg-heads or a group of jerks walking around and debating theology.  I so desire them to be like Christ.  I want them to be full of grace and truth just like Jesus is (John 1:14).  I want my students to be able to love a Mormon, to give to an Atheist, to help a Muslim, etc.  At the same time, I want my students to defend the truths of Scripture, the proclaim the gospel, and to be willing to die for Christ.  I pray for them to be full of grace and truth like Jesus. 

The way we set up our student ministry Sunday school:  for two months I’ll take the senior high students and teach them a doctrine.  Over October and November 2009, I taught them “MACRO Theology” which is an overview of all the major Christian doctrines.  Now in December and January (while I teach the middle school students on MACRO Theology), the high school students are going back into their small group classrooms to read and discuss a book that is chosen to be an application of what they learned in the doctrinal study: MACRO Theology.  The book we chose was “The Grace and Truth Paradox: Responding with Christian Balance” by Randy Alcorn.

The reason we do what we do is because I want them to know doctrine, but I don’t want to leave their doctrine in their heads.  I want it to flow from their head, to their heart, and then out of their hands, tongues, feet, etc.  We do these book studies very simply.  Its merely a discussion led by an adult facilitator about what God taught them in the book.  Here is my suggestive guidance to our Sunday school leaders: The Grace and Truth Paradox (chapter 1 and 2 discussion)