Article  What to Look for in a Site that Provides Resources for Youth Sermons and Youth Devotions For those both inside and outside of the church, it is possible to imagine how much work can be involved in becoming a youth pastor. What is often less obvious, is how much more effort is required to continue to produce valuable youth sermons and youth devotions on a regular basis. In these days of what seem to be increasingly short attention spans, not to mention competing media, it is more important than ever for anyone involved in youth ministry to ensure that they continuously maintain and inspire interest in their communications. Of course, some ministers are born orators and their charges hang on their every word. But they are few and far between. For everyone else, there is a need to be able to keep their youth sermons up-to-date and relevant for the intended audience. This does not mean dumbing down, but rather using the modern world in all its multi-streamed vitality and passing the social media obsessed times through a prism so that it can be used as a hook on which to hang key messages. An example may be to use social media sites to discuss the significance of youth devotions with our friends and the importance in fostering mutually respectful relationships. The key message remains the same, but the means in which it is delivered is modern and relevant for its audience. All well and good, but where do you find such material? Again, some people are able to come up with this type of writing regularly by themselves. But for those who need a little help – and let’s face it, that’s nearly everyone – the best advice is to go online and search for a site that is dedicated to providing a resource for both youth sermons and youth devotions. There are undoubtedly many such sites out there, but it must be said that a large proportion are amateur in the worst sense of the world and are often unreliable and often plagiarize other sites. It therefore follows that the ideal site would be a professional one that offers sample lessons, youth sermons and/or youth devotions. It would be even better if you could find one that supplies these for free. The best choice would probably be an online site for a magazine or journal that publishes a hard copy while maintaining a strong Internet presence. Look for somewhere that understands the needs of a youth minister and is geared towards providing for those needs. Beyond sample sermons, it is equally important that the site offers the opportunity to engage in an online community where you can brainstorm ideas for upcoming sermons. This sense of community can only help you foster a greater understanding of the best methods to provide sermons that can be identified with by your audience. It is also important – in fact it’s vital – than you take advantage of a site that is not out of step with current youth culture. Again, this does not mean a site that is trying to be overly hip (nothing is more likely to put teenagers off), but rather a site that understands the prevalence of youth culture and the massive amounts of peer pressure it can produce. It should demonstrate an awareness of current youth trends as well as offering suggestions how these can be incorporated into your ministry. Finding a site that fulfils these requirements should help ensure that your youth sermons as well as your youth devotions are as relevant as they need to be while being securely anchored in the beliefs that form the bedrock of all you do. Category Society Author WOA Member Add To Favorites Print This Article Email Article To A Friend Post Comments   Rate This Article (0) 1 - Poor2345 - Good678910 - Excellent Added On 17 September 2009