7 Tips for Planning a Book of the Bible Series in Youth Ministry

This is part three in a series about “What I’m teaching at Youth Group.” You can read part 1 and part 2 here. Those articles demonstrate two ways youth workers are teaching expository series in their ministries. This week and next week are designed to instruct readers to begin this approach (part 4 will focus on how to teach a topical-but-expository series).

Preaching a series of sermons on a book of the Bible is a double challenge. This first challenge comes from the intense preparation required, and the second is to keep youth engaged during a long expository series.

In this article, I will share seven tips for planning and delivering a sermon series on a book of the Bible. These tips are based on my own experience as a preacher, as well as advice from other experienced preachers.

1. Plan in Advance

If you want to prevent the stressful question "What should I preach now that the series is over?" from popping up in your mind, it's best to plan your content. Using an annual sermon calendar (a printed calendar or online spreadsheet) will help you plan your sermons strategically. If you’re only planning one or two weeks in advance then you’re not giving yourself enough time to prepare with depth.

2. Plan with Intention

I believe it's important to have a comprehensive plan for teaching the gospel to young people. To achieve this, I suggest using Tim Keller's approach to cover the entire gospel over 12 months.

For my specific context, I have divided the teaching as follows:

• September-October: Exploring God's character

• November: Focusing on God's mission

• Christmas: Reflecting on the Incarnation and the Person of Christ

• January-April: Understanding the nature and reality of sin

• Holy Week: Examining the Redemptive Work of Christ

• April-June: Learning about Life in the Spirit

• Local Youth Camp: Discovering Life in the Spirit within the Church

By using this approach, you'll avoid selecting teaching content based solely on your personal preferences and instead emphasize the gospel throughout the school year.

3. Hold on to the Unity of the Book

Don't stop your preparation until you understand the author's purpose. Sometimes, the author makes it clear in a purpose statement or summary verse. In most cases, however, you will need to do more research. Look for repeated words or phrases, connections between the beginning and end of the book, and the overall structure of the book. This will help you find the "melodic line" of the book, which is the main theme that resonates throughout the book.

By answering the questions "What did the author write?" and "Why did the author write this book?" you can craft a creative and powerful title that showcases the unified narrative of the Bible and the transformation God is seeking in the lives of your young people.

Here are some specific ways for finding the author's purpose:

• Read the book several times.

• Look for repetitions, connections, and patterns.

• Consider the historical and cultural context of the book - who were they, what was their culture, where does the message of the book affirm/correct that culture’s assumptions?

• Talk to others who have studied and taught the book - your pastor, fellow youth pastors, and commentaries/resources.

4. Show the Book as Part of the Big Book

Preaching a book of the Bible should be an effort to place it in its biblical-canonical context. When listeners can see that, their understanding and appreciation of the book deepen. For example, my audience saw the Book of Esther differently when they placed it in the context of Israel's exile. God then, is the unseen protagonist who, through irony and reversal of the fate of the wicked, delivers his helpless people.

To establish the biblical-canonical context of a book or text within salvation history, ask and answer the following questions:

• What is the book/text's setting? This comprises the cultural context, geographical location, and time period.

• What are the notable occurrences that take place in the book/text? How do these happenings link to the wider narrative of salvation history?

• What is the main theme that the book/text explores?

• What is the significance of this theme in the biblical narrative of redemptive history and how does this book of the Bible contribute to that theme’s development?

5. Preaching Long Sections of Scripture

It's beneficial to begin a book of the Bible series by providing an overview of the book's theme and message. This allows your students to gain a better understanding of the book as a whole and how its various details fit together into a cohesive narrative. If you find it too heavy to read a long passage during the service, try including some students to read the passage (and ask them ahead of time so they can practice).

There are two reasons for preaching long sections of a book of the Bible. First, it helps you keep the series concise and engaging for teenagers. Second, it forces you to emphasize God's intent in the book - you simply cannot address everything, so you need to focus on the big picture.

For example, in my series on Luke, I preached all of chapter 15 as one message. The three parables in this chapter are part of Jesus' response to the Pharisees. Similarly, I preached Luke 18:18-43 as a single message. The stories of the two rich men with which the passage begins and ends show that Jesus' death works God's impossible miracle, bringing salvation to those who were blinded by their wealth. Yes, these could have been taught in shorter pieces, but teaching the longer section helped my students understand the bigger picture of Jesus’ message.

 6. Embrace Original Genres and Literary Resources

The biblical authors used different literary genres to communicate God's message effectively. It is important to understand the literary genre (historical narrative, law, poetry, prophecy and apocalyptic literature, parable, letter/epistle) of a book of the Bible before preaching it. This will help you understand the intent and meaning of the text in order to reach the hearts of our youth.

For example, you should not try to philosophize in poetry or construct dense theological treatises from the parables. Instead, you should take advantage of the use of irony, sarcasm, humor, vivid imagery, and puns at the moments when the original authors used it. The form of the text shapes the way we teach it. How to Read Your Bible for All It’s Worth remains a trustworthy and accessible book on this topic for those who want to learn more.

7. Enrich the Out-of-Pulpit Experience

One way to demonstrate our belief in the centrality of God's Word to the younger generation is by encouraging them to meditate on the weekly sermon message. By planning ahead and carefully constructing our sermon series with a leadership team, we can create a booklet for our teens that includes the sermon titles, the main idea of the series, information about the context of the book, the recurring themes, and a set of questions for individual or group study of the text to be preached. (update: you can view an example of a student booklet here)

Conclusion

Preaching a book of the Bible can be a challenge. But it is also a rewarding opportunity to help young people deepen their faith while keeping them engaged with the Word of God.

I sincerely hope that these tips will assist you in making a positive impact in your ministry. However, keep in mind that they are just a starting point. The most effective method for mastering the art of preaching a sermon series on a book of the Bible is to practice and receive feedback from other preachers and mature believers.

At last, my best advice on preaching a book of the Bible, or preaching in general, is to always consider yourself insufficient for the task. Always remember to fervently pray, seek guidance from the Holy Spirit, and seek wisdom from other experienced pastors and teachers. This is an absolute necessity for effectively delivering impactful and life-changing messages from the Word of God.