Is the Bible Sufficient for Youth Ministry?

This article is part of a blog series entitled “the Significance of Scripture” in order to help youth workers develop a clear theological understanding of what it means to say “the Bible is the Word of God.” Subscribe to the blog to make sure you benefit from the remainder of the series.

Dan was frustrated and discouraged by the lack of spiritual growth in his students. Attendance was healthy and parents were generally encouraging, but he sensed that something was just “off” about the ministry. 

As we talked about his ministry, it became apparent that he believed in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture in theory, but not in practice. The Bible was regularly taught, but usually as a “devotional nugget” to emphasize how to put their faith into action at school. When I suggested a more robust Bible-teaching plan through a short book of the Bible, he suggested that was overkill and too heavy-handed. Teenagers need to hear about the issues they’re wrestling with, not another typical Sunday school lesson. Plus, their attention spans are shorter than previous generations. 

I’ve known and talked with far too many youth pastors like Dan: those who theologically affirm the sufficiency of Scripture, but who reject it in practice. 

What is Biblical Sufficiency?

Sola Scriptura was a battle cry of the Reformation. This Latin phrase means “Scripture alone”, and refers to the supreme authority of Scripture over all other authorities. Today, this is often expressed as the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. 

But Sola Scripture (“Scripture Alone”) doesn’t mean Solo Scriptura (“Scripture Only”). Whereas Sola Scriptura affirms that creeds, confessions, and other books or teachers carry some measure of authority insofar as they reflect and submit to the authority of Scripture, Solo Scriptura rejects any authority other than the Bible. This is why your church and denomination have a statement of faith and doctrinal standards. These help clarify what we believe the Bible teaches, and they carry a measure of authority over church practices, pastoral ordination, and ministry philosophy. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith says this about the sufficiency of Scripture, 

“The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men (Gal. 1:8–9; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Tim. 3:15–17).”

The Bible teaches us everything we need to know for life and faith and godliness. Sure, it doesn’t directly address what age children should be when they’re allowed to date, when to give your kid a smartphone, or whether or not they should listen to Kanye West. There are other sources of wisdom that are useful for the Christian life as well. But the Bible is sufficient to make us wise, which means all other books, authorities, or insights must be tested by Scripture. 

As the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the Bible is the authoritative foundation our youth ministries must build upon. 

How We Forsake Biblical Sufficiency 

One of the most common ways I’ve been tempted to neglect the sufficiency of Scripture is by offering students my own wisdom rather than explicitly giving them the Word of God. Obviously, I always reference Scripture in my messages at youth group or in conversations about important issues. But it’s easy to use the Bible as a prooftext to hold up my opinions rather than clearly and intentionally building my message upon the foundation of God’s Word. 

For example: When teaching about anxiety and depression, do I shy away from teaching about trusting Christ and God’s promise of peace? Do I look down on verses like Matthew 6:25-34 because others have applied it in overly simplistic ways? Do I believe therapists have more to offer than the Bible? And do the qualifications running through your mind mean that you’re similarly tempted to minimize biblical sufficiency in this area? 

Let me repeat, Sola Scriptura and biblical sufficiency do not mean Solo Scriptura. There is much to learn from mental health experts. It’s good to learn from a broad range of voices, especially when it comes to specific issues the Bible doesn’t explicitly address. But the Bible is sufficient and it is our chief authority. 

We forsake biblical sufficiency when we lose confidence that the Bible really is enough. This happens most frequently today in the areas of sexuality and mental health. It’s no secret that people have begun to reinterpret Scripture to permit same-sex love and transgender identities. And in an effort to correct previous generation’s “pray the anxiety away” attitudes, many well-intentioned parents and youth leaders functionally ignore the Bible’s teaching about mental and emotional wholeness. 

Biblical Sufficiency in Youth Ministry 

These issues highlight the importance of expository teaching, which is why YPT is launching in-person workshops and online cohorts to help youth workers teach with biblical depth and pastoral clarity. Teenagers don’t need our opinions, they need God’s Word. 

When we address topics and controversial issues, our default approach should be clear instruction from the Bible instead of giving our opinions with a Bible verse thrown in as support. Let’s start with God’s Word, and then move towards applying it to their lives.

As we teach the Bible, let’s show students that we really believe it’s sufficient by digging into it. I’ll confess there have been far too many instances when I’ve seen the need to address a difficult topic with my students, and so I prepared my message with Mike’s wisdom on the topic – and then I asked myself, “Which Bible verses should I use?” 

That’s backwards. And I think one of the reasons it’s more common to approach lessons that way is because it’s easier and quicker. Reading and studying and grappling with the Bible’s message about these issues takes a lot of time. It can become overwhelming. And then, once we do have clarity about the Bible’s teaching about the issue, we need to discern how best to simplify and apply it to our students in a way that is expository and topical all at once. Our words only bear power and authority insofar as they are clearly grounded in the Word of God. 

Additionally, putting Scripture first makes people argue with God’s Word, not with your opinion. For instance, it’s easy to dismiss my opinion when teaching what the Bible says about same-sex relationships. But if I’m reading the Bible and making an explicitly biblical case for godly relationships then students will need to disagree with the Bible, not simply with me. 

The sufficiency of Scripture drives youth workers like Dan to align their professed and actual theology together. As the saying goes, “theology drives methodology.” The misalignment usually happens by accident. Getting clear on what If we believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and that its message is clear, then affirming the sufficiency of Scripture puts these doctrines to work in our lives and ministry. 

When youth workers actually believe the Bible is sufficient for salvation and godliness and ministry then we’ll unashamedly teach the Bible with conviction and joy. We won’t feel pressure to dress it up with our own opinions or to apologize for hard teachings. Instead, we will joyfully lead students into God’s Word and to drink deeply of the wellspring of life therein.