Study a Book of the Bible

• Pick a book of the Bible, and lead your class through it slowly, doing half chapter or a chapter at a time. You can provide context--how the verses you are going to read fit in with the rest of the book--for the verses and then do a close reading of each verse. You need to examine things such as the meaning of the words and the meaning that each verse is trying to convey--because your teens may have trouble with some of the complex meanings of scripture.
  
  After doing this it is helpful to discuss how group members can apply what they have read to their own lives. Help your students to see the significance the scripture has for their lives. This type of study is especially beneficial if your students are new to the Bible. The book of Romans is a great choice for a study because, out of all the books of the Bible, it provides the best overview of Christian doctrine.
  
  

Read a Christian Book Written for Teens

• A Christian book written about topics that teens regularly deal with--such as dating, sex or drugs-can be interesting for both teachers and students. This type of book is practical because it deals with real situations that youth face, and shows them how the Bible instructs them to think about and deal with these issues. Whereas youth may be timid to discuss the meaning of scripture, they are likely to have lively discussions about these books because they know the subject matter. You may want to pick a book like this if you know your youth group is dealing with a particular issue that a book addresses. Some popular titles to get you started are "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," by Joshua Harris and "Do Hard Things," by Alex and Brett Harris.
  
  

Choose an Issue to Study in Light of Scripture

• If you know that your youth group struggles with a particular issue--lust or greed, for example--create a study that examines what the Bible says about that problem. This kind of study is ideal because it gets your group reading a lot of scripture, and, because of the context you have provided, they will apply what they read to their lives right away. You can also use this study to teach your youth group that they can rely on scripture as an authoritative source for dealing with life issues. Try Romans 1:28-32 or Ephesians 1 and 2 as starting points for fruitful study.