Some of the current methods are...
- take home papers
- apps
- websites
- social media platforms
A new U.S. study by Pearson has found that 60% of Gen Z kids prefer YouTube for learning over printed materials. More specifically, they prefer YouTube over the take home papers we give them.
Here's something else to consider. Most kids and families are not going to go to another website to engage in conversation. But they will engage with a website/platform that they already go to daily.
Let's talk about YouTube. Why should you use YouTube to extend your lessons? Because that is where Gen Z is. 47% of Gen Z spends 3 plus hours each day on YouTube. 55% say YouTube has contributed to their education and development. The company is the most popular brand among kids ages 6 to 12.
What if you created a short video (2-3 minutes) each week about the lesson? It doesn't have to be a major production. Just grab your phone and shoot it. Promote the video to the families in your ministry and provide them with a link. Emphasize that it is on YouTube. You can create a channel if you want to archive the videos from previous lessons.
When it comes to making disciples, God tells us to go to them rather than waiting for them to come to us. Look at Matthew 28:19-20.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
You can live this out by going to where kids and families are...YouTube...and helping them deepen their faith by initiating parent and child conversations that are sparked by your videos.
Our message doesn't change. The command to go and make disciples doesn't change. But how we go and make disciples must change to be relevant to the culture that we are ministering in. If we can grasp this and live it out - maybe we'll stop seeing take home papers on the ground after service is dismissed. Maybe, just maybe, we can see kids and parents engaging in faith conversations at home as a result of watching a short video that sparks the conversation.
Your turn. The floor is yours. Are you using YouTube to extend the lesson into the home? If so, put the link in the comment section below, so we can check it out. What other ideas do you have to extend the lesson to weekdays? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
