Written by Center for Church Renewal
March 25, 2021
The Bible Tools Workshop (BTW) has been a blessing to youth leaders, teens and parents thus far during the pandemic.
Submitted by Bill Nieuwenhuis, Classis Alberta North
Category: Youth Ministry
I have taken a Bible concordance, dictionary and handbook and developed a discipleship training workshop for youth and their leaders (this can be done with adults too or a mix of teens and adults). In the first Zoom session of 1.5 hours I train the students how to use the three Bible tools with their Bible. A week later session features the students homework. Each student picks a person, place or Biblical topic and studies it for 1 hour (the challenge, give up one TV program for the week). With that hour, use the three Bible tools to mine the Word of God for its riches about their subject. Then they are to be prepared to share with the class what they have found in the second 1.5 hour session.
The results have been amazing! Teens and adults and youth leaders get excited to study the Word of God because they have been given some basic training.
Included in my packet are materials to go further and deeper in study as well. There is material for studying the OT book of Habakkuk and also a free 32 lesson packet of lessons to study the Gospel of Mark while specifically using the three Bible tools. The Bible Tools Workshop (BTW) has been a blessing to youth leaders, teens and parents thus far during the pandemic. I have a lab of 10 concordances (NIV Bible Concordance), dictionaries (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary) and handbooks (Holman Illustrated Handbook to the Bible) for loan.
Afterward, almost everyone wants to buy the books as well to continue for themselves. At my last BTW with a family of five (the two parents and three teens [Grades 10, 12 & 2nd year college]) the Grade 12 student decided to study “hell” unbeknownst to me or her family members. All I could say was wow! She was serious. She looked up materials in her tools and looked on the internet for more info. She noted that she always hears about heaven but not much is said of hell. So she studied it for herself. Her conclusion: “People should really avoid hell at all costs!”
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