When communicating to students, we think your best option (if possible) is to have a live communicator deliver the large group message to students. Even better? Having a live communicator that your students both know and trust! Students are always more likely to engage with someone they know over someone they don’t.

But we all know that having a live communicator isn’t always possible for your youth ministry. And when that happens, one of the best things you can do is use the resources you have available at your fingertips.

That’s where the XP3 curriculum teaching videos come in. They’re designed to give you an easy and engaging way to share the message that week with your students and hopefully make your life as a youth pastor a little easier, too!

Not sure? That’s okay! Take a look at some of the ways the teaching videos can work for you!

Eight Ways to Use Teaching Videos

1. As a backup plan.

Keep these curriculum teaching videos in your back pocket for when something comes up. (Because we all know something will come up in ministry!) Instead of scrambling to find someone to fill in for you when you’re sick, on vacation, or have an unexpected emergency, rest easy knowing you’re covered with the teaching video on deck as your backup plan.

2. To multiply yourself

Maybe your ministry is big enough to separate your middle school and high school students, but you are responsible for both environments. It’s difficult to prep and teach two different lessons live. The great thing about the teaching videos is you can teach live to one group and show the teaching video to the other.

3. As a tool to train communicators

Use the teaching videos as training tools for your developing communicators. Having your communicators watch someone else teach the message will not only help them as they prepare to deliver a message themselves, but it will also help them better understand how to communicate a message to this specific age group. Plus, some people are better visual learners than auditory learners. Showing those learners a video will go a long way in teaching them how to communicate.

4. To let you do the most important thing

If you are the only adult in the youth group, showing the teaching video will allow you more time to do the most important thing in your ministry: connect with your students. You can act as a Small Group Leader for your students rather than split your time between communicator and leader. When you’re the communicator, students may feel uncomfortable answering questions about the lesson because they won’t want to offend you. But if they’re watching a stranger teach the lesson, they may be more likely to speak freely about questions, doubts, or areas where they disagree.

5. To partner with parents

For series on heavier or more sensitive topics, you can use the teaching videos as a way to allow parents to preview the content prior to teaching it to your students. This will better prepare parents for how to engage in a conversation about those seemingly more controversial or sensitive subjects. It will also ensure that everyone is using the same language when it comes to communicating about those topics.

6. To keep students connected

For students who are unable to be at church or Small Group that week, providing them with the video of that week’s lesson is a great way to keep them connected. They can watch what they missed so that they’re still connected with what their friends and Small Group learned even when they aren’t physically there.

7. To promote diversity

We believe every kid needs to see both someone on stage who looks like them and someone on stage who doesn’t. If you live in a community or attend a church where everyone looks the same, that can be a tough thing to make happen. Using the teaching videos provides a way to bring a little diversity to your stage by presenting your students with communicators of different races, ethnicities, and genders.

8. To keep smaller groups engaged

Having a live speaker in front of a group about the size of an average classroom feels normal to most students. However, doing so in a group smaller than that can feel really awkward. If your ministry is smaller, watching a video together might feel more natural for everybody. You’ll have a better chance at engaging your small group of students with a video rather than trying to deliver a message yourself.

So there you have it—eight ways the teaching videos can be a great resource for your youth ministry. We want these videos to be the thing that makes your job as a youth pastor just a little bit easier along the way. Because when you have more time and space to do the most important thing—to connect with your students—we know that’s a win for your ministry!

Learn more, and download a free series of XP3 youth ministry curriculum today. You’ll find teaching videos and many more resources designed to help you make the most of your time with students every week.