Picture this. It’s Tuesday afternoon (let’s pretend that your church’s youth ministry meets on Sunday mornings) and you’re ready to start preparing for this upcoming Sunday’s teaching. But, you’ve decided you are not going to be the one teaching. You recognize that you never want to be “the rockstar youth ministry leader who does everything”, so you’ve started sharing the teaching responsibilities. Yet you’re looking at your volunteer list, and no one is quite ready to teach this week. What are your alternative options?

Or maybe it’s Thursday morning (let’s pretend your youth ministry gathering was last night) and last night’s message is still playing in your mind. . . but not in a good way. It wasn’t bad, because you know you did your best and the Holy Spirit will use that. But can’t help but wonder. . . is there any way that my best can get better? But in a way that doesn’t demand too much more of my time?

If either of those scenarios reminds you of your personal situation, we can help. Maybe you’ve just purchased the XP3 teaching videos in your add-on media package curriculum subscription, or you’re interested in purchasing them but wondering if they’re really worth it. This blog will give you 10 hacks (depending on your circumstances) that will help you see ways the XP3 teaching videos can be a worthwhile value-add to your ministry. 

Before we jump in, here are two big ideas to note:

When communicating to students, we’ll always believe your best option (if possible) is to have a live communicator deliver the large group message. 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.

In an ideal world, you would also have several equipped, live communicators with whom you could build a teaching team for your youth ministry (more on how to do that in this blog). However, if this is something you’re still working toward, these hacks are designed to get you by until that ideal world becomes a reality.

8 Hacks For Using Teaching Videos

1. The Ultimate Backup Plan

We recognize teaching videos do not give the same vibes as a substitute communicator, but they serve a similar purpose. Teaching videos can be your speaker whenever another better option for a communicator doesn’t exist. Your current team may literally only consist of you. Perhaps you’ve identified some people, but they still need some training. Maybe you have a teaching team, but it’s a busy season, or a last-minute emergency popped up. Maybe you and your team are just tired and need a week’s break from teaching prep. Whatever the reason may be, you’ll always have a teaching video ready to use when you need it.

2. Watch, Learn, Teach

Some people learn best by seeing others who have more experience in action. The XP3 team is intentionally inviting the best communicators we know to deliver our teaching videos. Watching them can be kind of a “Communicators 201” class for you and your team. Even if you plan to teach live, watching our communicators deliver the message first will naturally help viewers become better communicators. You might be reading this hoping to one day communicate on different stages in your church.  Using these teaching videos as a guide is a way to help you get there.

3. Delegate and Breathe

The average youth ministry leader has A LOT on their plate. Honestly, the responsibility of live teaching is one of the few that can actually be delegated when necessary. You’ll still need to prepare by watching the video to make any comments of correction or difference due to your theological preferences, but let the teaching videos do most of the heavy lifting for you. Also, the responsibility of teaching is what often scares most volunteers away from student ministry, so leading with “you won’t have to do any of the upfront teaching” often helps with your volunteer recruitment. 

4. Elevate Diversity

We believe every student needs to see both someone on stage who looks like them and someone on stage who doesn’t. Depending on where your youth ministry is located, who chooses to volunteer, and what programs students choose to attend; it can be difficult to turn that belief into reality. We intentionally strive for racial, gender, and ethnic diversity among our communicators in each series of teaching videos we produce. So, using the teaching videos brings that same diversity to the students in your ministry.

5. Multiply Your Impact

Maybe you’re leading a ministry that has separate middle school and high school gatherings, multiple services, or multiple campuses. With teaching videos, you can develop a system where, at whatever times/spaces make sense, certain groups receive video teaching while others receive live teaching.

6. Partner with Parents

For series on heavier or more sensitive topics (like sex, dating, mental health, etc.), you can use the teaching videos to allow parents to preview the content prior to teaching it to their students. This will better prepare parents for engaging in conversations about sensitive subjects and ensure that everyone is using the same language when navigating these topics.

7.  Engage On-The-Go Students

We believe every kid needs to see both someone on stage who looks like them and Think of your students who are travel athletes, marching band players, or cast and crew in the school or local theater production.  Due to those interests, they might miss several weeks in a row of your youth gatherings. Instead of just missing completely; a better option might be to make the teaching videos easily available to them to view on their own time. Some leaders create a private YouTube channel for this or Google drive for this. Empower them to stay connected to what their peers and small group leaders are learning even when they aren’t physically there.

8. Smaller Groups, Bigger Impact

Something we’ve heard from leaders of smaller youth ministries (15 students or less) is that having a speaker stand in front of smaller groups can feel awkward. Yet, watching a teaching video together might actually feel more natural. For those of you who have already purchased XP3 teaching videos, the “Integrated Teaching Videos” might be the best option for a smaler ministry. Look for that folder in your curriculum dashboard and reach out to your Orange Specialist if you have any questions.

I hope several of these hacks are helpful to you and make a positive impact on your youth ministry! Ultimately, here are two things to keep in mind. First, you and your teaching team are the last word on what is taught to your students. Yes, you may play a video to communicate the bulk of the teaching, but you are in control of how that video is set up and how that video is to be interpreted after. You and your team are still in control of how the Gospel is being taught in your ministry, exactly how it should be. Second, trust your gut on whether teaching videos will truly work and add value to your ministry. You know better than anyone what is best to help your youth engage with the teaching. We hope you have the freedom and resources you need to bring that engagement to your youth. 

XP3 teaching videos are best purchased alongside our XP3 curriculum. Click here to learn more and even download a sample of curriculum and teaching videos to try them out today.