We participate in communion during our church services to acknowledge the work of Jesus on the cross. It is a sacred moment in our services as we take the juice and the bread to symbolize the blood and body of Jesus. And we must teach teens communion’s importance, too.
For many of us, this is a beautiful moment that we enjoy, but for many teens, this can seem hard to understand and even possibly boring. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Communion is far more than just a ritual. It’s not some boring, dead practice. It’s honestly quite the opposite. When we participate in communion, the death and resurrection of Jesus should be more real and tangible to each of us.
How can we achieve that with the younger generation? Here are three practical ways to teach teens communion:
1. Take the Time to Explain Communion
Have you ever found yourself doing something a certain way just because it has always been done that way? Maybe you’ve heard the story of the young woman who cut the ends of the roast off before cooking it. She said, “I don’t know. I cut the ends off because I learned this recipe from my mom, which was how she had always done it.” Sometimes, we tend to follow certain traditions or habits blindly without knowing the rationale behind them.
As we introduce communion to teens, we need to be cautious and avoid taking the same approach. If we don’t teach them the significance of communion, it might just become another routine activity for them rather than a deeply meaningful experience.
The best way to teach teens communion and make it come alive is to spend time teaching them. We cannot make any assumptions about their familiarity with the concept. Instead, we should assume that not everyone in the room knows what communion is all about. Therefore, it’s essential to explain the story of what Jesus did for each one of us.
The Significance of the Last Supper
We should also narrate the story of the Last Supper and Jesus’ explanation of his blood and his body (Matthew 26:17-30). It’s crucial to teach them the significance so that they can understand what communion represents. It’s not merely about eating bread and drinking juice; it represents much more significant things.
To make the teaching more practical and effective, we can do the following:
- Preach a message about Jesus’ death and then walk them through the significance of communion
- Do a short teaching each time you do communion in your youth services
By teaching teens about the significance of communion, we can help them establish a deeper understanding and appreciation for this sacred practice.
2. Use Object Lessons, Stories, or Videos
As a church leader, it’s important to remember that the teenagers in your congregation have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips. They can easily pull up facts, statistics, videos, and images on almost any topic through their cell phones. This means that when you introduce the concept of communion, you need to ensure it doesn’t come across as boring or stale.
In reality, communion is a deeply meaningful and fully immersive experience that allows us to remember what Jesus did for us. As a leader, it’s your job to help the teens in your church understand this and appreciate it fully. One way to make this happen is by incorporating media into your communion service using object lessons, stories, or videos like The Table from Shift Worship.
You can find plenty more helpful videos on communion on Shift Worship to aid this.
Keep Their Attention
It’s important to note that studies have shown that the availability and accessibility of digital media have significantly reduced the attention span of teens. Therefore, you must make the communion experience as engaging and hands-on as possible. Rather than just talking about the concept of communion, consider showing images or videos of Jesus breaking bread with his disciples or even of Jesus on the cross.
These visual aids will help capture the teens’ attention and make the experience feel more real and tangible to them. By doing this, you can help make communion come alive for the teenagers in your church and help them appreciate it more deeply.
3. Host Small Group Discussions
While traditional methods such as teaching, videos, images, and object lessons are effective, engaging teenagers in small group discussions is essential to make the experience more meaningful and personal. By gathering in small groups, they can share their experiences and stories, allowing them to connect with the significance of communion on a deeper level.
Small group discussions can be especially beneficial for those students who may not feel a personal connection to communion. They may find similarities with others and connect through those similar experiences. With just one great conversation, individuals can begin to see the beauty of what Jesus did for us and how we can remember that through communion.
An Invitation to Participate
Communion, a religious practice that has been around for centuries, doesn’t have to feel outdated or irrelevant for today’s teenagers. It can play a significant role in shaping their spiritual journey and helping them deepen their relationship with God.
Adopting these three practical ways to teach communion to teens and making it more engaging and meaningful for them will give them a unique opportunity to participate in the ritual and comprehend its profound significance.
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