Reading: Transcript - Prayer and Music in Youth Ministry

Prayer and Music in Youth Ministry

Welcome back! 🎉

This course is all about how to lead or start a youth ministry, and in this lecture, we’re focusing on prayer and music—two incredibly important aspects of youth ministry.

📖 Psalm 68:32-33
"Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with a mighty voice."

Why Is Music Important in Youth Ministry?

Music plays a major role in worship, both in church and in youth ministry. If you think about a worship service, nearly half of it is music.

Why do we sing so much? Why does the Bible talk about music so often?

1. Music Unites Us

• When someone preaches, only one person speaks.
• But when we sing, everyone can participate at the same time—without chaos.
• Add harmony, and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts—just like the body of Christ.

2. Music Makes Truth Stick

• Songs are memorable.
• If you put something into music, people will remember it for years.
• How many worship songs or childhood songs do you still know?
• Truth in song lasts a lifetime.

Why Do Some Youth Groups Struggle with Singing?

Singing used to be a natural part of life, but today, many youth groups struggle to get kids to sing.

🎶 Story: Teaching in the Philippines (1981-82)

• In the Philippines, everyone sang.
• Most students could play the guitar.
• By the second time through a song, they were already adding harmony.
• Then I came back to the United States—and suddenly, singing together wasn’t a thing anymore.

Why? Here are some reasons:

1. Youth Are Incredibly Self-Conscious

• Teenagers are constantly evaluating themselves.
• "Am I good at this?" "Do I sound weird?" "Will people judge me?"
• Personal Story: When I was in fourth grade, I was singing in chapel, and a girl turned around and said: "Who said you could sing?"
  • That devastated me.
  • I still sometimes doubt my singing because of one comment from years ago.
• Singing exposes your voice—and that makes youth feel vulnerable.

2. Singing Feels Too Emotional

• Worship songs stir emotions.
• Teens already feel overwhelmed with emotions (stress, identity, relationships).
• They don’t want to look “too into it” or be seen as emotional.

3. Lack of Musical Background

• Many kids today have no music training.
• Some have never learned to match pitch.
• For guys: Their voices change during puberty, and they suddenly can’t find the right note.
  • Before puberty: Singing high is natural.
  • After puberty: They don’t know where their voice fits.
  • Result? They stop singing.

4. They Don’t Know the Songs

• New kids join the youth group and don’t know the songs.
• Each week, they hear five new songs but haven’t learned the old ones yet.
• They feel left out and self-conscious about singing songs they don’t know.

5. Fear of Standing Out

• Teens want to belong—but they don’t want to stand out.
• Singing makes them vulnerable—especially if they’re unsure of their voice.

How to Get Youth to Sing

If your youth group doesn’t sing, it will be a challenge to get them started—but it’s worth it.

1. Find a Theme Song for Your Group

• Choose a song that becomes a tradition—sung every meeting.
• Over time, that song collects memories.
• Personal Story:
  • In 1965, I was part of a boys' church club.
  • We sang the same theme song every week.
  • 50+ years later—I still remember it.
  • The song became part of my faith journey.

2. Make It Happen—No Excuses

• Decide to do it.
• It may feel awkward at first—but keep going.
• Story: I taught my four sons hymns and their parts (tenor, bass).
  • At first, they hated it.
  • Now—they love that they know it.

3. Use the Talent You Have

• Do you have musicians? Great!
• If not—teach someone guitar!
• No musicians? Sing acapella.
• Worst case—use a phone or speaker.
• There’s NO excuse for not singing.

4. Create a Youth Group Songbook

• Over time, collect songs and print a simple booklet.
• Let kids choose songs from the booklet.
• The more familiar they get, the more confident they’ll be.

Prayer in Youth Ministry

Prayer has the same challenges as singing.

Why Are Youth Hesitant to Pray?

1. They Don’t Know How

• Praying out loud feels foreign.
• They’ve heard adults pray, but they don’t know how to do it themselves.

2. They Fear Failing or Sounding Foolish

• They worry about saying the wrong thing.
• They don’t know how to start or how to end a prayer.

3. Prayer Can Be Emotional

• Prayer makes emotions real.
• Some youth avoid praying because they don’t want to cry in front of others.

How to Teach Youth to Pray

1. Model Short Prayers

• Adults pray long, complicated prayers.
• Youth think they have to do the same—so they don’t even try.
• Start with one-sentence prayers:
  • “Lord, thank You for today.”
  • “God, please help me with my test.”
  • “Jesus, I love You.”
• If they can say a sentence, they can pray.

2. Create a Prayer Book

• Write down simple prayers for different situations:
  • Morning prayers
  • School prayers
  • Prayers before sports
  • Prayers for hard days

3. Use the ACTS Prayer Model

📖 ACTS: A Simple Way to Teach Prayer
✅ A – Adoration (Praise God for who He is)
✅ C – Confession (Admit sins and mistakes)
✅ T – Thanksgiving (Thank God for blessings)
✅ S – Supplication (Ask God for help)

Example: Have students write one sentence for each letter, then go around the room reading them aloud.

👉 By the end, everyone will have prayed out loud—without fear.

Final Thoughts

1️⃣ Prayer and music are vital for youth ministry.
2️⃣ Start small. Keep it simple.
3️⃣ Give youth opportunities to participate.
4️⃣ If you make it a habit, it will change their lives.

Challenge: Try one of these ideas this week. See what happens. You got this!