As a dad, you know it’s important for your children to dig into God’s Word. For them to discover its truths for their own lives. After all, one of your primary jobs as a father is to be a spiritual mentor for your kids. A model helping them learn how to own their faith as they draw closer to adulthood.
But finding a reliable Bible study for teens might not be as easy as it seems. The options alone are staggering. With the advent of online studies, more and more curriculum developers are moving into the market. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make your job of finding a trustworthy teen Bible study for your children more complicated.
Springboard for Bible studies
To help you sort through some of the smoke and find the fire in terms of identifying a solid Bible study for teens, I’ve given you a springboard. The list below includes seven good options for teen Bible studies. Each of them is different in its own way, but they all come from established publishers and writers, and they all have made a difference in the lives of teenagers.
1) Manhood Journey.
In addition to providing solid content for men through blogs like this and the “Father on Purpose” podcast, Manhood Journey also creates Bible studies for teenage guys and their dads. Resources like our “1 on 1” discussion guides allow you to spend time in the Word of God with your son and have meaningful conversations about spiritual issues that you might otherwise be tempted to avoid. If you are looking to lead a group Bible Study, check out Bible Study Group Guides.
2) Heart of Womanhood.
Sometimes, dads aren’t quite sure how to mentor and disciple the young ladies in their lives. Thankfully, they can lean into ministries like Heart of Womanhood and their “Portraits” series. This Bible study for teens gives girls a front-row seat to God’s plan for women by looking at the lives of biblical examples. Each “frame” in the series opens girls up to a new quality they can develop in their lives.
3) Think Biblically.
While every generation struggles with the tension of staying true to the doctrines of faith and examining the demands of the culture, today’s teens seem to struggle more than others. Political correctness, wokeness, tolerance, canceling and so many other issues challenge them at every turn. In this teen Bible study by apologetics expert Sean McDowell, students will learn the biblical responses to the cultural voices in their lives. With Think Biblically, they will learn to navigate the issues that tend to divide us—and serve as Jesus’s hands and feet in a post-Christian world.
4) Foundations.
Pastor Robby Gallaty understands that even teenagers are busy in today’s world. That’s why he has adapted his Foundations study plan into this 260-day devotional resource for teens. With five-day reading plans each week, students will engage with the whole counsel of Scripture through Gallaty’s H.E.A.R. process: Highlighting, Explaining, Applying, and Responding. This Bible study for teens will give your son or daughter a deeper appreciation for Scripture by helping them know what God is saying to them in each passage.
5) Advocates.
Another teen Bible study resource from Sean McDowell, Advocates, is a year-long curriculum that challenges students to dig into studies on worldview, apologetics, and comparative religions. The idea is to equip teenagers to present a bold, yet humble, witness to the world around them.
6) Characters.
One of the things you need to look for when it comes to selecting a Bible study for teens is making sure the Bible is actually the center of it all. With the Characters series, published by Lifeway Students, that’s not a concern. Each book in the series takes teenagers through six character studies. By the time they complete all seven books in the series, they will have covered Genesis to Revelation. Whether the characters are obscure or familiar, your students will get the chance to dive deeper into the people who fill the pages of Scripture.
7) TrueU.
Focus on the Family and its Truth Project has provided guidance for teenagers to live for Jesus in the world. The TrueU Bible studies for teens walks through the most pressing doctrinal issues they will face: the existence of God, the reliability of the Bible, and the identity of Jesus. These teen Bible studies will ground your kids in truth and give them a solid foundation.
Get Started Studying the Bible With Your Teen
As you work through the process of picking out the best teen Bible study for your kids, here are a couple more things to think about. First of all, how involved do you want to be? You have a lot of options, meet daily or weekly, or you can work through the curriculum together. You could even bring in the whole family for devotions as part of the process.
Also, if you still have questions, talk to your student minister or another church leader you trust. The options mentioned above really only scratch the surface. Pastors, teachers, or youth leaders might have additional ideas they’ve come across in their experience working with young people.
The main thing is that remember that you don’t have to have all the answers. Your teen doesn’t expect that, however they will appreciate your effort to pour into their lives.
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