6 Steps Toward Planning Your 2026 Youth Ministry Year
It’s that time again. It’s December, which means we have to plan for the year. I don’t know about you,
For most students, school isn’t just where they spend the majority of their time—it’s also where their faith gets tested the most. It’s where peer pressure is intense, where their beliefs might be challenged, and where the tension between following Jesus and fitting in can feel overwhelming. But school is simultaneously probably the biggest mission field they’ll ever have. Jesus never called His followers to keep their faith boxed into a building. He calls students to live boldly, even in the places that feel hardest. So how do we teach teenagers how to live out their faith in the halls, classrooms, and lunch tables of their schools?
It’s a fair question, and we’ll dive in in this blog post. But if you’re really just looking for the simplest resource, here’s our best youth ministry series on helping students live out their faith.
Time needed: 1 hour
Materials Needed
Bible or Bible app for each student
Printed quote cards or sticky notes
Whiteboard or poster paper + markers
Optional: index cards and pens for silent journaling
Ask students to silently reflect, then respond to this question: What’s one time when your faith changed the way you responded to a situation?
Let this question linger. If a few students share, encourage it—but don’t force vulnerability. This helps students realize that faith isn’t just about beliefs; it’s about lived decisions.
Explain that the goal today is to explore what it means to live out their faith—not just know it, not just say it, but actually let it shape how they live, love, and respond in the world.
Pro Tip: When students say they don’t know how to live out their faith, they often mean they don’t know where to begin. Keep it practical and start small.
Ask students what comes to mind when they hear the word “witness.” Some will think of courtroom drama. Some will think of street evangelists. Most won’t picture themselves.
Read Acts 1:8 together:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
Point out that Jesus didn’t say you might be witnesses. He said you will be. If they’ve encountered Christ, they are already a witness—whether they like it or not. The only question is: what story are they telling?
Pro Tip: A witness doesn’t need all the answers—they just speak from experience.
A key theme from the series: living out your faith isn’t about performing for God. It’s about being present with God. Read John 15:5 aloud:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…”
Help students see that bearing fruit doesn’t require striving—it requires staying connected to Jesus.
Ask:
What helps you stay connected to God in your real, daily life?
What pulls you away from that connection?
Pro Tip: If students feel like they’re failing at faith, they may be disconnected from God’s presence—not His standards.
Challenge students to think about their environment—school, home, sports, etc.—and ask: What’s one way I can show the love and character of Jesus there this week?
Brainstorm a list together on a whiteboard:
Defend someone being excluded
Apologize first
Offer prayer for a friend
Step away from gossip
Talk about your faith openly
Make the list long. Make it personal.
Pro Tip: Remind them that gospel-centered action starts small and grows as they trust Jesus more deeply.
Have each student trace their shoe on a blank sheet of paper. Inside the footprint, they should write or draw one action they’ll take this week to live out their faith. Once everyone’s finished, have a few volunteers share.
Tape the footprints to the wall or board under a title like: “This Week, We Walk It Out.”
Pro Tip: Visual representations of their next step make the abstract concept of faith-in-action concrete.
Want the full four-week series that inspired this lesson?
Get the Witnesses series—complete with Message Manuscripts, Video Messages, Discussion Guides, and Graphics.
Related Posts:
How to Teach Teenagers About Peer Pressure & Influence
How to Teach Teenagers About Overcoming Fear & Finding Courage in Christ
Check out We’ve Got Spirit & Witnesses – Sermon series designed to help students live out their faith in everyday life.
It’s that time again. It’s December, which means we have to plan for the year. I don’t know about you,
A new year always brings new faces, fresh energy, and—let’s be honest—a little bit of chaos in youth ministry. New
Oh man, this is so real and so painful. The students in our youth group really become our kids. I tell people