How to Lead Bible Exploration:

Summer camp is such a great place to work with kids. You’ve got them for at least five straight days usually; it’s not hit and miss like in Sunday school with different ones being present or absent on different days. At camp it’s also easy to grab their attention. When they see us dress up as aliens from outer space, compete in jump-or-dive contests in the pool, and spend time hanging out with them at freetime instead of in the staff lounge, they’re willing to listen to us as we open God’s Word. They need to see that we know how to bounce off the walls and have fun but also how to be serious and reverent when it comes to the things of God.

Bible Exploration is just like it’s name says. It’s a time to explore God’s Word–to focus on him, to learn what great things he has done, and then to figure out how that affects our lives.

I once heard a pastor say that he always keeps three things in mind when he prepares a sermon:
1) Does it exalt the Lord Jesus?
2) Does it humble the creature?
3) Does it give hope?
Those are wise things for us to keep in mind, also, when we lead Bible Exploration.

A key element of Bible Ex. is camper participation. We don’t want kids to just sit and listen for 45 minutes, or we’ll lose them. We need to give them the opportunity to compare, to analyze, to dissect, to debate, to draw, to write, to portray, to wonder, to imagine–whatever helps them to deal with and understand a passage better. Youth Bible study lessons should include options and ideas for those kinds of activities

If at all possible, try to have Bible Ex. outdoors. Have a blanket or a tarp for everyone to sit on or use a picnic table if available. Sit so you can maintain eye contact with all your campers.
Here are a few more tips:
  • Prepare early! Spend time mulling over the lesson and let it penetrate your own inner being.
  • Make notes on a 4x6 index card (it won’t blow away easily) so you don’t have to read from the book.
  • Encourage campers to think; avoid questions with yes/no answers.
  • Allow campers time to think before answering; a little silence is okay.
  • Treat campers’ questions and comments with respect.
  • Admit when you don’t know an answer and offer to try to find it; remember to do it!
  • Direct questions to different campers to avoid letting the same ones do all the talking.
  • Assist campers in discovering what God’s Word says and keep your opinions and advice to a minimum.
  • When you do need to give an explanation of something, make sure they’re following you by asking a question, such as, “Does that make sense?”

Finally, the most important quality you can bring to teaching is your own love and admiration for Jesus Christ. Creative methods and techniques aren’t worth much if they’re not combined with a delight in him. So if you’re young and inexperienced (or old and inexperienced), be patient. You’ll get better at teaching. If you are eager to dig into his Word and know him better, that will come through to the campers.