Monthly column for youth leaders

After considering the importance of working in schools last month, here are some guidelines for assemblies. But what is an assembly?

assembly n. gathering of persons, esp. of deliberative body.
Oxford English Dictionary
or
assembly n. nightmare presentation, of limited gospel opportunity, in a school's so-called 'collective worship'.
Youth-workers Alternative Dictionary

Perhaps the latter is your definition of an assembly, a baptism of fire that the school puts you through in exchange for letting you lead a Christian club at lunch times. But they are a huge opportunity for the gospel. Paul could have been thinking about assemblies when he wrote 2 Corinthians. Look at 4.2, 'Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.' That is our target: to set the truth out plainly.

Aim or theme?

The first consideration is the aim of the assembly. This may appear to be dictated by a theme, but there is a huge difference between 'aim' and 'theme'. The Bible should dictate our aim. The theme may be set by a head-teacher or an occasion. To set the aim you must ask what the Bible says about the theme. Yes, you do need to know a little bit of doctrine. (Books such as Know the Truth by Bruce Milne will help).

Establishing the aim will point to a verse or passage in the Bible summing it up. Try to avoid the word 'story' as it implies that the Bible is fiction. Words such as 'account' or 'incident' do not. Do not shy away from teaching even well-known passages. Simple Bible truths alone can be huge for those without a Bible background.

If you don't use the Bible, the assembly will amount to nothing more than another person's bright ideas or a snappy moralising lecture that can be rejected as right for you, wrong for me. The Bible is God's Word. Young people leaving assemblies rejecting what you say should at least be clear that they are rejecting God's Word.

Opener

The opener must introduce the theme and grab the attention of the listeners. They may need challenging about the way they think, or just waking up. An opener could be rowdy, thought provoking, loud, interactive, in fact anything at all. It will depend on the age group of the young people, your talents and how far the school will let you go.

Try not to do similar openers all the time. Try to mix it up and use different media on different occasions. Young people like technology, they like loud things, they like up to date music and film clips. They also remember if you used the same illustration last year!

Linking in

How are you going to link the theme with the Bible to explain the Christian viewpoint? It may be appropriate to talk about a video clip or piece of drama or you may need to find out more about where the young people are. Some age groups and schools will readily answer questions out loud, so you can dialogue with them. You could talk to your church youth group first. Starting with 'I know what you're thinking' gets people listening. You may want to tell of a personal story or use an anecdote from a book. Real things are better than invented stuff; young people know when you are borrowing a story.

Crunch time

Make sure the link between what you have been doing or saying and the Bible is clear. The Bible's message must be concise and memorable. Listeners must know that it is the Bible speaking and it is Christian doctrine being spelled out. There must be no confusion arising from inferences about other beliefs and religions. You must not tell the young people that this is what they must believe (i.e. no 'altar calls'). This sounds a bit restricting, but it is possible to present the Bible in such a way that leaves them with a clear choice without compromising their freedom.

Use the Bible, but remember that not everyone is familiar with it. So consider its appearance (attractive, not black and officious); whether to use a reference or not; putting high-impact verses on an overhead; the version and type of language you use (always explain unfamiliar words).

Endings

The final question is how to end the assembly leaving people thinking the right thing. What challenge is there now that they have heard God's word? You might need to summarise and fire out a final question. Try not to leave the audience remembering the illustration rather than the Bible verse. Beware of the temptation to moralise at this point.

The Bible does have a lot to say about the way we live, so sometimes a double challenge is a good ending. The challenge to change our behaviour is something the teachers will appreciate. The challenge to get right with God will leave people thinking the right thoughts. And it will inspire 'awe and wonder'. Ofsted inspectors like that.

Inspiring awe and wonder?

Aim or theme?

Opener

Linking in

Crunch time

Endings

Next month some tried and tested examples.

Roger Fawcett

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