Lesson Three: Laugh at Yourself—They Will!

If you work with students, there will be laughter. Sometimes there will be laughter while you are trying to teach. Teenagers love to laugh and they will take just about any opportunity to do it.

It’s not that seriousness is bad in youth ministry. We need to tell teenagers the truths of God with passion. Even so, at some point when you least expect it the generation gap will catch up with you. You will make some innocent statement that your teenagers will find incredibly funny. How you handle situations like that speaks volumes to your students.

Being able to laugh at yourself bridges the gap between students and leaders. Laughing at yourself shows humility and authenticity. After all, real people do funny things. Real people make mistakes. You can pretend you don’t, but students have trouble relating to people who seem to be perfect. Most of the time, you connect with young people when you are willing to find humor in your own words . . . even when you were trying to be serious.

Go ahead. Laugh at yourself. Let the chuckle escape.

Sharing laughter is a deep human experience, like sharing tears or breaking bread. Laughter, like tears, is the mortar of relationships. And it goes a long way in youth ministry.

Zach Skipper has spent over 12 years working with students. He has served as a youth minister, speaker, and bible study teacher. He is currently leading Bigtime Ministries while part-time coaching at one of the country’s leading Junior Highs in Birmingham, AL. To find out more about Zach’s ministry, contact him at www.bigtimeministries.com.