Introduction
What is the Narrative Lectionary?
What’s in a Leader’s Guide?
Scope & Sequence
Other Resources
Ordering & Download Information
Leader & Parent Letters
Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
Whether your junior high and high school youth are in confirmation, youth group, or a different form of faith formation, they can learn the story of the Bible through study and a variety of fun activities with our Living the Word: Youth (2023-2024) materials! As a product in our Living the Word series, this Youth curriculum journeys through the Bible following the stories of the Narrative Lectionary.
Each easy-to-use lesson plan provides all the information you and your leaders need to teach the weekly lesson, including necessary supplies, step-by-step instructions, and even scripts for those who want them. The lessons contain more activities than can be used within a typical education hour, which allows leaders to choose the activities that best fit their youth and their teaching style.
The Living the Word: Youth (2023-2024) curriculum is a high-quality, low-cost option for congregations and ministries of all sizes. Pricing is based on your estimated attendance range, and the purchase of a single license covers the entire congregation. You and your leaders can download the materials from your Customer Account as soon as each quarter is released (See the current Release Dates page for details). You can then print whichever pages you would like, or access the PDF files through your mobile devices!
If your confirmation or youth group has a presentation, sermon, or teaching as a part of your meeting, then leaders might find our Living the Word: Contexts & Connections (2023-2024) background information helpful with their preparations. If your group is older and prefers quieter discussion over active learning, then see if our Living the Word: Small Groups (2023-2024) discussion guides fit your style better.
What is the Narrative Lectionary?
The Narrative Lectionary is a nine-month calendar of Scripture readings which focuses on one story or passage each Sunday or festival day. It starts in September with a story about creation and touches on the major stories, characters, and plot points in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) until mid-December. At that point, the lectionary picks up one of the four Gospels (one Gospel each year for a four-year cycle) and moves through many of the main stories or passages of that Gospel sequentially until just after Easter. From the second Sunday of Easter through Pentecost Sunday, the readings are pulled from Acts and the Letters. Read more about this on our What Is the Narrative Lectionary? webpage.
What’s in a Leader’s Guide?
Each downloadable lesson includes:
- Leader Pages– A big idea for the day (The Point), unit theme, background information, and a diverse menu of possible activities all make it easy for confirmation and youth leaders to prepare for their own unique class.
- Core Elements– Each week, draw your youth into the story of God’s love, help them engage the Bible, and connect God’s story with their lives! Each lesson is based on “Learning the Story,” an interactive Bible study that encourages youth to make the Bible their own by deeply engaging the text.
- Extending the Learning– Every lesson includes a variety of activity types to fit any context, including “Hands On,” “Mixed Media,” “The Competitive Edge,” “Simply Serving,” “Worship Connection,” and a discussion guide.
- The Story @ Home– Send this reproducible take-home sheet with the youth to share with their families what they learned in class, as well as giving suggestions for daily Family Devotions for the upcoming week. Take-home sheets can also be emailed to families to avoid the possibility of lost papers!
Scope & Sequence
Check out the Living the Word Scope and Sequence (2023-2024) for the complete list of lessons!
Other Resources
Our Living the Word: Youth product complements our other Narrative Lectionary products:
- Living the Word: Kids (PK-2nd) – For lower elementary students.
- Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th) – For upper elementary students.
- Living the Word: Singing God’s Story (PK-6th) – Original children’s music following the Narrative Lectionary.
- Living the Word: Small Groups – For young adult or adult small group discussions.
- Living the Word: Contexts & Connections – Bible background notes for faith formation leaders.
- Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education – For leading interactive, intergenerational learning experiences in a classroom setting.
- Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship – For creating interactive, intergenerational worship experiences.
- Living the Word: Sharing God’s Story @ Home – Bulletin insert bringing faith formation home with a weekly devotional tool.
Ordering & Download Information
To order, go to the Living the Word: Youth (2023-2024) product page and select your best estimate of the attendance range of your class(es). You will also select the season you would like to order, the Full Year, or the Fall, Winter, Spring quarters individually. After you add the product to your cart and complete the rest of your shopping, you can proceed to checkout. There, complete the form and select your payment type.
All resource materials are available as digital downloads (PDF files) for printing or using electronically. The end user licensing agreement (EULA) allows congregations to download, print, and use the curriculum lessons as often as you would like if the use remains in the purchasing congregation.
After your payment is processed, you can download the materials from your Customer Account as soon as each quarter is released (See the current Release Dates page for details). Each quarter purchased comes in a single compressed (ZIP) file, which your operating system should be able to open and extract the folders and PDF files, at which point you can print or share with your leaders as you please!
For more detailed information on ordering, downloading, and other topics, please go to our Customer Service FAQ page.
Leader & Parent Letters
Introduce leaders and parents to this curriculum with the letters below from the publisher, or write your own!