Teaching The Trinity in Youth Groups

“It seems that Jesus is popular by reason of being anchored in history, rather than floating in metaphysics.”

Such is the drive behind ‘The Trinity, the historical Jesus and youth ministry’ by Angus McLeay in ‘Towards a Theology of Youth Ministry‘ from The Ridley College Youth Conference Papers, 1998.

The Trinity by its very nature is taught as metaphysical and abstract with little or no tangible relationship to our experiences in reality. Trying to teach the Trinity as a knowable and relevant entity within youth groups is therefore incredibly difficult!

The Trinity on one hand is often communicated with metaphor, image, object lessons and concepts, and on the other hand with mystery and difficulty. This paradox is at best confusing. The analogies themselves (water, ice, steam; plant, root, flower… etc.) are always found wanting in its wake.

Rather than using the Trinity as a conceptual idea of God, McLeay says that ‘The Trinity is a statement about the relations that form the essence of God’s being.’ The Trinity is a statement of relations and relationship. This makes the doctrine far more teachable and applicable to young people.

The key to teaching the Trinity therefore is relationship. God is a relationship God – absolutely, necessarily, essentially and in eternally. He is many and one in community. We must teach Trinity by teaching the relationships between the members, and specifically how they play out in the Kingdom of God.

McLeay points out several of these Trinity-Kingdom relationship dynamics that are worth unpacking in a youth ministry setting (which I have fleshed out somewhat). These are all tangible and applicable and as such make the Trinity much more teachable rather than abstract:

Kingdom – God’s rule through Jesus over us His people and the world. Jesus has God the Father’s own authority for us to know Him through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We work with Jesus, through the conviction and strength of the Spirit to be a steward of the world the Father created. The Father gave this Kingdom to His Son, Jesus – secured through the raising of Him to life by the Spirit.

Allegiance – Jesus calls us to know the Father though Him – to commit to Him through the power of the Spirit and live with ‘radical, personal allegiance’ to God.

Father/Son – The relationship spelled out in the Old Testament as the King and Son of the King – the God and Son of the God (Psalm 2:2-9). Jesus’ identity is caught up in the identity of the Father. His confidence is in the surety of the loving, protective bond between them and His activities are the fulfillment (through the Spirit’s power) of the Father’s wishes.

Crucifixion & Resurrection – The Kingdom of God is secured through the powerful act of substitution on the cross. Jesus the Son, absorbing the wrath of God the Father in eternity though the eternal nature of their relationships, then brought back to life by the creational breath of God through the Holy Spirit. The resurrection also secures the Kingdom rule of the Son, as death itself (the biggest enemy) is placed beneath his feet.

McLeay ends with a whole bunch of practical steps to teach the Trinity which I’ll simplify here:

– Start with a Gospel story that picks up on Kingdom-Trinity relationships (something that shows how Father, Son and Holy Spirit relate).
– Refer to the oneness of these three beings in the course of other Bible Studies constantly asking the question, ‘what does this tell us about God?’
– Link any relational teaching and concepts back to the Trinity, and particularly examples in the Gospels.
– Look for Trinity links when teaching Kingdom concepts like identity, authority, independence, identity, individuality and outreach.