Surviving Middle School: A 4-Week Series

This series covers some of the major shifts that happen in this incredible and treacherous phase of life. Together you will explore Growing Out Of childhood, Growing Into new bodies, Fitting In where they belong, and Standing Out as individual persons. All of the sessions focus on providing agency, dignity, and encouragement to young people. They leave knowing that they are loved, respected, and known through all of these shifts while showing them that not even middle school can separate them from the love of God.

Details:

4 lesson plans and student handouts (PDF format)
Leader’s guide for activities and discussions
Social media and keynote graphics

$40.00

Weekly Summaries

Week 1 – Growing Out Of

Tackle the pain and challenge that is growing up. The process of growing out of our shoes, toys, and friends can hurt and make us wish we could stay kids a little bit longer. That sharp discomfort can be really difficult for middle school students, who live in the Venn diagram between childhood and adolescence. This lesson will create space for the grieving of certain parts of childhood, while inviting middle school students to imagine who God is calling them into, and thanking God at every step along the process.

Scripture – 1 Corinthians 13:9-12

Week 2 – Growing Into

Guide middle schoolers through the minefield of growing into their own bodies. Without ever using the word “puberty,” this lesson encourages young people to embrace a sense of agency over their changing bodies, explore how they are being called to care for themselves and their bodies, and points to theological truths of our own belovedness as those made in the image of God, even as the image in the mirror changes. This lesson includes some storytelling about a cat, a guided meditation, and an invitation to love ourselves better.

Scripture – Proverbs 29:25 & Romans 8:38-39

Week 3 – Fitting In

Focus on fitting in and belonging, utilizing everything from collaborative bar graphs to hypothetical students. Use coloring projects to lead young people to engage more deeply with their anxieties about belonging and the hope and connection they can find in their Christian community. The example of the Acts 2 church provides a framing scripture through which young people can explore what belonging, as an action they take, can look like.

Scripture – Acts 2:41-47

Week 4 – Standing Out

Explore identity and all the efforts we make to stand out. Utilizing a speed round auto-biography game, an exploration of Ephesians 2, and a series of spoken affirmations, students are invited to dive into of the freedom, joy, and humility that they can find by drawing their identity not from what they do but from their belovedness by God.

Scripture – Ephesians 2:8-10

Testimonials

“Holy Disruptions is everything I've wanted in a youth group curriculum! It engages our teenagers' questions and ideas without offering overly simplified answers.”

- Laurel Capesius, Director and Campus Minister at Winthrop Wesley Foundation

“Holy Disruptions gave our leaders a teaching foundation while also creating and fostering space for our students to do their own theological exploration.”

- Nathan Wheeler, Youth Ministry and Young Adult Coordinator, Cumberland Presbyterian Church

“This material has allowed students to process through what God is teaching and speaking to them.”

- Kelsey Fisher, Program Coordinator, City Service Mission

What makes Holy
Disruptions different?

Holy Disruptions series are designed to delve into the unique experiences of today’s youth, spark deep theological reflection, and foster transformative discussions. Our three-part methodology empowers students to align with God’s vision and desires for the world.

Interruption

Facilitate a disorienting experience – where students are most receptive to growth.

Reflection

Invite students to investigate their reaction to the disorienting moment.

Holy Disruption

Ask students to explore what God says about it.