{"id":32077,"date":"2021-10-07T17:21:30","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T21:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/how-to-use-xp3-in-a-combined-environment\/"},"modified":"2024-01-04T21:21:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T02:21:00","slug":"how-to-use-xp3-in-a-combined-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/how-to-use-xp3-in-a-combined-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use XP3 Curriculum in a Combined Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In student ministry, one of the most important filters that everything can be run through is, \u201cWhat is most helpful for the faith development of the students I\u2019m working with?\u201d<\/strong> <\/em>Think about it. Everything from strategy, teaching, programming structure, or small group questions can be filtered by this question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, if we want our students to develop a resilient faith of their own, what do we need to do? Here’s the challenge. That answer can be very different depending on their phase. So, when we have multiple phases in the room, what should we do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middle and High School Phases are Different<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been around the Orange world as long as me, you\u2019ll remember that there used to only be one XP3 youth ministry curriculum<\/a>: XP3. Whether your ministry was 6-12 grade, only middle school or only high school . . . XP3 was the only option for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when we started the Phase Project<\/a> years ago, something became glaringly clear.. It\u2019s really challenging to talk about life and faith to an 11-year-old and an 18-year-old. Not only are they in such different stages of life academically, socially, and maturity-wise, but there is much difference in the development of their brains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way we normally put it is like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middle school students think like engineers<\/a>. They learn best when they personalize an idea by connecting pieces of information. Also, they personalize abstract concepts by connecting ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High school students think like philosophers. They learn best through open debate, multiple perspectives, and applied reasoning. These students want to discover meaning, understand how it applies to their current situation, and process out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was clear that when you put a sixth grader and a twelfth grader next to each other, there were some big differences. They\u2019re asking different questions. Their brains are processing information differently. If you want a deeper dive into the differences between middle and high school students, check out Just a Phase<\/a> (a must-read in my mind) and take a listen to this episode<\/a> of the Rethinking Youth Ministry Podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we learned through the Phase Project gave us more clarity on exactly HOW MUCH was different other than physical and emotional maturity. That\u2019s why XP3 Middle School and XP3 High School<\/a> were born. Though not always, it\u2019s why we often encourage churches to have separate middle and high school environments. Here\u2019s another episode<\/a> of the Rethinking Youth Ministry Podcast where we talk a little more about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Ask Yourself When Planning for Middle and High School<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With that being said, there\u2019s a reality of student ministry that combined middle school and high school environments exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it\u2019s a strategic choice of wanting high school students to have an impact in the lives of middle school students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other times it\u2019s about numbers and not feeling like there is enough critical mass to warrant middle and high school-specific environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be a space issue and you don\u2019t have two unique spaces to send your middle and high school students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or it might be a staffing issue and creating two separate environments just isn\u2019t feasible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the reasoning, the reality is that many student ministries choose to do their programming with middle school and high school together, or simply have to. No matter the reason or structure of your ministry, we think maybe the most important question we need to be asking ourselves is . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is most helpful for the faith development of the students I\u2019m working with?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we\u2019re deciding what our environments and programs look like:<\/strong> What is most helpful for the faith development of the students who will be attending?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In finalizing small group questions:<\/strong> What is the most helpful for the faith development of the students who will be talking through them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we\u2019re deciding what and how we will be teaching:<\/strong> What is most helpful for the faith development of the students who will be listening?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hear me out. Obviously, “Is this true?\u201d<\/em> is a very important filter when it comes to teaching, too. But it shouldn\u2019t be your final filter. As we can all imagine, there are some key truths about life and faith that just aren\u2019t relevant to the life of a seventh grader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, Brett. We get it. But my group is combined and I\u2019m just trying to figure out what to do.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Message received. Let\u2019s get practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Do When Middle and High School Ministries are Combined<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If I\u2019m honest, I\u2019ve always had a bend more toward high school ministry. Most of us have a natural inclination toward either middle school or high school ministry, I\u2019m guessing. So, I tended to teach more toward the high school students. Here are a few of my reasons why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n