Broadly graded: youth teach youth model

This is not nearly as controversial as it was when I started youth ministry. Actually, one of my 70 year old teachers had started teaching as a teenager. It is not a new concept. But some churches haven't tried it and assume the worst. I had one person leave our church, incensed because we had an elementary class being taught by youth (there was an adult on the team but he often missed because the youth had everything under control). The class was noisy, with lots of movement and activity, but the youth leading the class were all experienced teachers and knew what they were doing and worked from lesson plans. As an observer of all my classes I can say that those children learned more than the other classes. In subsequent posts I'll give practical hints on implementing this model effectively.