Bible studies and Christian music have long been a part of youth ministry, but a new initiative seeks to merge those aspects together, with the goal of fostering meaningful conversations.

A partnership between leading Christian media site NewReleaseToday (NRT) and tween-focused entertainment company Bema Media has led to the creation of IRL Resources (http://www.IRLResources.com), a subscription service that delivers weekly discussion guides based on hit Christian songs. 

Named after the text lingo that means "In Real Life," each IRL study deals with real life issues such as trust, identity, challenges, and the choices we make. Carrying those themes are songs from some of today's biggest artists like Lauren Daigle, Kutless, Jordan Feliz, Jaci Velasquez, All Sons & Daughters, Aaron Shust, Hawk Nelson, Citizen Way and more. 

"This is a dream that has been in the making for years, both for us at NewReleaseToday and our friends at Bema Media," said NRT Founder Kevin McNeese. "Music is a point of connection, something that brings people together. And we now get to harness the full power of scripturally inspired music to get youth talking about real life issues, as well as the hope that is available to them."
 
The service offers two tracks: One for parents, families and individuals, and another for youth leaders, pastors, teachers and homeschoolers.

IRL studies, which are distributed digitally every Monday, include a worksheet that contains an introduction to the theme, scriptures to read, discussion questions, a quote from the artist about the song, a closing prayer and links to watch the music video and/or stream the song. Group studies also include an ice breaker game, full sermon notes, talking points, media slides and more.

"The IRL devotionals are fast, fun and up to date," said Bema Media's Brad Matthias, a Nashville area pastor. "Everyone knows these artists and are genuinely interested to learn about what's behind the lyrics! And for churches, this is a great resource for those with little time to prep."

Plans start at less than one dollar a week. Learn more about IRL Resources and the various subscription options at http://www.IRLResources.com.

 

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