Monday, October 27, 2014

Wait, You are telling me that teenagers CAN be SERIOUS?!?

I will never understand why many youth ministries ONLY capitalize on the fact that teenagers want to have fun. While it is true that teenagers want to have fun they also want to go deeper in their walk with Jesus. Teenagers want to BOTH have fun and GROW in their Christian faith.

Youth ministry, therefore, should be thrilling because if done effectively the youth pastor/youth workers can enjoy fun AND build deep discipleship relationships with the teenagers in their group.

Why then do many youth ministries simply have fun as a priority and then try to add a smidgeon of Jesus?

Answer: It's easier. (Seriously, it's not hard to throw a party every youth group). Digging down into teenagers' lives is hard and messy.

It may be subtle, but it is noticeable. Is your youth ministry more about introducing teenagers to Jesus in a fun way OR about having fun and hoping the teenagers involved get something about Jesus?

This past Wednesday we broke from our normal youth group routine. After a fun opening activity I simply gave the teenagers an open forum to ask any spiritual questions they wanted of me. It was nothing more than a Q & A time. Teenagers were told they could ask any question as long as it was appropriate and had to deal with a spiritual matter.

I was flooded with questions about:
1. God's stance on war
2. Best witnessing techniques
3. How to properly confront a friend
4. God's view on homosexuality
5. What God thinks about tattoos

I even had a young girl openly confess that her friend was cutting and that she wanted help in knowing what to do!

Do you know what is most surprising about these questions? They were asked by Jr. Highers!

That's right. The same Jr. Highers that are picking their nose and flinging boogers one minute are asking deep theological questions that many adults ponder the next minute!

You see, a youth ministry must gives teenagers a forum to ask pertinent questions about life otherwise those same teenagers will think the church is irrelevant and leave it upon graduating!

Students really WANT to get deeper. Encourage this and don't remain on the surface with EVERY youth group meeting!

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