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 Over the last 25 years of ministering to teenagers I have seen a lot of fads, styles, and changes in youth ministry. However, at the very core of reaching teenagers for Jesus Christ much has stayed the same. Sure the old fads of yesterday are coming back today as "new." I couldn�t help getting tickled as I looked across the crowd Sunday morning in our church to see two teenagers with six inch spiked Mohawks. I love it! They think it's new. But "Leo" back in the early 80's had his hair spiked around the front of his head and looked like the Statue of Liberty. But let's go deeper than the surface issues. What are some of the foundational principles to impacting a generation of students? If you're new to youth ministry, learn from an old timer. If you are an old timer, don't forget these timeless truths. Here are just a few.
1. Teenagers need unconditional love, value and acceptance. They are crying out for authentic love and going down dangerous paths in pursuit of it. We need to help fill the void with authentic acceptance of them just the way they are. Isn't that the way God loves us? No preconditions, no hoops to jump through. He just loves us. We need to believe in teenagers and love them even when there is not one reason on the planet to naturally embrace them. But we know that the Bible declares, "Love never fails!"
2. Teenagers are searching for answers. They will question everything they have ever been taught. They will be challenged in their faith and beliefs. They will experiment, take new challenges, and maybe even risks. They are abandoning the comfort of their childhood world to discover their own world. Be willing to answer their tough questions. Don't shy away from having open and frank discussions. And don't put them down because they might challenge their belief and trust in Jesus Christ. Acknowledge their pain and frustrations. Don�t be afraid to say, "Great question, I don't know." Teach them the truth of God�s Word and it will not return void.
3. Be authentic. Teenagers will see right through a fake. Youth ministry is no place for facades or a mask. Talk plain and real to them. Let them into your world to see you inside and out. Let them see that you are a real person with like feelings, passions, and emotions. Be sure that you are living the lifestyle you would want them to imitate.
4. Teenagers want respect. Quit treating them like children or non adults. "Teenager" is a description of their age, not a social category according to God's Word. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul makes it very clear that in God's kingdom you are either a child or an adult. I found that when I began to esteem and treat teenagers as adults they rose to the occasion. I began to respect them and in turn I gained their respect. On countless trips, in airports, restaurants, and other public places we were constantly commended on what an outstanding group of teenagers we had. Why? Because of their speech, conduct, and lifestyle as Paul admonished Timothy in his first letter to him.
 5. Turn back time. The settings and the environment has changed but the core issues you faced as a teenager are exactly the same today. The fears, thoughts, emotions, desires, drives, and attitudes are exactly just like you felt 5, 10, or 20 years ago. Remember the first time you walked into PE in Jr. High and the coach said, "Hit the showers." Remember your first crush? The first time you kissed someone, other than a relative, goodbye? What it felt like to finally get your driver�s license? Where do you sit in the cafeteria? The pressure of procrastinating on a project and cramming to get it done until 4:00 a.m.? The disappointment when your parents didn�t believe you? The inner battles when facing temptations? Are you having flashbacks yet? Hopefully so. These are the same things the teenagers around you today are living on a daily basis. Strive to make the Word of God come alive to minister to where they are at this moment in time.
6. Our goal is to enhance their relationship with their parents, not replace it. When I first started in youth ministry I thought, "If I could get these (stupid) parents out of the way I could do something in this kid�s life." Boy was I the stupid one! That�s not what God had called me to do. His calling was not just to teenagers but to the family that was attached to them as well. What are you doing to connect with the parents or guardians of your students? Any adult who wants a relationship with my kids and doesn�t want one with me causes great suspicion and concerns.
Stay tuned for more unchangeable truths of youth ministry next month! |
Check out the Valentine's Day message on H2O, "Who Has Your Heart?" This message will demonstrate the problem with having a careless string of relationships. It will encourage the students to surrender their hearts to the Lord. Or if you need a series, try Relationships (3-part series) or A Vision for Marriage (2-part series), both from Volume 2.
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Leading a buffalo on a rope, a man walks
into a caf�, sits his shotgun on the counter and
orders coffee. After drinking it in one
gulp, he blasts the buffalo with the gun and
leaves.
He
returns the next morning, gun and buffalo in
tow. �Coffee, please.� �We�re still
cleaning from yesterday,� the waiter replies.
�What was that about, anyway?�
Smiling proudly, the man says, �I�m
training for upper management. I come in,
drink coffee, shoot the bull, leave a mess for
others to clean up and disappear for the rest of
the day.�
He Said What?
Jeremy was sitting across from his wife, Marlene, reading the paper when he noticed a story about a beautiful actress who was engaged to a football player known for his stupidity and penchant for fighting.
"I�ll never understand why the biggest jerks get the most attractive women," he said to his wife. Marlene smiled at Jeremy, "Why thank you, dear."
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