But, instead of arguing the issue, let’s look at the Bible and discover what it tells us in regards to adolescents and the Gospel mission. The HomeWord Center for Youth & Family, (Jim Burns, founder and president) responded to this question and their response offers a great perspective.

Youth groups are not in the Bible. But, keep in mind that just because something is not specifically commanded or found in the Bible does not make them anti-Biblical or inappropriate. Give it some thought. You can probably come up of lots of examples of how churches – their activities, groupings, things they use – aren’t specifically spelled out in the Bible – but are helpful in fulfilling Biblical mandates and principles.

Youth ministry is a legitimate, needed area of ministry for the church. The church is mandated Biblically to motivate and care for the spiritual growth of all people (see Colossians 1:28). The church is also commanded to reach out to others with the good news of Jesus Christ and to teach everyone to obey His commandments (see Matthew 28:41). Adolescents are people included in these mandates. The Bible doesn’t envision that adolescents function apart from the intergenerational nature of the church. Believers, young and old, are all a part of the One Body of Christ and are necessary for its proper function (see 1 Corinthians 12). Yet, because of the cultural distinctiveness and legitimacy of adolescence as a unique time of life, a specialization of ministry to youth is in no way theologically forbidden. Consider a foreign mission analogy as an example: English speaking missionaries spend months – to years – getting to know foreign language and culture – so they can communicate the gospel in a way that foreign peoples will understand. They do not try to speak in English with people who don’t understand English. Similarly, youth culture is very much a separate sub-set of culture. It makes good missional and pastoral sense (see 1 Corinthians 9) to recognize and minister to the specific spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual and educational needs of adolescents.

Still, it must be said that there is no doubt that parents, not youth ministries, have the primary responsibility for raising kids (see Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Youth ministries should serve as partners with parents in equipping and caring for young people. (Note that while the practical direction of Deut. 6 is to parents – the address is given to “Hear, O Israel” – which also implies the support of the spiritual community.)

Churches and youth ministries, during our lifetime, have not always done a great job in supporting parents – and have at times have actually served to keep families apart and have not helped parents interact with their teenagers. Today, however, there is a fresh sense of the importance of family in the church and many youth ministries are helping to partner with families and parents in some very positive ways.

Having served as a youth pastor, it would not surprise me at all that a student would come and share a problem that he/she
had not previously shared with his/her parents. In the situation you noted about a pregnant girl in the youth group, a wise
youth pastor should handle the situation with respect and care. A youth pastor ought to help the girl to see the need to speak
with her parents about the issue – and would provide her with the support she needs to do so. The wise parent should
consider the youth pastor as a resource and partner to provide the entire family with needed support during a difficult time. (Original response can be found here.)

Does the Bible recognize or address the spiritual needs of young people? Consider Joseph, Gideon, David, Josiah, the disciples, and even Jesus in his early years. While every record of these biblical examples does not prescribe local church youth ministry, they do reveal patterns, to be mimicked, of how we should relate to and nurture the spiritual growth of young people.

In addition, we cannot ignore the biblical mandate to evangelize and disciple. Since the inception of the public schools in the early 20th century, we have been living among a new human called an adolescent. Adolescence has defined a culture of young people that includes systems of stylized beliefs, behavior, language, and customs unique to young people.  But, I would assert that adolescence is not a destination. It is a time of transition and growth into adulthood. Don’t ignore the reality that of those who come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the majority continue to do so at a young age. Culturally, the church must be intentional in reaching young people cross-culturally during these responsive years. Youth ministry is missional!

But the most recent concern in the church has been the observable disconnect between young people and their parents. As mentioned in the HomeWord response above, I hold that there is a dual responsibility in the spiritual growth and education of our children (refer back to Deuteronomy 6). Pastoral leaders should become a trusted resource for parents in the areas of youth culture and adolescents struggles while not co-opting parental roles and authority. Youth ministry leaders have to consistently direct young people back to their parents for guidance, advice, and help in every situation possible. Church leaders must seek to equip parents in their divine role. In a similar fashion, parents should consistently encourage their children to learn from wise, spiritual adults in the church. This is the New Testament model of discipleship with the older more mature saint teaching the younger.

The last thing that I want to add is that Jesus set the tone for how the church is to connect with young people and children. Jesus quickly corrected his disciples and instructed them to clear the way and let children come to him. He also said that if an adult wants to come to him, they must become a child. (see Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:15)

Youth ministry is biblical because it carries out the ministry of the Gospel to reach the lost and teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded us.

Related resources:

Youth Ministry in the Church Today (audio) – R. Albert Mohler, David Adams, Jimmy Scroggins

Debunking the Dropout Myth – Timothy Paul Jones

Ready, Set, Go: Strategies for Equipping Parents (audio) – Steve Wright

How to Use Milestones in Your Church to Equip Families (audio) – Bryan Haynes

How to Be a Hero to Parents in Your Church (audio) – Jim Burns

The idea that we can arrive and reach the learning ceiling is absent from every biblical principle from Genesis to Revelation. I think the most obvious passage that comes to my mind is from Philippians 3:12. No one would disagree that Paul’s life was remarkable (and that’s an understatement).

But this verse reveals that Paul’s goal was to never stop growing in his knowledge of & fellowship with Christ until the Lord called him home to glory. This goal was enveloped in his high calling found only in Christ. That’s why I am convinced that no disciple of Jesus Christ can ever say that they have completed their learning and training…ever! We are found most faithful when we pursue the high calling and keep growing in our knowledge of & fellowship with Christ.

Youth & family ministry is ever morphing and sending new challenges to church leaders. My admonishment is that we never stop learning and growing in our high calling until our Lord calls us to glory. With so many ways to access digital resources, there’s no excuse for neglecting your growth in your calling.

Resources in youth & family ministry abound, yet are sometimes just out of reach (meaning not always free). I want to encourage you to tap into 18 audio sessions from reInvent 2011, our conference for youth & family ministry leaders. Pass them on to your leadership team. Spend time talking through the key points and be challenged & encouraged to keep learning and growing. With one stop, you’ll find encourage and training from leading voices in youth & family ministry on topics like:

• laying the foundation for effective youth ministry: a youth ministry strategy

• mobilizing your students to be on mission…everywhere!

• helping your students navigate the landscape of American spirituality

• from ideas to execution: aligning your strategy with your resources

• sustainable youth ministry

• reaching the skeptics in your student ministry

• intentional youth ministry…how programs accomplish the mission of your student ministry

• teaching teens to filter their media choices

• building an effective youth ministry leadership team

• leading your students to reach their friends with the Gospel

• navigating youth ministry landmines & living to tell about it

• international student ministry…in your community

• building a small group curriculum plan

• kids hurt, Christ heals: ministering to teens in crisis

• a theology of youth ministry

Is your youth ministry relevant to the church today? Is your church relevant to youth ministry today?

These are questions that we must always be willing to ask. Now, we’re not talking about the kind of relevance that caters to particular preference but one that consistently evaluates Great Commission effectiveness…then evaluates it again and again.

When youth culture changes, the local church youth ministry has a responsibility to lead teenagers and their parents toward a response based on the truth of God’s Word. But what do we do when the cultural changes involve intense assaults on the family, radical changes in methods of communication, ever-shortening attention spans, and a shift in temporary values? How should local church youth ministry respond?

The world of adolescents is a different animal than it was in 1987 when I graduated high school. (Two decades from now it will look completely different again.) There are methods that have remained effective in discipling teenagers and strengthening parents’ ability to lead the spiritual growth of their children. But there also methods that need to be filed away for the memory video at retirement.

Experts have said that youth culture changes at a blinding speed. Some would say that we can see significant cultural changes in youth culture every 6 months while others would pin it down to 6 to12 weeks. In either case, youth culture changes at a pace that dizzies the mind of any adult.

So, with that as the backdrop, we ask the question, “Is youth ministry effectively reaching teenagers and their families today?”

What does the Bible teach us about the primary purpose of youth ministry? Throughout the last half of the 20th century the church struggled with how to handle teenagers both inside the church and outside the church. Philosophy of youth ministry has been at the center of that struggle. But has youth ministry changed to meet the needs of today’s teenager and their parents?
You can also find registration and conference info at events.sbts.edu/reinvent

You can also find registration and conference info at events.sbts.edu/reinvent

Dr. Troy Temple, Executive Director of The International Center for Youth & Family Ministry; Associate Professor of youth & Family Ministry, Southern Seminary

Walt Mueller is the founder and President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding and has been working with young people and families for 31 years. As a result of his work with CPYU, Walt has become an internationally-recognized speaker and author on contemporary youth culture. He has written extensively on youth culture and family issues and is the author of the following books: The Space Between: A Parent’s Guide to Teenage Development (Zondervan, 2009); Opie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: Where Faith, Family, and Culture Collide (Standard Publishing, August 2007); Youth Culture 101 (Zondervan, June 2007); I Want to Talk With my Teen About Movies, Music & More (Standard Publishing, September 2006); Engaging The Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews To Christian Truth (InterVarsity Press, February 2006); and the critically acclaimed Gold Medallion Award winner, Understanding Today’s Youth Culture (Tyndale House, 1994). He is also a regular contributor to numerous journals and magazines. A graduate of Geneva College (B.A.) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Walt has recently completed his doctorate at Gordon-Conwell in “Ministry to Postmodern Generations.” Walt has served in ministry with the Coalition for Christian Outreach and as a youth pastor in churches in Johnstown, PA and Philadelphia.

Sponsored by The International Center for Youth & Family Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY

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What is your strategy for producing teenagers who live by a Christian worldview? Important is Southern Seminary’s 2011 Give Me An Answer Conference for high school students. Your students will encouraged and equipped to filter life’s most critical decisions through a Christian worldview built on biblical truths rather than cultural expectations. There’s still time to register here.