t-blog

This is still the most frequent question that I am presented with everywhere I speak. Not every inquisition is antagonistic towards the discipline of local church youth ministry. However, every time the question is raised, I can’t help but become defensive. I’ve surrendered my life to equip leaders for the mission of reaching adolescents and their families with the Gospel of Christ and in pursuit of making disciples of every young person whose life has been rearranged by the saving work of Christ. So when the validity of youth ministry is challenged, my gut response is to come out swinging.

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

Over the last 3 years there has been a growing burden among many leaders in youth ministry regarding extended missions experiences for students after high school and before they enter college. There is no doubt that if we are making disciples, we must send them out to “do the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). The hard truth is felt when we ask to what extent do we expect them to go in doing this work as disciples of Jesus Christ.

While there is really no universal prescription, we can be confident that all followers of Christ have been commanded to go.God is a missionary God. The Bible is filled from cover to cover with missionary stories, from Jonah to Paul and his friends. Mission activity is not merely God’s method for cross-cultural Great Commission work. It is also His tool to draw His servants closer to Himself. Mission trips can be a mighty tool in your youth ministry to produce Great Commission, world Christians.

1. It will broaden their burden and give them a global perspective.
2. It will help them see their potential ministry possibilities.
3. It will build their faith like “crazy” (technical term).
4. It will confirm their consecration as God’s instrument for God’s purposes.

But the impact doesn’t stop there. The local church will be changed. This strategic initiative will expand the vision of each member and give them a world perspective on the Great Commission in new ways. Those who support through prayer and giving will see their faith grow. But more importantly, the local church will become the biblical sending body that she is commanded to be.

In the end, the deepest impact may be felt on the mission field itself. Evangelistic efforts will increase exponentially and career missionaries will be encouraged in their labors.

I challenge parents, church leaders, and students to radically consider what God would have them do. The recent dialogue around the “gap year” strategy has turned the wheels of my ministry imagination with the simple question, “what if?” There’s more than a dozen ways to address this. My challenge to parents, teens, and church leaders is that we become proactive. Stop dancing with the road blocks to obedience and map out a strategy for sending our children on mission. Richard Ross, Professor of Student Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has suggested that parents and/or grandparents open missions accounts for their children or grandchildren. Maybe you should plan a family mission trip and live out the Great Commission together.

Last week, I received an email from my friend Steve Wright telling me about a ministry that is designed to mobilize 18-25 year old students for global missions through a 2 year US/2 year abroad strategy while getting their degree. Check out Trek-X and start being intentional. The question really isn’t “To gap or not to gap?” The real question is “To go or not to go? The answer to that question is unmistakeable in view of Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8.

If you are in the Louisville area Wednesday, April 27, stop in for a morning with Walt Mueller. This is a FREE event from 10:00am-12:00pm in Heritage Hall on the campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Youth Pastors, Volunteers, Parents, College Students, Seminary Students are ALL invited to hear from nationally recognized youth culture expert, Walt Mueller.

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.

Life is full a crossroads. Critical decisions come at pace that often finds us unprepared. How do you make the hard decisions or even the urgent decisions that face you? No one makes a decision to intentionally hurt ourselves or those we care about. But we all make decisions based on a set of values. None of us make decisions in a worldview vacuum.

If our values influence our decisions, what do our teenage sons and daughter value? Relationships? Media? Acceptance? Approval? Faith? Gadgets? Freedom? Money? Popularity? Teenagers will make decisions based on whether or not they will have more Facebook friends.

To see what teenagers value, just take a look at what you value. Our children will establish a pattern of decision making will look like that of their parents. Everyday, Christian parents make decisions based on social status, financial benefit, and leadership positions. Can you see the pattern? All too often we make decisions based on what will be the best for US! Our teenagers are doing the same thing.

If it is our desire to shape a Christian worldview in the lives of our, then our life decisions must be based on one thing only–the truth of God’s Word. Jesus asked the question,  “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46, HCSB). “Being a Christian means being a person who labors to establish his beliefs, his dreams, his choices, his very view of the world on the truth of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished” (Josh Harris, Dug Down Deep). The preeminent value for all decision-making in the Christian life is the Word of Truth.

With that in mind, here’s Rule #2 for Shaping a Christian Worldview in Your Teenager. Let your children see you looking for answers in God’s Word? That includes decisions to change jobs, make major purchases, vacationing, or choosing a school for your children, managing your finances, serving at your church, and wrestling with physical trials. Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path (Psalm 119:105, HCSB).

Parents should design a standard practice for decision-making that can be transferred to their teenagers. When you are faced with a life decision…

1. Begin with prayer and ask God for His wisdom.
2. Then study to find biblical principles to guide your decision.
3. Make the decision that follows the truth of God’s Word.

Remember, shaping a Christian worldview at home is neither easy nor fast. It requires intentional steps and a lifelong commitment. But the rewards are eternal.