Here is a fantastic article for all youth ministers to read! I know as a former youth minister I really struggled with the concepts in this article.
Religion may help teens find a sense of purpose, stay focused on schoolwork, avoid drugs, drive responsibly, and so on. These are good and important things and they are all part of the 'religious package,' but they are not the point. They are like the paper bag you get for free if you buy the groceries.
Sadly, so much of our ministry to youth (and adults!) can be summed up in trite t-shirt slogans. How far does the t-shirt slogan religion take a person?
After a particularly difficult night, I shared my struggles with a young woman interested in becoming a youth minister. "I'm not sure you want to get into this," I said. "There are other things you could do." She sat in a moment of stunned silence. Then she told me about her college years.
"My faith was no match for college," she said. "Youth group was fun, but no one taught me anything." She recalled those years marked by drugs, broken relationships, an eating disorder, sex, pregnancy and eventually abortion. Finally, with tear-filled eyes, she said, "Don't you see? If I had grown up in a youth group like yours, I would have had a fighting chance."
Christianity boiled down to a t-shirt slogan, no matter how cool or stylish will ever give our youth a fighting chance.
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