The Problem with High School Ministry
High school ministry across the country is a struggle for churches. A radical change has occurred. (or should I say discontinuous change) It's certainly not the first and it won't be the last.
Youth ministry (especially high school ministry) was the solution church and parachurch ministries used to address the growing chasm of adolescence. Youth ministry as we know it has become fairly confident in this answer and have felt that what has worked for the last 30 years will work for the future.
But today's high school student is different than any other person who has existed on the face of the earth. At least in a few ways. In other ways, it's important to affirm that they are very much the same. But that isn't what this post is about. High school students who our churches are working with are unique. They are a new people group who have grown up and been shaped within a unique environment.
Managing this change with the same skills and approaches to teens will not work for this group of people.
Youth ministry from 8 years ago might work with middle school students today. But not for a majority of high school students. The youth worker who is hands on with kids will develop a series of responses over the next few years. But here is something I can't get out of my head, so I'll pass it on to you, especially if you are a Senior Pastor, church leader or youth pastor.
Do me a favor: Go read your churches vision statement. Read about what your church says it's mission in the world is.
Now spend the next couple years wrestling with this.
Is that vision, and mission something your high school students would be willing to die for? Willing to give up everything for. Would you be willing to let them? Are you willing to die for what your church exists?
Most of the High school students I talk to don't attend church because they don't see anything worthy of their time. The gospel and discipleship comes across as some kind of endless self-help formula that never ends and to which others outside their world become an afterthought. Kids are looking for something to give their lives to and most churches offer them games and "a youth program" with a crazy busy schedule that keeps kids out of trouble or better yet... builds a resume for life.
These kids see through the games and "fun". Most of them can have fun somewhere else.
Far too many high school ministries (and by default most churches) today are only training students to be adults who view church as irrelevant to real life.
There are other elements that contribute to the smallness of high school ministry today as well. I won't go into those at this point though.
Youth ministry (especially high school ministry) was the solution church and parachurch ministries used to address the growing chasm of adolescence. Youth ministry as we know it has become fairly confident in this answer and have felt that what has worked for the last 30 years will work for the future.
But today's high school student is different than any other person who has existed on the face of the earth. At least in a few ways. In other ways, it's important to affirm that they are very much the same. But that isn't what this post is about. High school students who our churches are working with are unique. They are a new people group who have grown up and been shaped within a unique environment.
Managing this change with the same skills and approaches to teens will not work for this group of people.
Youth ministry from 8 years ago might work with middle school students today. But not for a majority of high school students. The youth worker who is hands on with kids will develop a series of responses over the next few years. But here is something I can't get out of my head, so I'll pass it on to you, especially if you are a Senior Pastor, church leader or youth pastor.
Do me a favor: Go read your churches vision statement. Read about what your church says it's mission in the world is.
Now spend the next couple years wrestling with this.
Is that vision, and mission something your high school students would be willing to die for? Willing to give up everything for. Would you be willing to let them? Are you willing to die for what your church exists?
Most of the High school students I talk to don't attend church because they don't see anything worthy of their time. The gospel and discipleship comes across as some kind of endless self-help formula that never ends and to which others outside their world become an afterthought. Kids are looking for something to give their lives to and most churches offer them games and "a youth program" with a crazy busy schedule that keeps kids out of trouble or better yet... builds a resume for life.
These kids see through the games and "fun". Most of them can have fun somewhere else.
Far too many high school ministries (and by default most churches) today are only training students to be adults who view church as irrelevant to real life.
There are other elements that contribute to the smallness of high school ministry today as well. I won't go into those at this point though.
Labels: Riddle Group, youth ministry
posted by mark at
10:00 AM
1 Comments:
This is so good. Yes this is the problem as I see it - kids are different. They want, no NEED to be challenged with a picture of Youth Ministry and the Church as a passionate pursuit... not an elective diversion or worse - an alternative to the world. Jesus has called us to be actively involved in the very place to many churches are calling kids out of.
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