Steven Wright gets a laugh every time he says “I was walking down the street wearing glasses when the prescription ran out.” Unfortunately too many student ministries have experienced the same problem. Sometimes it’s a young innovative student pastor who has the kids figured out but can’t relate to a traditionally oriented leadership team. Other times it’s a legalistic adult who drew the short straw and intends to build a youth ministry on structure and discipline. The young guy butts heads and doesn’t last long enough to build a ministry, and the Bible drill sergeant can’t understand why he doesn’t attract lost kids to his well organized program.
The kids themselves are a study in dichotomy that creates a great divide between lost teens and caring adults. In a 1998 survey the Barna Group looked at how teens perceived themselves. Teens described themselves as “happyâ€? (92%); “responsibleâ€? (91%); “self reliantâ€? (86%); “optimistic about my futureâ€? (82%); “trusting of other peopleâ€? (80%); “very intelligentâ€? (79%); and “physically attractiveâ€? (74%). The chasm results from how teens perceive adults would describe young people: “lazy” (84%); “rude” (91%); “sloppy” (70%); “dishonest” (65%); and violent (57%). Student ministry pastors and volunteers must be able to see teens as they see themselves.
There is also a gap between perception and reality in teenage spirituality. In a Gallup Youth Survey (2003) 92% of teens considered their religious beliefs to be very important to them. American teenagers actually resemble their grandparents more than their parents in regard to church attendance. The Gallup survey revealed that 50% of teenagers (13-17) attend an organized religious service once a week. That is 10% higher than all adult age groups. Don’t break out in a chorus just yet! That number drops to 35% after graduation. Of the 88% of teens that describe themselves as Christians, 26% say they are “absolutely committed Christians.” Only 33% of middle and high schoolers are “born again” believers, and of that 33% only 56% feel a personal responsibility to tell others about Jesus Christ. Finally, when it comes to believing in absolute truth, only 9% of born again teens believe in moral absolutes and just 4% of the non-born again teens believe that there are moral absolutes. Student ministry pastors and volunteers must be able to see teens as they really are spiritually.
So . . . We must concentrate on the fundamentals of grace and redemption to deepen our students understanding of the Gospel. We must be innovative in how we relate to the students in our ministries through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Or . . . Talk to the hand!
