Here, let me first define "youth group" for you if you didn't grow up with one of these fancy things in your church. A youth group is a (you got it!) group of young people that come together, usually on Sunday nights, to talk about God, play games, and sometimes serve in the community. Some youth groups are divided between senior high school (10-12th grade) and junior high school (7-9th grade). I'm definitely a fan of dividing it that way, so we are going to assume from now on, I'm talking about the senior high youth kids.
This age group (let's say it's about 16 through 18 year olds) is what I would call "young adults." Maybe I'm giving them a bit too much credit. Whatever.
When I was in high school (three years ago), I wanted to be treated with respect. I'm guessing not a whole lot has changed. Students from 16 to 18 aren't stupid. They're starting to get into things like alcohol, parties, people of the opposite sex. Boys no longer have cooties and girls are suddenly a bit more attractive.
Dear parents,
Whether or not your child actually partakes in things such as drugs, alcohol, sex, parties and other "high school" activities, is irrelevant. You can flip to a different page if you think your children are completely innocent and wouldn't even LOOK at a beer. But the point is, they won't always be under your roof and they will ALWAYS have temptations by peers, no matter how holy they are. Your children are not living in a bubble.
I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer. I'm being realistic. Young people start to get into some pretty scary stuff in high school. Even if they don't "get into it," you better believe they have seen it happening around them.
So what does this have to do with youth group?
I believe that the church has place in the middle of all of this sinful living. We have to, right? If we didn't, we couldn't really be pursuing the Kingdom of God.
This is where I think youth groups should step in and be a compliment to the parents. We aren't here to raise your kids, don't get me wrong. But I think youth group should be a place that is open for questions (hard questions) about faith, growing up, and God.
I think it is important to equip young people with theological knowledge as well as let them form their own faith understandings throughout high school. That way, once they are thrust out into the "real world" (read: college), they will know what's going on. Instead of ignoring real issues that they are facing now or will definitely be facing in the next few years (drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, homosexuality, poverty), youth groups have the opportunity to confront them early and help young people understand what the Church believes and help them develop their own beliefs.
Maybe I'm an exception, but when I was in high school I had a lot of questions that a) my friends didn't know the answers to, b) I would be too embarrassed to ask my friends anyway, c) I didn't feel comfortable asking my parents, or d) I didn't feel my youth group would be an appropriate place to ask them even though they were about faith!
Things like:
"Why is having sex before marriage such a HUGE deal?"
"Why does the Church have this big problem with homosexuals?"
"What actually counts as 'having sex' according to the Bible...?"
"If you're raped and get pregnant, do you HAVE to keep the baby? What would God say about abortion in that case? Is it any different?"
Maybe other youth groups are different, but if I ever lead a youth group, we would be battling these things, questions and ideas weekly to equip our young people for the sinful world they are rapidly approaching and already living in.
Was your youth group different?
How would you have changed the youth group you grew up with?
Is my theory completely off?
I'd love to hear feedback on this one :)
This is where I think youth groups should step in and be a compliment to the parents. We aren't here to raise your kids, don't get me wrong. But I think youth group should be a place that is open for questions (hard questions) about faith, growing up, and God.
I think it is important to equip young people with theological knowledge as well as let them form their own faith understandings throughout high school. That way, once they are thrust out into the "real world" (read: college), they will know what's going on. Instead of ignoring real issues that they are facing now or will definitely be facing in the next few years (drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, homosexuality, poverty), youth groups have the opportunity to confront them early and help young people understand what the Church believes and help them develop their own beliefs.
Maybe I'm an exception, but when I was in high school I had a lot of questions that a) my friends didn't know the answers to, b) I would be too embarrassed to ask my friends anyway, c) I didn't feel comfortable asking my parents, or d) I didn't feel my youth group would be an appropriate place to ask them even though they were about faith!
Things like:
"Why is having sex before marriage such a HUGE deal?"
"Why does the Church have this big problem with homosexuals?"
"What actually counts as 'having sex' according to the Bible...?"
"If you're raped and get pregnant, do you HAVE to keep the baby? What would God say about abortion in that case? Is it any different?"
Maybe other youth groups are different, but if I ever lead a youth group, we would be battling these things, questions and ideas weekly to equip our young people for the sinful world they are rapidly approaching and already living in.
Was your youth group different?
How would you have changed the youth group you grew up with?
Is my theory completely off?
I'd love to hear feedback on this one :)
Check out a couple amazing books: "Almost Christian" and "Hurt" (Chap Clark). They might make your brain explode.
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