Kids endure so much in our society. School standards are higher now more than ever before. The responsibility they carry is heavier. Their events, activities, and hobbies are bigger, brighter, and more time consuming. Media’s portrayal of events seems to expedite the negative process. All they see is fear. Lisa Damour says, “Increased stress among young people is linked to increasing levels of sadness. Girls, more than boys, are socialized to internalize distress, meaning that they tend to collapse in on themselves by becoming depressed or anxious” (quoted in Derek Thompson’s Why American Teens Are So Sad).
It is no wonder there are problems of transgenderism, homosexuality, no respect for authority, and doubting the existence of God. Sadly, the teens that you see in worship are not immune to those problems and see them on a daily basis. If you have encountered a situation like this with your child or grandchild, remember the love you have for them as a parent/grandparent, but also as a Christian. However, we cannot forget this problem deals with temptation.
Temptations and tests are opportunities for us to trust in and depend on God just a little bit more and because of the increased dependance, Christians gain maturity too (James 1:2-4). My job as a youth minister is to help parents teach their kids to fight off temptation and pursue righteousness. Elders, deacons, parents, ministers, grandparents, anyone; one must not forget to teach the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). We are more mature than the teens in our youth groups at church. Wouldn’t it make more sense to use the prior knowledge you have from those “trials of various kinds” (James 1:2, ESV) to help those who are struggling with another scheme of the devil?
I believe it is a lack of spiritual guidance that leads to the staggering statistics we see pertaining to church growth and youth group retention. Josh Denhart of KidMinScience.com concluded that 75% percent of kids ages 18-29 leave the church. Of the 25% that stayed, some of the top reasons why were the family as a whole had one spiritual experience (Bible study, spiritual conversation, etc.) in the home during a week and had one faith-focused adult, not a parent, invested in their life. Therefore, parenting has to return to a “Deuteronomy 6” style (Deut. 6:6-9). Parents ought to place emphasis on truly important things (James 4:14, most likely your child is not going to be a professional athlete). If the church having a future is something important to you, we have to understand what our teens are facing, teach important principles, and never forget love.
Logan Baldwin