Pulling teens into the church

“Have you always wanted to be a youthworker?” the kid asked.

His question got me thinking. When I was a high school student I wanted to be a forest ranger, driving around the mountains in a jeep, protecting trees. But God had other plans.

Bob Clayton, my pastor in Oakhurst, Cal., saw gifts and abilities in me that I didn’t see in myself. He encouraged me, providing opportunities for me within our church such as praying for the offering, sharing a testimony, reading Scripture, even preaching. Bob wasn’t afraid to let me be in front of the church, because, even though he knew I wouldn’t be perfect, he was more concerned for my future than the image of the present.

My story isn’t an isolated one. Many leaders trace their “call” to ministry back to their teenage years.

There is ample biblical evidence for training and releasing younger leaders. Jeremiah and David were both called for God’s purposes at a young age. Joshua was Moses’ assistant long before he took over leadership of the nation. Mary was a young woman when the angel’s message changed her life forever. Many of the disciples were young when Jesus called them to follow Him. John Mark and Timothy both travelled with Paul on missionary journeys.

Given the evidence of the Bible that releasing younger leaders is necessary, we automatically follow suit in our own churches, right?

Sadly, this isn’t always the case. In many places young people are marginalized in the church rather than raised up as people with ministry potential.

Why?

Sometimes leaders are cautious about giving a platform to an untrained young person; they just aren’t sure what that young person will wear, do, or say. Other times, the leader enjoys being the focus of attention and is reluctant to give that up. In other cases, existing leaders don’t have the time to guide an emerging leader, and find it easier to do things themselves.

In all of these cases, churches lose, young people lose, and ultimately the Kingdom of God loses someone who could have made a difference.

What is it about young people that makes them good candidates for ministry?

Youth are full of energy, enthusiasm and a readiness to embrace a challenge. They live with many inconsistencies in their philosophy of life, but at the same time, given the right challenge, will give all they have to it.

I remember meeting a young man on a mission trip to the inner city of Liverpool, England. When asked if he had had a good day his eyes lit up. “I was kicked once,” he said, “and punched eight times, but I led three people to Jesus!” Here was a young man who relished a challenge and obviously had the gift of evangelism.

During a different mission I watched a young woman talking over a cup of coffee with a local girl about the death of her mom. The young woman was able to share Christ with this hurting girl by sharing her own similar story and the way God had worked in her life. She demonstrated the gift of compassion.

These two kids, and hundreds like them who participate in “Street Invader” missions (a British Youth for Christ evangelistic outreach) or other missions around the world, know what it feels like to be used by God.

They return to our churches, full of fire and the Holy Spirit, and then what happens? Too often the answer is, nothing.

So what can churches do to draw out the leadership potential of their youth?

Over the 20 years I’ve been involved in youth ministry, I’ve observed a change in the way young people approach questions of faith. Instead of “Is this true?” they are asking, “Can I experience it?” This shift in culture means that churches need to find ways to link faith to experience.

1. Become a nurturing environment for anyone in the church to test their gifts.

   One of the distinctives of the early Anabaptists was an emphasis on the “priesthood of all believers,” the belief that every believer had a ministry in the congregation. In many ways, the pendulum swung back, and churches embraced the beliefs of the Reformers, focusing ministry more on “professional” Christians than people in the pews.

   Young people are an untapped resource sitting in the pews. They want to be involved, want to know they are a part of the church, want to know that their being there matters. In his landmark book, Keeping Your Teen in Touch with God, published in 1988, Dr. Robert Laurent identified the top ten reasons teenagers leave the church. The number one reason wasn’t negative influence of the media, poor relationships with the youth pastor, or negative peer influence. The top reason given for leaving the church was lack of church involvement.

   Everyone needs places where they are free to grow with the possibility of failure. As communities of redeemed followers of Jesus, churches can provide places for teenagers to “try out” different ministries in a safe place.

2. Set up a deliberate process of discernment and coaching.

   Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, writing about emerging leaders, says, “Nothing this important can be achieved without a vision . . . Leadership development never happens accidentally.”

   Does the church have a system in place to identify, train, coach and release leaders? If not, it should.

3. Provide specific, short-term opportunities for youth to serve.

   Youth Sunday is a great idea, but a more integrated approach that includes young people in all aspects of congregational life provides opportunities that are much more meaningful. Teenagers don’t come from one mould; they can do a variety of things both upfront and behind the scenes.

   They can run the sound system, read Scripture in a Sunday service, participate in evangelism teams and work projects and family mission teams, do special projects, help with children’s ministries, and much more.

4. Integrate young people into the active life of the church.

   Ultimately, what young people need is not another program that pulls them out of the church but a wide variety of expressions that pull them into the church.

   Mike Yaconelli, founder of Youth Specialties, states that what is needed is long-term discipleship, and this is hard work. He challenges youth workers and denominations to rethink youth ministry, to find ways that actually produce disciples.

   Are we that type of denomination? Can we act on our theology of the priesthood of all believers and provide ministry opportunities for the young people in our midst? Can we once more embrace something that is part of our history?

   I lead a program for high school students called Ministry Quest at MB Biblical Seminary [see Ministry Quest sidebar]. Recently I participated in a gathering of seminaries that offer programs for youth to explore ministry as a life calling. I was amazed that only a handful seemed to be taking the local church seriously. Many were simply “theological summer camps” that had no tie-in to the students’ location and probably bred frustration for the teenagers when they returned home. They had been exposed to the concept of ministry and God using them but had no place to exercise those newfound spiritual gifts.

   I’ve been thrilled to see how Ministry Quest integrates theology, calling, practical mentoring, and experience based in the local church. I think this is one of the new kind of youth ministry models Yaconelli is talking about.

   One of the students on the Ministry Quest retreat last March said, “This is exactly what I need to help me on my way to become a youth pastor.”

   I know the reason I’m in ministry today is because 25 years ago, someone did the same thing for me.