We see often the home life that you have observed. First, I prioritize my desires. With a teenager with so many issues that could be addressed, I must not move away from the gospel imperative, namely seeing sinners saved from their in based on faith in the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ. This does not mean I ignore other concerns entirely or neglect obvious needs (relationship, physical needs, etc.) but these are demonstrations of my gospel desire for them. Secondly, if they are professing to be a Christian, I then want to encourage them with the provision of the Church as God’s family with all the relationships and gifts that one can be blessed by. At the same time, I am communicating to other families and men in the church that there is a great need with this particular young man and his mother.

Honestly, I don’t find the youth from a “broken home” as hard to minister to at times as I do the generational Christian youth. For a number of reasons there are unique challenges here that also require wisdom, humilty, and a lot of prayer.

I would ask Eric how he deals with the ‘broken home’ in youth ministry. Over 35% of the students in my classes over the years come from a single parent home, almost always the mother. A new generation of boys have a poor or no masculine role model. The breakdown in the family system itself seems to have strongly manifested itself in disorders–ADD to name one–and the subsequent medications students are on. Whatever one’s beliefs about ADD and other “issues”, the fact is these kids are on medications and they are in the church!

Many students have very complex family backgrounds, and sadly, enough have experienced sinful acts upon them by either family members as adults or other adults. Grace is a very large church, how do you have a sensitivity to these deeper needs with those in your church?

well spoken Eric!!

silliness and culture is indeed invading the church! Just look at the Emergent junk. Of course those words aren’t what gets used. They call it adaptability, fun, competition for what they really want or just plain “the hook to get em’ here”. What ends up happening often is the Barnum and Bailey 3 ring circus event that has no substance. Then they can’t figure out why the numbers have dropped because after all “weren’t those “acts” good?” They forget that the circus only gets attended by those who haven’t seen the guy swallow the swords yet and the others leave for the flying trapeze act at Bozo Bible Fellowship Church of the Latest and Greatest. As you pointed out in those great 5 points, the wonder of God revealed through His word is what lasts and it is inexhaustible!!!

“Investing” is indeed the means to godliness and I praise God you guys do take that seriously.

Blessings my brother!

p.s. really sorry I missed the Shepherd’s Conference, I heard you guys were holding a spot for me. thanks and maybe next year

The purpose of the event determines whether or not a teaching time is appropriate. At Grace, we see all our activities/events as a means to an end, not just a filler. There are times where the event’s purpose might be evangelistic or equipping and we would include a time for teaching. When we do so we would want to make sure that we don’t program it in such a way that it appears to be the bait-and-switch technique and trying to “slip” in teaching in the least obtrusive manner. There are other times where teaching is not required for the purpose of our gathering.

Responding to Charles Heck’s comments:

I completely agree with your comments. There is no ecclesiological purgatory for youth who are Christians. All the commands and and blessings are for them to obey and enjoy in Scripture. My comment about youth being the future is stated in the context of how they will serve the Lord through their vocations and local church responsibilities as they are equipped and experienced to do so. You do not see a fifteen year old serving as an elder in his local church but one day he just might.

In my opinion, one of the youth ministry mantras that has been done more harm than good is “the youth are the future of the truth.” While I understand this is partly true in regards to their being in the early stages of their walk with the Lord (if they are saved of course), biblically they are not just the future of the church.

More rightly, they are the church now or a part of the church today. If a teenager is genuinely saved, he has spiritual gifts within him (fully developed or not) to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. He has been saved to edify and encourage now…not later. He is the church.

The sooner we can encourage and admonish our young people to use their giftedness now and be committed to the local church, perhaps the less amount of teenagers we will have who never return after high school.

Good thoughts. Thank you for taking time to share them here.

As you flesh this out at Grace, how does it look when it comes to “special” events? Do you include a teaching time or a “devotional” when you go out bowling or when you take a trip to an amusement park? (If you don’t do these things, please forgive my assumption.)

Thank you very much for this!