The Role Of Young People
It is beneficial for the health of the church to look at how we treat our teens and young people. For there to be growth and success, we need to look at what we expect of them. To put it bluntly, I believe that the church as a whole has very low expectations for teenagers. This can lead to several issues and ultimately their loss of faith.
If you are a baptized Christian you should have a role in the church. That is true regardless of age. If we don’t expect our young men and women to do anything, will they feel needed or essential? Will they learn to love the church? Will they feel like they’re a part of a family?
In every other aspect of their lives we have high expectations. Their grades in school, the college they go to, the sports they play. We emphasize work ethic and job performance. We want them to succeed and be successful in our society.
Our expectations are high and we want them to do well, which isn’t wrong, but why don’t we emphasise their spiritual health?
The church as a whole tends to treats teens like they’re toddlers. I think it’s time that we raise the bar for what we expect from our young people. So what are some ways that we can utilize teens in the church?
If they’re eligible, the young men should participate in worship. They can all visit the elderly. They can encourage the body. The teens at Bear Valley where I grew up were encouraged to go and talk to several people they didn’t usually speak with. Once a month we had a service organized and conducted by the young men.
Why is this important? Young people are leaving the church at an astounding rate.
They go off to college and their involvement in the church all but disappears. A study was conducted by Lifeway Ministries and over the course of 3 years they found that over 70 percent of young people fall away from the faith when they leave home.
So what’s happening? What can we do to change this?
Here’s four tips to help strengthen our young people:
1. Change Our View
We need to stop treating teens like they aren’t capable of serving the church.
2 Kings 15:2 says that Azariah became king of Judah at 16 years of age and did what was right in the eyes of God. In 2 Chronicles 26, Uzziah was made king of Judah and he did what was right in the eyes of God. And we read in verse 4 that he followed in his father’s footsteps. Teens are impacted by their parents. If a 16 year old can rule a nation and do what is right, our young people can serve in the church today. But we must change our view. They are not the church of tomorrow, they are Christians today.
2. Assign A Role
Show them that they are needed and valued. Teach them to serve others. Teens can assist other teachers, help younger children, write to the elderly and widows, help out in the worship services, write birthday cards and sympathy cards, and so much more! Teens desperately need to have a role in the church.
3. Teach Them Scripture
They can comprehend more than we think. Show them how to dig into the word. As the parents, pick a book of the Bible and read it together. Set aside time each day to talk about scripture. Read a section of scripture and ask them:
- Who wrote the book?
- Who was it written to?
- When was it written?
- What literary style was it written in?
- What is the theme of the book, chapter, verse?
- How can you apply it personally?
Timothy was taught the scriptures by his mother and grandmother and he went on to be a leader in the early church. In order to teach them the word, as parents we must know the word. Personal study is essential if we want our children to grow spiritually.
4. Make God Number One
The parents need to set the example. Choose worship over other activities. Make Christianity a priority.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s a start. One day the church will be made up the young people who looked up to us. Let’s be sure to give them the tools now to be successful, faithful, men and women for God.
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