Blueprint #3: Keeping It Deep
There was a time when churches believed the way to keep and reach young people was through events. The more spectacular and creative the event, the better your chances of keeping the next generation of church attenders. For a time, this was the norm for most churches in America and for most youth groups. Not that Bible studies or other programs were not important but if you couldn't draw them in, then how could you ever think you'll be able to keep them in church?
Those days are gone and we now see that "event-driven" youth groups were not the answer. Today, youth groups are moving more towards depth. Depth does not only mean digging deeper into the Bible but going deeper in your growth as a disciple. Depth for young people includes the whole person, or as Ed Stetzer puts it in his book, Lost And Found,"Depth is about the level of content. It's about engaging people at every level-emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, and even physically." This generation isn't looking for easy answers but wants to know if God is there with them as they wrestle with the tough issues of life. Real depth of disciplesip equals godly transformation.
So what does that look like for youth directors, Sunday school teachers, college-age leaders, and pastors of churches? Here are a few insights to help guide you.
Those days are gone and we now see that "event-driven" youth groups were not the answer. Today, youth groups are moving more towards depth. Depth does not only mean digging deeper into the Bible but going deeper in your growth as a disciple. Depth for young people includes the whole person, or as Ed Stetzer puts it in his book, Lost And Found,"Depth is about the level of content. It's about engaging people at every level-emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, and even physically." This generation isn't looking for easy answers but wants to know if God is there with them as they wrestle with the tough issues of life. Real depth of disciplesip equals godly transformation.
So what does that look like for youth directors, Sunday school teachers, college-age leaders, and pastors of churches? Here are a few insights to help guide you.
- Teach the entire Bible, even the difficult sections.
- Foster discussion in Bible study and teaching.
- Address tough topics and and answer difficult questions.
- Do not be afraid of saying,"I don't know."
- Empower everyone to look for answers.
- Place a priority on Scripture memorization.
- Sing theologically sound music.
- Promote life application to Scripture.
- Establish climates of honesty and openness.
- Encourage examination.
- Pray.
Lost And Found:The Younger Unchurched and The Churches That Reach Them
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on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 8:59 AM.
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When my dad was a kid, his church actually invited the "Lone Ranger" to come and hand out "silver bullets" to the kids!
I agree, though. Working on discipleship is what churches should be doing, even (or especially!) with the youth because it fulfills the authenticity kids are looking for and especially because we are commanded to make disciples.
Thanks for your comments. I find that my generation's definition of discipleship (a Boomer's view) and this generation's definition are different in some key areas. One area is how we choose to spend that time when we gather together. Working on staff at a college gave me a huge insight into young people's lives, and one of those insights was seeing that all I do is discipleship. I think an older generation "boxes" discipleship...discipleship is a certain time we meet, studying a book, a specific time when we gather, etc...not so with a younger group of believers. It's very time consumming and open to sharing life together. We'll see how older churches make this adjustment.
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