Youth Group…one year later

Next month, I will have been working with Lafe, Mike & the teens for one full year.  When I started working with the teens, I was prepared for it to be difficult, and everyone around me reinforced that idea.  I went into this ministry with the attitude that I can’t change anything, only God can.  This past year has just reinforced my absolute dependence on God to work through me, and not counting on my own abilities.  Having gone to this church for a few years, I knew the kids and knew their families, and I thought I had a pretty good handle on what things we had to worry about and what things we didn’t have to worry about.  There have certainly been some challenges to pray about and deal with (and continue to deal with), but there are two problems that I was surprised by, and these have been most frustrating.

Last fall, the youth ministry team (hereafter referred to as YMT) had a parent meeting, where we let the parents know what we had planned for the coming year.  In that meeting, we stressed to the parents that the YMT is not here to substitute for the parents, but to support them and reinforce what they are teaching their kids at home.  We can teach them every single principle in the Bible, but if none of those are exhibited or expected by the parents, what do you want me to do?  If church is this place you take your family 3 times a week, and you behave once you walk in the doors, but then go home and start living like the rest of the world, what have you taught your kids?  When you aren’t fulfilling your Biblical role as the parent/leader/shepherd at home, how can I teach your kid that they need to respect and obey you as such?  I’m not sure, but if you have any ideas, let me know? 

The other frustrating this is when the parents put certain occasions before church (sleep, sports, tv, music).  What have they taught their teen?  Tell me, when the youth leader is teaching this great series on Biblical interpretation, and your teen’s attendance is hit or miss, what are we supposed to do to fill in the blanks?  I understand that especially in the summer, things come up and there are vacations to deal with.  Have you ever tried to take a college class and skip half of the classes?  At the end of the semester, what have you actually learned?  Lafe has stressed a couple times to the kids that “What you believe you will worship; what you worship you will obey.”  So, if you’ve put all these other things in front of church, we know what you’re worshipping.  If it happens regularly, we know what you’re obeying.  So then the question is, what do you believe?  Is it: I know that God is always there, and I spent 5 minutes reading my Bible this morning and I prayed for a few minutes, until my kids/siblings started fighting and distracted me, but I have a huge yard that needs to be raked this morning, and besides, the sermon was probably going to be boring anyway.  Or is it: I have put Christ on the throne of my heart and daily renew my commitment to keep Him there.  Emergencies and vacations happen, but if it is in my power to be in His house, I will be, because all the other things in my life (my family, my friends, my interests, my talents), mean absolutely nothing if my relationship with my Savior isn’t nourished first.  What you believe you will worship; what you worship you will obey.