The Importance of Church for Teenagers

In the past month I have had the humbling privilege to speak to a few world renowned pastors that have had much influence within the Christian community, and even within the secular realm as well. These men that I was able to speak to were, Jon Courson, Rick Holland and Norman Geisler. I was able to receive much wisdom from these men as I continue on with my ministry and what I feel the Lord has called me to, which is to pastor and shepherd a flock wherever He may lead.

As I spoke to these 3 men, I told them about my endeavor through the different ministries I have served in, the one’s I am currently involved in now, and the response I received from all three of them was the same answer given by 3 different men and 3 different times of the month. I told them about the opportunities I have had to preach God’s Word in the Jr. High ministry, and all three times I mentioned this to these men, they agreed that I was in the right ministry and in the ministry that makes most effect on people’s lives.

Jon Courson one night told me, “Jr. High ministry is the most effective ministry anyone could be, that is when the decisions are made to follow God or to deny God.” The next night I had the tremendous privilege to speak to Pastor Rick Holland, college pastor at Grace Community Church, and he told me, “In Jr. High school, kids will decide their eternal future, it is at this moment they truly make the commitment to follow Christ.” When speaking to Dr. Norman Geisler a few weeks ago, told me that the “most effective area for ministry is in Jr. High because it is the most pivotal time in a teenager’s life.” “This where they decide to listen or to rebel, to heed the warning, or to ignore it.”

Jr. High and High School students are neglecting church more than ever now. Jr. High kids would rather sit at home and watch Cartoon Network, than go to church. They would rather play Xbox than sing songs of worship. In the past years, teenagers specifically, have been very interested in spiritual things.1 In the research done by Barna, the stats show that “the percentage of teens who are evangelicals – i.e., those who are not only born again but also believe in the accuracy of the Bible, personal responsibility to evangelize, believe in salvation by grace alone, and possess orthodox biblical views on God, Jesus and Satan – have declined from 10% in 1995 to just 4% today.”2

Here are some more staggering statistics:

63% don’t believe Jesus is the Son of the one true God

58% believe all faiths teach equally valid truths.

51% don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead.

65% don’t believe Satan is a real entity.

68% don’t believe the Holy Spirit is a real entity3

The most common teen spiritual activity – like that of adults – is prayer. Overall, three-quarters of teenagers (72%) say they pray in a typical week. The next most common activity is attending a worship service at a church – a form of engagement embraced by half (48%) of today’s teenagers. Roughly one-third of teenagers said they attend Sunday school (35%), attend youth group (33%), participate in a small group (32%), and read the Bible (31%).

Compared to American adults, teenagers are more likely to report engagement in corporate forms of worship and spiritual expression – such as attending church, as well as participating in small groups, youth groups, and Sunday school. However, young people are less likely than their parents to pray (72% of teens, 83% of adults) or read the Bible in a typical week (31% of teens, 41% of adults).

However, the research raises caution that teenagers’ prodigious appetites for spiritual activity may be waning. Since a decade ago, teenagers are less likely to pray (down from 81% in the mid-nineties), to attend worship services (down from 53%), and to read from the Bible on their own time (down from 37%).

As some of the nation’s first digital pilgrims, the research shows that one out of every four teenagers (26%) had learned something about their faith or spirituality online in the last six months. This was true of two-fifths of born again Christian teenagers (39%). Furthermore, one-sixth of teenagers (16%) and one-quarter of born again teens (25%) said they had “a spiritual experience” online where they worshipped or connected with God.4

Is this not alarming? Kids are growing farther and farther apart from the faith each and every day!! So the question arises, “What are we doing to incorporate church into the teenager’s lives?” Is God’s Word being presented accurately? Is it being taught as the only authority? Is worship taking place? Are they engaging in church service?

The question also comes into play, “What are the parents doing at home?” “Are devotion times taking place asa family?” Now we know how important church is for teenagers, more specifically for Jr. High students. Do you have a child in Jr. High? Do they know Jesus? Do they know the importance of knowing Jesus? Do they know why we go to church, why we need to read the Bible and why we need God? Make it something to mention to your child today. Think about it.

¹ http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/72-teens-change-their-tune-regarding-self-and-church?q=teenage+bible
² http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/72-teens-change-their-tune-regarding-self-and-church?q=teenage+bible
³ Steve Wright, Rethink: Is Student Ministry Working? P.34
⁴ http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/93-what-teenagers-look-for-in-a-church

 

 

 

 

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