I was just reading an article about how teens are getting less involved in church groups. For a variety of reasons it states that teens are turning away from church and God. We all know how this happens, parents not attending church, too many outside influences pulling them in too many directions, their friends are not "church" friends, their questions are not being answered and the list goes on. What do we do to change it? We can sit passively and watch our youth disappear OR we can use this as an unexpected Faith Moment and find ways to engage the youth in the life of our congregations!! I tend to get energized by the second choice and hope you do too. So what can you do?
- Get them hooked! Teens want to do something with a purpose, so involve them in local ongoing mission projects. Something that they can feel an immediate reward to their actions.
- Better yet, involve them intergenerationally in local mission efforts. Once they volunteer along side an adult, conversations begin, and community develops in your church.
- Have a night for "Conversations on Scripture" Use the lectionary and a study model called "Lectio Divina" to talk about the Word of God. It is amazing to see how engaging the conversation becomes.
The sharing of scripture, discovering the Bible, understanding how these ancient stories relate to us today, is so important in the formation of our faith. Don't let your teens go elsewhere for answers to their questions about God. Instead find opportunities to discover the answers together, young and old, in service to others, applying our faith to our life.
So, what are your ides? How about sharing what you do to welcome teens into the life of your church.
Great!
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