Nurturing Teen Faith

The latest research on teens shows that while many may "say" they believe, their faith is often shallow or misguided. It's a big concern for church leaders and parents, who are all too aware of the stakes involved. A recent teen rally, may have appeared to be a typical razzle-dazzle youth event, but it was much more serious. Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania Ministries, said, "Most people come to Christ before they're 20--about 90 percent. We've got about 5 years before most of this generation is in their 20's. Luce is a man on a mission. He is so concerned about today's kids not grabbing hold of their faith--that along with the national association of evangelicals, he's launching a campaign to double the size of youth groups at its 40,000-member churches. "People always say 'Oh, we just care about quality, not quantity,'" Luce said. "Well why not both? Jesus didn't die for 10 quality people, he died for the world." That's a high mark to reach for youth pastors like Nancy Stellabotta from southern Maryland. On some nights, her group consists of just a handful of kids. But Stellabotta knows full well she's in a battle against a culture that lures today's teens away from a walk of faith. It's apparent in the easy 24/7 access to more provocative media, peer pressure for drinking, drugs and sex -- and a politically correct world that says anything goes. Youth group member Jeannette Wheeler said, "Sometime you fear that people won't think less of you, but 'different' of you." Plus, like adults, many kids are so busy that it's easy to neglect their relationship with God. "Sometimes after work I'm so tired, I just want to go to sleep," said youth group member Carly Morasch. And then it's like, 'I'll just pray tomorrow.'" Stellabotta's strategy is one that many youth pastors are adopting: focus more on substance and less on the fun and games. Stellabotta said, "It needs to be a heart change. There needs to be some level of conviction that is going to carry somebody through the tough times when they get out on their own and they have to make decisions without mom and dad in their life." Her instinct to dig deep is right on with the latest research that shows even so-called Christian kids are often clueless about the foundations of their faith. In interviews with more than 200 adolescents, Christian Smith, an evangelical sociologist, found that many teens are content in the church of their parents. In fact, half of all youth say their faith is "very or extremely important." But even with so many teens saying their faith is important to them, many still have a hard time explaining what it is that they believe. Smith said, "They didn't have a theological language to draw on. They didn't have canned answers. We would ask, 'Who's Jesus?' 'Uh.' They wouldn't know. They couldn't even say 'Son of God.' Most." So if teens can't explain their faith -- what do they truly believe? Smith says, in reality, many evangelical youth are practicing a New-Agey type philosophy, which is, "The purpose of life is to be happy, to be fulfilled. God does not need to be involved in our lives particularly, until we have a problem." It's a belief system that teens may adopt without even realizing where they're headed. Some Maryland kids told us their thoughts about God. Youth group member Carly Morasch said, "He's the only Way, and the only Person who can give you peace and fulfill you." "I believe that He is a Comforter. He is like a Father figure," said youth group member Enoch Paku. Youth Group Member Jeannette Wheeler said, "To me, God is my Father. He's the one thing in my life that keeps it from falling apart." Eighteen-year-old Wheeler lives in rural Maryland with her mom, whose faith she greatly admires. "I'm not half as strong as my mother," Wheeler said. "My mother's very strong." Youth ministry has traditionally thought kids grow best spiritually with other kids -- but the thinking has changed. Youth consultant Mark Devries said, "If you're going to learn to be a Christian adult, the best place to do that is around Christian adults." Mark intentionally uses loads of adult volunteers in his youth group--and emphasizes the influence of parents. It's an influence, says Smith, that has been greatly underestimated. "A lot of parents tell me--'Now that my daughter's turned 13, she doesn't listen to me anymore.' And I can understand why that's their perception, but in most cases it's just not true. Their teenagers really are still listening to them," Smith said. The ultimate purpose of parents and youth leaders: to nurture a faith that changes kids who then change the world around them. And challenges like rappelling and obstacle courses are simply a metaphor for what Luce is trying to do with his Teen Mania Honor Academy in Texas. Here it's all about spiritual warfare -- training Christian warriors to win their world to Christ. Luce says he's not concerned that the military symbolism may be politically incorrect. He said, "I don't think we have a choice, because young people need a new paradigm of what it means to be a follower of Christ. It's not just saying a little prayer and living my life like everyone else. I've adopted a new lifestyle and I've got a new commander-in-chief." And many youth pastors agree: Luce's urgency is essential, if we're to help a new generation define -- and live out -- a faith that's true to the Gospel of Christ. The latest research on teens shows that while many may "say" they believe, their faith is often shallow or misguided. It's a big concern for church leaders and parents, who are all too aware of the stakes involved. A recent teen rally, may have appeared to be a typical razzle-dazzle youth event, but it was much more serious. Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania Ministries, said, "Most people come to Christ before they're 20--about 90 percent. We've got about 5 years before most of this generation is in their 20's. Luce is a man on a mission. He is so concerned about today's kids not grabbing hold of their faith--that along with the national association of evangelicals, he's launching a campaign to double the size of youth groups at its 40,000-member churches. "People always say 'Oh, we just care about quality, not quantity,'" Luce said. "Well why not both? Jesus didn't die for 10 quality people, he died for the world." That's a high mark to reach for youth pastors like Nancy Stellabotta from southern Maryland. On some nights, her group consists of just a handful of kids. But Stellabotta knows full well she's in a battle against a culture that lures today's teens away from a walk of faith. It's apparent in the easy 24/7 access to more provocative media, peer pressure for drinking, drugs and sex -- and a politically correct world that says anything goes. Youth group member Jeannette Wheeler said, "Sometime you fear that people won't think less of you, but 'different' of you." Plus, like adults, many kids are so busy that it's easy to neglect their relationship with God. "Sometimes after work I'm so tired, I just want to go to sleep," said youth group member Carly Morasch. And then it's like, 'I'll just pray tomorrow.'" Stellabotta's strategy is one that many youth pastors are adopting: focus more on substance and less on the fun and games. Stellabotta said, "It needs to be a heart change. There needs to be some level of conviction that is going to carry somebody through the tough times when they get out on their own and they have to make decisions without mom and dad in their life." Her instinct to dig deep is right on with the latest research that shows even so-called Christian kids are often clueless about the foundations of their faith. In interviews with more than 200 adolescents, Christian Smith, an evangelical sociologist, found that many teens are content in the church of their parents. In fact, half of all youth say their faith is "very or extremely important." But even with so many teens saying their faith is important to them, many still have a hard time explaining what it is that they believe. Smith said, "They didn't have a theological language to draw on. They didn't have canned answers. We would ask, 'Who's Jesus?' 'Uh.' They wouldn't know. They couldn't even say 'Son of God.' Most." So if teens can't explain their faith -- what do they truly believe? Smith says, in reality, many evangelical youth are practicing a New-Agey type philosophy, which is, "The purpose of life is to be happy, to be fulfilled. God does not need to be involved in our lives particularly, until we have a problem." It's a belief system that teens may adopt without even realizing where they're headed. Some Maryland kids told us their thoughts about God. Youth group member Carly Morasch said, "He's the only Way, and the only Person who can give you peace and fulfill you." "I believe that He is a Comforter. He is like a Father figure," said youth group member Enoch Paku. Youth Group Member Jeannette Wheeler said, "To me, God is my Father. He's the one thing in my life that keeps it from falling apart." Eighteen-year-old Wheeler lives in rural Maryland with her mom, whose faith she greatly admires. "I'm not half as strong as my mother," Wheeler said. "My mother's very strong." Youth ministry has traditionally thought kids grow best spiritually with other kids -- but the thinking has changed. Youth consultant Mark Devries said, "If you're going to learn to be a Christian adult, the best place to do that is around Christian adults." Mark intentionally uses loads of adult volunteers in his youth group--and emphasizes the influence of parents. It's an influence, says Smith, that has been greatly underestimated. "A lot of parents tell me--'Now that my daughter's turned 13, she doesn't listen to me anymore.' And I can understand why that's their perception, but in most cases it's just not true. Their teenagers really are still listening to them," Smith said. The ultimate purpose of parents and youth leaders: to nurture a faith that changes kids who then change the world around them. And challenges like rappelling and obstacle courses are simply a metaphor for what Luce is trying to do with his Teen Mania Honor Academy in Texas. Here it's all about spiritual warfare -- training Christian warriors to win their world to Christ. Luce says he's not concerned that the military symbolism may be politically incorrect. He said, "I don't think we have a choice, because young people need a new paradigm of what it means to be a follower of Christ. It's not just saying a little prayer and living my life like everyone else. I've adopted a new lifestyle and I've got a new commander-in-chief." And many youth pastors agree: Luce's urgency is essential, if we're to help a new generation define -- and live out -- a faith that's true to the Gospel of Christ.