“What the whole church must face–local congregations and parachurch ministries alike–is the enormity of the need. The facts speak for themselves: Only 15 to 20 percent of American teenagers are significantly involved in a local church”–Doug Burleigh, past president of Young Life
“Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these”–Jesus (
Calling for conversation from all those who care about the next generation of teens and 20-somethings living for Jesus Christ wholeheartedly! I need your valuable input at the Intergenerational Youth Ministry Facebook fan page! Your thoughts might make it into a new youth ministry book with Zondervan!
Let’s pose some critical questions that should cause all youth workers, pastors, volunteers and parents to stop in their tracks and evaluate what is happening in youth ministry today and in their local context of ministry.
- Why are so many teenagers graduating from high school only to find themselves running from God a few months later?
- Are we really making disciples of the next generation? How do we know?
- Is youth ministry on it’s own island, keeping youth away from adults (even unintentionally), and adults seem to be keeping an arm’s length away from “those scary” teenagers?
- Are we accomplishing the right mission, goals, and strategic plan for ministry to teenagers? Is it connected to our local church’s mission?
- Are we intentionally connecting youth to other adults?
- Have we hired youth workers to keep teenagers separated from the whole of the church?
- Have our churches counted the cost of having an entirely separate program for youth that is disconnected from the overall church body?
- Is it possible for youth ministry to be connected to the larger church while maintaining a youth identity?
- Have youth workers had a conversation around these questions with senior pastors, elders and other church leaders?
How are you working through these questions in your context of ministry (denomination, church size, number of staff, church history, budget, geographic location).
I am passionate about the next generation becoming “mature Jesus-following adults” fully engaged with a local body of believers. I also am aware of the huge disconnect caused by many in the local church between teenagers and adults. With good intentions and cultural influences, most youth ministry has been separated from the whole, but now we find ourselves loosing teenagers to the world before and after high school. Something must change. This has led me to write a book in this critical area not to fully solve the issues facing youth ministry today, but to add another voice in the conversation calling the local church to dialog and decision-making.
I need your input!
Come join the conversation, muse on Intergenerational Youth Ministry and possibly make it into a new book I am writing with Zondervan on this critical issue. I would love to here your perspective. Visit the Facebook fan page for “Intergenerational Youth Ministry” or my blog, sacredoutfitter.blogspot.com. Thank you for contributing to this critical conversation about ministering to the next generation of teens and 20-somethings.
About Jeff Baxter: For more than 15 years Jeff Baxter, author of Following Jesus into College and Beyond (YS/Zondervan) has ministered to youth and their families. Jeff holds a doctorate in Youth and Family Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary and loves to speak to youth, parents, youth workers and young adults across the country. He would love to join you for coffee, some conversation and a speaking event. Currently, he is the Pastor of Singles and Student Ministries at Foothills Bible Church and a speaker with Dr. Chap Clark’s ministry, ParenTeen. Jeff lives in Littleton, Colo., with his wife and children. Updates on Jeff, his ministry and conversation can be found on his blog.
