by James A. Hull
OHN 10:10 tells us the devil is a thief who comes to “steal and kill and destroy” (NIV). One way we see the Enemy’s handiwork is in how he often steals 10 years from our young people after they graduate from high school. Many churches have thriving youth groups that provide a much-needed spark to the congregation. We’ve seen these students come home from Teen Talent competition wearing medals and hoisting trophies aloft. We’ve seen them return from youth camps and Winterfest week- ends on fire for Jesus. We’ve seen them stand on our stages giving their testimo- nies about mission trips and YWEA fund- raising efforts. It pleases pastors, parents, and parishioners to see that we are mak- ing progress in discipling our teens. We labor hard to sow the good seed of the gospel into their lives and we desire to see a bountiful harvest.
Stop the Devil From Stealing Ten Years From Your Young People!
J
That translates into a lot of relationships. The dictionary defines relationship as “a connection; a state or condition that exists between people or groups that deal with one another; a condition of belong- ing to the same family.”
Belonging to the same family? That sounds like the church! Or at least what the church should be if the relationships are healthy.
For the past five years I have occupied the position of senior pastor. Prior to this, my oversight concentrated on middle school and high school students. Now I am responsible for the big picture, from cradle to grave.
It becomes imperative to answer the three questions: 1. What happened? We failed these
students.
2. Where were they during that lost
When graduation day comes, regret- tably, the worst often happens. These same young men and women attend a few more Sundays, and then that summer they disappear. Ten years pass . . . and if we’re fortunate, they return with a spouse and a child or two, ready to repent and pick up where they left off with Jesus. Too often, the Enemy has spent that decade wreaking havoc in their lives. We have heard the tales of dreadful decisions, debauchery, and degradation—of how a promising life dedicated to Jesus is dam- aged by Satan’s schemes.
Three Questions
What happened? Where were they during that lost decade? What could we have done to prevent it from happening? I spent 27 years working with teenag- ers. That’s almost three decades of lock- ins, youth camps, mission trips, and Teen Talent—nearly 30 years of youth sermons, object lessons, icebreakers, and altar calls.
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decade? They were becoming entangled with toxic relationships that led to nega- tive experiences and sinful lifestyles.
3. What could we have done to prevent
that from happening? We need to grasp how crucial, how pivotal that senior year is. We must seize the opportunity to cir- cumvent what the Enemy has planned, and be proactive in the critical months before and after graduation.
For the church to succeed in keeping teenagers after their graduation, we need to realize that we cannot turn this around overnight. We didn’t get into this prob- lem in one day, and we won’t get out in one day. We need to think long-term. The task before us is to create a cul- ture of nurturing relationships within the church. Our churches should be loving congregations where we are the biggest cheerleaders in each other’s lives. Recently I preached a sermon called “The Family—Complete!” In it, I ref- erenced 1 Peter 2:5: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.”
Picture people as building blocks, interconnected, needing each other for support. There ought to be a sweet fel- lowship in your church that cuts across generational lines—all ages, interacting together in a positive way.
Right now, the church I pastor is in the midst of a baby boom. In the past seven months, we have dedicated six newborns, and three more moms are expecting! Our congregation is serious about the concept of the older ones men- toring and nurturing the younger ones. Consider this:
• Our adults consistently pray for our children.
• We have spent thousands of dollars remodeling our children’s ministry facili- ties.
• We invest in our children by pur- chasing choice curriculum and teaching materials.
• We regularly train our teachers in every-other-month Christian education workshops.
It’s about passing the Christian “baton” to the next generation. We really do want to be a supplemental resource to the parents’ teaching.
Cultivating Closeness
Our relationships have to be inten- tional. We must find ways to plug in to the lives of our children and our youth. When the friendships go beneath the sur- face, we don’t mind going the extra mile by attending a ball game or a music recit- al. Being a part of meaningful events in the lives of our church kids will translate into the interconnectedness that we seek. When we cultivate that kind of close- ness, we are embracing the essence of what the body of Christ is about. Laughing together, weeping together, celebrating together, and encouraging each other—this is what the Lord wants for His family.
RECLAIMING THE LOST DECADE
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