A Biblical View of Youth Discipleship

[Beezer]

Greetings,

This morning I was listening to an interview Al Mohler gave to Kevin Swanson and part of the conversation was about the staggering number of youth in America that are walking away from the church as adults and how part of the problem is many parents no longer disciple their children in the home and instead outsource the responsibility in its entirety to the church. I do know several families that actively teach their children the faith in the home, but for the most part I believe it's a true statement to say many parents do not and expect their church to do it for them. This got me thinking more about the quality of youth discipleship that one might encounter in a typical evangelical church. Are youth ministries today successfully discipling youth or merely keeping them entertained while the adults do their own thing?

The reason I'm posting this is I just came home and read an email from a PCA church in my area that is hosting a "Napolean Dynamite Youth Movie Night" tomorrow where the kids can come dressed up as their favorite character to watch the movie and afterwards there will be a dance competition, etc. You can't make this stuff up! This is the same church that has a weekly kickball & dairy queen night and other regular social events for the youth, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised...and actually the more church websites I visit and people I talk to these sorts of ministry activities seem quite the norm. Very little of substance being taught if anything at all.

I have two young children at home that I catechize and practice family devotions with, so I'm not in the camp that needs his church to bridge the gap; however, I'm much dismayed by the lack of biblical doctrine and fundamentals of the faith that is taught to our youth in the church. If every parent was dutifully fulfilling his/her responsibility with their children in the home it wouldn't be as worrying, but many do not and thus in many cases the junk thrown at our children in these youth ministries is all they are being fed.

1. Do you believe there should even be youth ministries in the church?

2. What has been your best/worst experience with youth ministries?

3. Do you have any resources to recommend for cultivating a biblical view of youth discipleship?


We need a modern reformation in our churches....

 

[Grimmson]

Are youth ministries today successfully discipling youth or merely keeping them entertained while the adults do their own thing?

I think the answer to your question more broadly is no, but I am sure you can find a church that is doing a decent job. But I also think the church is not doing a decent job in discipling adults as well, which in turn makes it harder for adults to teach their children the scriptures. I remember seeing a survey a large number of incoming seminarians failing a bible exam, if this is the case for people who want to serve Christ and his Church then what is the condition of those in the church that just go to church on Sunday and are not in any leadership role? Therefore, I think discipleship is an area that the church as a whole needs to work on.

1. Do you believe there should even be youth ministries in the church?

I don’t have a problem with youth ministries if they are being trained in the Word and there real accountability with the pastor(s) or elders regarding what being taught and the activities being applied in the ministry. This should not be seen as its own little church or separated from the teaching arm of the church.

2. What has been your best/worst experience with youth ministries?

I have never been involved in this aspect with teaching the youth of the church, so I do not have a personal testimony on the matter. All I can say is that the current data, which we have seen and known for quite some time, of children leaving the church is quite high and I think it’s a reflection of the church not abiding by their responsibility according to Matthew 28:19-20. I think part of the issue is the immaturity I see in the youth and in schools. And it seems as if students have been regressing more and more with the current generation. I been noticing this in the classroom with their level of maturity and critical thinking skills; particularly abstract thought and the desire of students towards constant entertainment, which helps to explain the non-theological teaching, games, and socialization activities that is taking place in churches across the United States.

3. Do you have any resources to recommend for cultivating a biblical view of youth discipleship?

First, the Bible (keeping in mind Matthew 28:19-20) and not through a topical process. Kids need to learn how to read a passage of scripture and how to interpret it. They need to be able to read more than just a sentence or a small periscope. You don’t need to invest in pre-fab materials, the church needs to try to come up with a means of teaching all of scripture. And if a kid has only heard the Gospel of John, Romans, and a Series on Revelation preached in their 14 to 18 years of attending the same church with their parents then that needs to be addressed in a session meeting and not celebrated as a pastor going in-depth with the congregation because that should not be acceptable. Children need to become more familiar with the Old Testament and in general the New Testament, but I fear they are to imbalanced with scripture. A plan should be developed by the teaching elders, in fact I would go further and say that is their job. Second, parents need to be a resource, and chances are they may need to hear and learn what the youth are learning anyway. This may sound like I am trying to be critical, I am just indicating the trends I see and think that parents need to be more involved anyway. There resources out there that you can buy, but remember the Divines did create the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which was meant for children to memorize and I am sure church can get a cheap copy of it for their students. Shoot, it is in back of the Trinity Hymnal, so if it is done at the church property then the adolescents will have easy access to it.

 

[Grafted In]

Brian,

At my church I started what I call the youth-parent discipleship night. Parents come and stay with their children as we play kickball (or some other fun activity) together and have a snack before I teach from the Word of God. I craft my lessons so that they not only instruct the children but the parents as well, especially encouraging them as to how they can train up their children, conduct family worship, and serve the Lord together. I am attempting to disciple them both at the same time.

As to resources, I would only advise you to be careful of the movements and national-center-for-this-and-that type organizations. In my assessment, they offer a lot of superficial readings of church and cultural history, false alternatives, and overly simplistic solutions.

 

[Jack K]

Don't assume the worst just because a church has social events for its youth. Socializing is a part of church life. Time together is good for the church. And healthy social outlets that take place in a Christian context is sweet relief from worldly pressures for many teens. I count myself among the parents who are grateful for other adults in my church who invest their time in my teenagers and run the occasional social event.

The problem is not social events. The problem comes when social events are done wrongly: when they supplant Christ and Bible teaching as the heart of the "youth program," when they exclude or disempower parents, or when they mimic the world rather than provide an alternative to the world.

Young people give many reasons for leaving the church once they become adults, but a common theme is that Christ means little to them. Despite being exposed to churchy things, they've never come to treasure Jesus and believe the gospel. Our response must be to show them Christ—both in the home where kids spend most of their time, and in the church where the primary call to preach and teach the Word resides. Do not despise or neglect either effort; rather, strive to do both well.

 

[Beezer]

Don't assume the worst just because a church has social events for its youth. Socializing is a part of church life. Time together is good for the church. And healthy social outlets that take place in a Christian context is sweet relief from worldly pressures for many teens. I count myself among the parents who are grateful for other adults in my church who invest their time in my teenagers and run the occasional social event.

The problem is not social events. The problem comes when social events are done wrongly: when they supplant Christ and Bible teaching as the heart of the "youth program," when they exclude or disempower parents, or when they mimic the world rather than provide an alternative to the world.

Young people give many reasons for leaving the church once they become adults, but a common theme is that Christ means little to them. Despite being exposed to churchy things, they've never come to treasure Jesus and believe the gospel. Our response must be to show them Christ—both in the home where kids spend most of their time, and in the church where the primary call to preach and teach the Word resides. Do not despise or neglect either effort; rather, strive to do both well.

I agree with everything you said, especially your second point about when they are done wrongly. Fellowship (aka socializing) is an important aspect of belonging to a local church and I can appreciate social events when done correctly...unfortunately this is often not the case and the entertainment culture of the world around us has had a disastrous impact on the church in my opinion.

 

[Andres]

Just some quick thoughts - Scripture gives the primary responsibility for discipling children/youth to the parents. There is no such thing as a "youth minister/pastor" found in the Word of God. I agree that far too many parents in the church neglect the responsibility of discipling, therefore I see one duty of the local session to support and encourage in as many ways possible parents discipling their children.
At our church, we encourage and support parents catechizing their children as well as leading them in daily family worship. In addition, the session does take communicant membership seriously so one of our elders is currently leading weekly communicant members classes each Lord's Day afternoon for youth that aspire to become communicant members. In addition, each Lord's Day we have a time of catechism recitation, again led by an elder, where several of our young people, including kids as young as four and five, publicly recite from the Children's and Westminster Shorter catechisms.

 

[Jack K]

Scripture gives the primary responsibility for discipling children/youth to the parents.

That's a popular saying that has many good thoughts behind it, but I wonder sometimes if it could be said with more nuance. Scripture indeed instructs parents to teach faith to their children on a daily basis. This is vitally important. But Scripture also is clear that children are part of the church and that elders and pastors are responsible for shepherding all those under their care, and we have examples of children directly instructed by epistle writers. So a more nuanced saying might be that Scripture gives parents primary responsibility for the daily discipling of children (as you work, as you walk along the way, etc.) and also says children are part of the church where everyone receives discipling and instruction. Both are important.

The danger of saying one of these is primary (besides the fact that the Bible never directly compares the two to set one above the other) is that the moment one receives "primary" status folks start to think they can neglect or even resist the other. We have people thinking the church is the primary place of training who neglect family instruction. But we also have people who've been taught that parents are the primary instructors who resist letting the church do its work of teaching when it comes to their children, and end up failing to teach their children to respect and submit to their shepherds in the church.

When both parents and the church work together to teach children, the children receive that much more benefit—not to mention a safeguard in the event one or the other does the work poorly. Who among us has not, at times, felt unable for the task? I for one am glad to know I have some backup, both from the church as I teach my kids at home, and from parents as I assist them by teaching their kids at church.

 

[jwithnell]

Jack, if I may take that a step further, the congregation is generally charged at baptism to assist the parents. With children from 30 (and about to deliver our first grandbaby) down to age 10, I can attest that it takes a whole congregation to rear godly children.

Make no mistake, I'm not supportive of dividing congregations demographically, but we do have different seasons in life.

 

[Beezer]

Brian,

At my church I started what I call the youth-parent discipleship night. Parents come and stay with their children as we play kickball (or some other fun activity) together and have a snack before I teach from the Word of God. I craft my lessons so that they not only instruct the children but the parents as well, especially encouraging them as to how they can train up their children, conduct family worship, and serve the Lord together. I am attempting to disciple them both at the same time.

As to resources, I would only advise you to be careful of the movements and national-center-for-this-and-that type organizations. In my assessment, they offer a lot of superficial readings of church and cultural history, false alternatives, and overly simplistic solutions.

I really like your approach to social events a lot! You are getting the parents involved and everyone is growing together. I think your strategy for discipleship is probably not very common. At least in my experience family-integrated discipleship isn't. How many families on average participate in these youth-parent discipleship nights?

 

[Beezer]

Has anybody read Brian Cosby's book "Giving Up Gimmicks: Reclaiming Youth Ministry from an Entertainment Culture"?

http://www.prpbooks.com/book/giving-up-gimmicks

 

[Grafted In]

Brian,

At my church I started what I call the youth-parent discipleship night. Parents come and stay with their children as we play kickball (or some other fun activity) together and have a snack before I teach from the Word of God. I craft my lessons so that they not only instruct the children but the parents as well, especially encouraging them as to how they can train up their children, conduct family worship, and serve the Lord together. I am attempting to disciple them both at the same time.

As to resources, I would only advise you to be careful of the movements and national-center-for-this-and-that type organizations. In my assessment, they offer a lot of superficial readings of church and cultural history, false alternatives, and overly simplistic solutions.

I really like your approach to social events a lot! You are getting the parents involved and everyone is growing together. I think your strategy for discipleship is probably not very common. At least in my experience family-integrated discipleship isn't. How many families on average participate in these youth-parent discipleship nights?

Almost all of our families with children participate in the youth-parent discipleship night. Those who don't simply aren't able to. It has attracted other families from outside of our church, who are intrigued by the idea of parents needing discipleship in discipling their children. One of those families was not attending church at all. They, then, started coming to worship with us and is, now, pursuing membership.

 

[Jack K]

Has anybody read Brian Cosby's book "Giving Up Gimmicks: Reclaiming Youth Ministry from an Entertainment Culture"?

http://www.prpbooks.com/book/giving-up-gimmicks

Yes, Brian's book is very good. Highly recommended.

 

[reaganmarsh]

Has anybody read Brian Cosby's book "Giving Up Gimmicks: Reclaiming Youth Ministry from an Entertainment Culture"?

http://www.prpbooks.com/book/giving-up-gimmicks

Yes, Brian's book is very good. Highly recommended.

I second that recommendation. An excellent book (and not merely because I met the author!) -- I gave this one to our youth minister and he benefitted greatly from it.

I'm going to have to consider Pastor Scott's idea -- that sounds terrific!

 

[Rom]

I am going to wade into this discussion a bit. The very question being posed about a thing called - Youth Discipleship supposes that the youth are being discipled as Christians. If you call it discipleship, then it should focus on what Christ intends when He tells the Church to "make disciples" (Matt 28:18). Particularly, as Presbyterians, we understand that to mean that we teach even our littlest disciples "all that Christ have commanded us" (Matt 28:20).

I currently am the elder who is tasked to help catechize our children at our church, and to lead them in maturity of doctrine via some extra classes on the Lord's Day where we have dived into the Shorter Catechism, Apologetics, and what it means to have an all encompassing Christian Worldview. We often discuss the sermon that was preached as well, to help them understand how we are to listen to a sermon and apply it to our lives. As part of the class, we spend a little bit of time talking about our week, and the things that matter to them even as a young person.

You see, I think contrary to popular conception, children actually appreciate it when you treat them with dignity, a sense of worth, and to show them that serious thoughts matter in life. That the children matter enough that we take them seriously, and to spend time with them discussing things that are meaningful rather than merely entertaining them. In our society, children go from one arena of entertainment to another. Why not give them something different, that has eternal value?

The children very much enjoy this time that we share together, and I know that they are often disappointed when our class cannot meet.

Do they lose focus? Do they go off on tangents? Of course, and we often have some great laughs.

But they also understand that they are in the process of "putting away childish things", and that these times at church are part of that. My prayer is that God uses these times as a means to grow them Christward. They will have many, many people in their lives who will be far better than I at entertaining them. I see my singular focus as their elder as someone to lead them more and more towards the reality of a risen Christ.

Paul charges His disciple Timothy with looking at those who will succeed Timothy. I look at my class and I am hopeful that some of these will be future ministers and elders - as well as fathers, and mothers. That the things being discussed will bear fruit in their lives, and in the lives of their future congregations and children, and that twenty years from now they will be able to look fondly back at those things which transpired in a shabby classroom in Flower Mound, TX even as they are charged to lead others to Christ. That the church cared for them so much that it tasked elders to look after their souls, and not just someone who was their for their amusements.

This is part of what it means to lay up treasure in heaven.