A Theology of YTH Ministry
Teenagers are under-challenged by YTH ministry in America. And because of this, teenagers are void of theology in the 21st century.
The facts support this.
According to Barna in the Impact 360 Study from February 2018, only 4% of Gen Z has a biblical worldview. That has dropped significantly in each of the last three generational sets. So, it is imperative that we re-introduce God to this generation. For a decade now we have seen the rise of the ‘none’s’ (those with no faith) and the ‘SBNR’ (Spiritual But Not Religious) groups who have no Christian theological framework.
And the only way to stop this slide is theology training of a generation in YTH ministry.
It shouldn’t concern YTH leaders whether we have the best ga-ga ball pit or 9-square cage in your area. Our greatest concern is not the newest foam machine game or the hottest new carnival YTH event. If you are able to do all of this and theology, great! But, what should concern you most is how many of my students understand who God is.
Biblical Support For YTH Ministry
There isn’t enough space to do a thorough job of this, but, here is a quick 411 on the thology of YTH ministry.
Psalm 78
What is very clear in Psalm 78 is that there are several levels of people who must lead the responsibility of theological sustainability – that the message of God is dependent upon one generation sharing the narrative of God to the next generation.
A thorough read of this chapter finds the responsibility of theological sustainability falls to grandfathers and grandmothers, fathers and mothers, spiritual leaders, and an older generation of siblings telling of the ways of God to the next generation. Asaph was saying that theology must begin in the home. Suffice it to say, the family cannot place the responsibility of theology solely on the church. The family must see itself at the center of biblical training. That makes one of the key roles of the YTH leader to help parents with the spiritual formation of their children.
When you look at the breakdown of the family you then begin to realize why only 4% of Gen Z has a biblical worldview. We can scream at the church all we want for its lack of theology, but, there is just no way teens are going to develop a biblical worldview when they haven’t been told of one growing up in their home.
The principles of one generation become the practices of the next.
Matthew 18
These are Jesus’ famous words about NextGen ministry.
Can you see the setting? Jesus is with the disciples teaching after His transfiguration. While He is teaching on the death and the resurrection and on paying taxes, one of the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?“ A pretty random question in this moment. But look at what is going on in this moment and take yourself back to this scene.
There must’ve been some children playing nearby. Because the narrative takes a turn.
As Jesus is talking to the disciples, one of the children’s frisbees was thrown up next to the disciples and they were distracted. Maybe the children were making too much noise and the disciples were hushing the children so they could hear what Jesus was saying.
So Jesus answers their question about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven – by calling a child over to his side. No he did not ask Peter or John to come forward. He asked a middle school or elementary aged child to help Him answer their question. Now He has their attention.
Did you catch that thought!? Jesus defines the kingdom of God by bringing over a sixth grader. Ha ha. Now that is a theology of YTH ministry. You might be thinking I’m taking a stretch at this hermeneutic and commentary. Maybe a little. A little. That’s a key word in the text.
The Little One’s
As we read this text further, Jesus answers them by saying, “I say to you, unless you are converted and become as a little child you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.“ And Jesus isn’t finished. He tells the disciples, who are young people themselves, that whoever hangs out with these little children is a friend of His. But wait, there’s more. Jesus then warns them that if they were to cause a little one to sin that it would be better for him to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Finally, one more time, Jesus looks into their disdain and anger toward these little children being around and tells them, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones.“
What Are Our Students Learning?
How many of my students are learning the principles in the Bible? How comfortable are my students with prayer, worship, studying God’s word, and apologetics, or, sharing their faith?
We must have non-negotiable theological specifics that our students are learning because the Millennial and Gen Z set have no framework for theology because it wasn’t passed down to them. They may be the truly ‘post-Christian’ generation in America we have talked about for years. An accurate theology of God and man is critical for teenagers – that begins with an accurate interpretation and understanding of the Bible in the YTH ministry setting.
So what does that look like? How do we evaluate whether we have adequate theology in YTH ministry?
I think that is an easy set of questions to answer. You may have your own important things and elementary content that you feel is essential for teenagers to learn in your setting. That’s good. Make a list and have a strategy each year with themes that will address this content with regular quarterly assessment.
Non-negotiables In Theology
I am asked this question about theological topics and content often. So here is my non-negotiable list of the things every teenager should learn once they have left our YTH ministry:
Biblical Content
The Ten Commandments,
The Sermon on the Mount material (what I like to call the New Testament Commandments)
Key Bible Stories throughout the Old and New Testaments
The Gospels
Paul & basic theology of grace and truth from the Epistles
The Fruit of the Spirit & The Gifts of the Spirit
End-Times Eschatology and Apocalyptic theology
Apologetics - How to share their faith
Finally
Simplistic isn’t it? Yet we need some kind of measurement.
These basic biblical contents of Christianity will help us define God to a generation that does not know Him. Actually, theology really is simple. I believe theology is the missing key in YTH ministry. As YTH leaders, if we can introduce our students to God, I have no question that they will serve Him. Because the only people who do not serve God are people that do not see God.