World Yute Days and LifeTeen Masses come to mind.
Agreed. Faith as socialization.
Christian education is very important. str.org is an organization that has a good student ministry—teaching kids to THINK, not just “relate” to the world.
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It’s way past time to tell our youth that they may be persecuted for their faith. They should be preparing by reading the scriptures and praying faithfully.
Thousands of Christians die every year because of their faith. Our time for testing will come as we’ll.
katy perry and brad pitt were involved in youth groups. we need to build solid foundations of the bible education. young people are bible illiterates. i’d rather be a prophetic minority than a mushy majority.
I believe Ann Bernhardt calls it “super fun rock band church”
Neo-triumphalism.
My guess is the youth groups reflect the church they are from.
The basic points here are correct that the experience of youth in church should not be divorced from the experience of church as family. We have pandered way too much to the culture of youth in the church. That being said there is nothing wrong with youth having youth centered ‘Bible Study’ or extra meetings that speak directly to the problems and positives of being a young Christian in a secular world. Also discussions in regard to vocations or how to express an authentic faith are great but should not exclude the experiences of older Christians, Ministers, Priests etc. I would think the failure rate would decrease depending on how much the more mature members of the congregation are engaged by the youth leader or group. I have no numbers to back this up but personal relationships and the ability to see more mature Christians live out their faith are bound to keep the bond to church stronger!
Youth groups have a tendency to atomize. They buck against the biblical concept of one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism. While it is true we all go through seasons and stations in life that shift and change, that is all the more reason to participate together in Divine Service on a regular basis - all ages and vocations - with a Pastor who is called and placed in service to the Church, being devoted to “feeding the sheep.” If youth in a parish are going to do activities as a separate group, let them be closely guided, taught, and supervised by God-fearing adults while doing works of service for the elderly and neighbors.
Trying to be hip and cool doesn’t help them grow in Christianity? Well, who could have foreseen this? Like, everyone?
The same reason it is hard to find real solid Christian faith in the pews of a Mega-Church.
The resources, curriculum and milquetoast themes and peer chat that consumes whole dioceses is junk food for little ones and teens.
There is no excuse for hearers of all ages not to be educated in the faith; Sacred Scripture, Catechism of the Catholic Church; Fathers of the Church; canon law; Catholic History; the Doctors of the Church; the Saints Lives.
There is no time to waste, and this stuff sets souls on fire.
Why would it ever be discardes in favor of head banger music, designer coffee and 2nd Grade Reader lessons?
God proposes and never imposes himself upon us.
We are free to reject Him and to minimize piety, sanctity and obedience, causing the young to starve.
Does it surprise anyone that satan attacks and tries to destroy anything that leads young people to Christ? Why? That’s his job. He’s good at it. The only protection from the 2nd most powerful being in the universe is to have the MOST powerful watching over you. Those youth groups that stray from following Christ will not help kids to resist satan’s many snares, and many of them will be dragged down, like a zebra that has strayed from the herd falls to the lion. Those that focus on teaching kids to understand the Bible, to pray, and to follow Christ will generally be successful in producing Christ-centered kids that are much harder to drag down. Not impossible - just harder.
I have been involved in youth ministry (Baptist) for many years, as a youth leader and Sunday school teacher. There are many influences on kids today other than their youth group - blaming the youth group for kids falling to satan is like blaming Bush for global warming. Today’s youth groups may be the only positive influence in the lives of many kids - behind fallen kids you will generally find fallen parents, siblings, friends, authority figures - all of whom have way more influence that the youth group.
One of the reason Lutherans lost many to Orthodox in the last several years. They don’t bother with rock bands and gimmicks.
“They also help further inculcate children in the culture of peer dependence noted above, and when many young adults today are not just unfaithful regarding their religious duties, but are out and out atheist-communist enemies of the Faith, it is not surprising that so many of these young souls fall away.”
Might explain why a majority of Catholics vote Democrat and Evangelicals vote Republican?
From this author’s point of view, the results should be opposite.
I saw a fantastic video from a Conservative Korean Christian group in South Korea - a few years back. It was all vignettes shot during the course a Christian father-son camp.
The camp was about a good Christian father-son relationship and about how a good Christian father-son relationship can help fathers and teen sons through the son’s teen years. It was not just about the son obeying the father, but about the father understanding the son. It was not just about the son accepting discipline but understanding the father.
There was even scenes, tearful, when fathers and sons took turns washing each other’s feet and telling each other what they were going to do to be good Christian fathers and sons for each other.
It was the kind of camp Christian teen boys need and ought to have.
There ought to be the same thing for Christian mothers and daughters, and maybe among the South Korean Christians I was watching there is. And maybe here in the states there is. I just haven’t heard of it.
I am not a fan of Barna. His polling seems to be marketing for his cool materials which will solve all the problems cited in the polling data.
Turn off the cable tv. No excuses just shut it down. It is a pipeline of filth into your home.
Get your kids onto a good childrens program. They are the future of the church and you need to invedt in their future.
The intent is to make church a normal activity, one they will adopt as normal for an adult.
Did I mention cut off your cable tv?
The problem isn’t with the youth groups.
The problem is with the parents who’ve abdicated their responsibility in raising their children and are expecting the youth group to do their work for them - that is, giving their children the spiritual basis and training that it the parent’s responsibility to give.
Youth groups are not meant to be surrogate parents. The best they can really do is provide some additional support in that job and provide some outlet for social activities that don’t involve drinking and drugs.