{"id":2064,"date":"2017-09-16T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2017-09-16T08:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dare2share.org\/uncategorized\/struggling-with-teen-spiritual-apathy-give-them-a-mission\/"},"modified":"2017-09-16T08:00:57","modified_gmt":"2017-09-16T08:00:57","slug":"struggling-with-teen-spiritual-apathy-give-them-a-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dare2share.org\/conferences\/struggling-with-teen-spiritual-apathy-give-them-a-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Struggling with Teen Spiritual Apathy? Give Them a Mission!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking for a fresh approach to youth group that will move your teens from spiritual apathy to engagement?<\/p>\n

Give them a mission!<\/p>\n

No, not a mission that only Ethan Hunt can accomplish. (Although, no doubt some of your students would love being a tag-along in one of his impossible missions).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about a mission for teens to engage their faith in the real world. A mission to exercise all the spiritual truths they are learning at youth group. And a mission to give them a vision to guide their faith for life!<\/p>\n

And guess what? You\u2019re currently living this mission out! It\u2019s the mission Jesus calls all believers to: Going into the world and making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Way\u201d of Youth Ministry Handed Down from Our Youth Ministry Forefathers<\/h3>\n

In youth ministry, most have adopted a generally accepted \u201cway\u201d of running youth group\u2026<\/p>\n

Show up.<\/p>\n

Give students some time to socialize.<\/p>\n

Get the energy moving with a game.<\/p>\n

Reel them back in with worship songs.<\/p>\n

Encourage them with a message.<\/p>\n

Send them off and repeat the following week.<\/p>\n

This \u201cway\u201d can sometimes seem like the only<\/em> way to do ministry<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 either because of our own experiences from growing up in the church or from what we see other youth leaders modeling in their youth group.<\/p>\n

The harsh reality is that in many respects, we are boring our teens with \u201cthe way\u201d of ministry. Sure, they may be engaged for a time. But because we\u2019ve conditioned them to come to group thinking that it\u2019s all about them<\/em> and what they<\/em> can get out of youth group, we\u2019re starting from the wrong premise. No wonder they\u2019re soon spiritually apathetic. This same weekly routine offers teens no exciting or daring places to take their faith and they quickly become spiritually stagnant and self-absorbed.<\/p>\n

Teens need an outlet to grow and go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. They need a mission that will put them in the driver\u2019s seat of their faith, hand them the keys and encourage them to drive out on the streets. After all, they are teens who are learning to drive in real life.<\/p>\n

Christ\u2019s Great Commission gives meaning and purpose to our faith beyond just accepting it personally. It challenges believers to really own their faith. And it gives your teens the respected honor and privilege to participate in a 2,000-year-old mission of bringing the saving news of the gospel to the lost, hurt and broken of the world.<\/p>\n

Now, what could be more exciting than that?!<\/p>\n

Where to Begin<\/h3>\n

But before you jump in and \u201cco-mission\u201d your students to spread the Word the next time you meet, here are a few ideas to set you up for mission-success:<\/p>\n