Wading into youth ministry

From a distance, adolescent culture looks scary. For people just beginning to launch into youth ministry, wading into a high school cafeteria, diving into the stands at a football game, or jumping with both feet into a group of middle school kids can be a frightening proposition. How many of us in youth ministry have looked out at a crowd of teenagers and thought, "These are deep, turbulent waters, and I'm in way over my head?"

But the method of God is undeniable. God's message is always to be preached in the presence of people, a "word become flesh."

Consider God's command to Jeremiah. "You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declared the Lord (Jeremiah 1:7-8).

And what about Paul's approach? "We were.among you.while we preached the gospel of God to you" (1 Thes. 2:7-9).

Trying to understand youth culture without being around teenagers is like a weatherman trying to gauge the temperature by looking through a window, or a doctor trying to do a physical by looking at someone's photograph. The best way to get a feel for the current is to wade out into the river, and the best way to understand youth culture is to be there, be among kids, move beyond the theoretical to the geographical. "I walked around and looked carefully" (Acts 17:23).

How much do you know about the teenagers within a one mile radius of your church? Have you ever taken time to actually go where they are with the hope of finding out who they are? We begin by asking a simple question: where do teenagers hang out in your community-what are the spaces that become a defining part of a group of students? Is it a certain park, or a particular place in the mall, or a specific parking lot? Is it a street corner, a playground, or a club? You don't need to be a trained anthropologist to do simple observation of the teenage population in your community.

In its most basic form it consists of three simple questions:

1. What can be observed? Just pay attention to who, where, and what. Think of this as a photographer snapping some mental images of teenage life.

2. What does it mean? This is looking back through the snapshots and taking time to reflect: What's going on here? What is this space about? Why do these kids gather here? What are they looking for here? What have they found here?

3. What could it mean for my youth ministry? Does this help us better shape an outreach strategy? Does this suggest some issues or topics that need to be addressed in our youth group? Do we have any students who have a connection to this group through whom we could begin to build a bridge or connection with this group?

In addition to these simple steps, do the obvious stuff:

. Talk to the kids themselves. Sure, there is the likelihood that answers will be seasoned to make them a little more tasteful to an adult outsider, but it's better than nothing. When teenagers know we are going to take them seriously, they can be amazingly open.

. Talk to other youth pastors and youth workers in the community. When someone is going to fish a spot they've never fished before, they talk to the locals. They stop at a nearby bait and tackle shop to see where the fish are biting. They take advantage of insights offered by anglers who fish the same stretch of water. Obviously, you'll want to talk to local youth workers, but don't neglect to interview school officials, principles, counselors, and coaches as well. Talk to people at the local drug or crisis pregnancy center.

. Talk to the parents. Just because someone is a youth worker doesn't mean they are the only local guru on adolescent culture. Parents see a side of their teenagers not so readily visible from any other angle.

"Come on in, the water's fine!"

The best part of being among teenagers is not just the information it gives us, but the relationships it offers us. We probably won't learn to love teenagers from a distance. It is easy to be put off by their appearance, the apparent lack of emotion, or the ways they communicate their feelings. But if we'll make the effort to wade into their world, we'll discover that what looked so forbidding from a distance can also be a place of fun, refreshment, and adventure.

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