The Student Ministry Dilemma
It’s no secret, “youth ministry” is declining across denominational lines and students are going elsewhere.
If you aren’t convinced, or haven’t been hit by this reality yet, consider the following: (according to Barna research), only 45% of students in middle school and high school attend church on a regular basis. Only 35% of students are involved in a youth ministry program.
That may not seem like groundbreaking information. We tend to blame hectic schedules, over-involvement in sports and extra-curriculars, lack of parental influence, and the list goes on. We tend to think that today’s student isn’t receptive toward deep spirituality, or that there is no interest in church in today’s student MTV culture. The result of this mentality is that we don’t expect to have a lot of influence in the broad student culture today. 35% of students involved in a youth group doesn’t surprise us…of course they would go elsewhere.
But here’s the alarming thought: 75% of students actively pray to God.
This means that today’s student is desperately searching for who God is and what He’s about, but they aren’t finding those answers at a church. They aren’t just going elsewhere, they are leaving to go elsewhere. According to George Barna, the leader of the research which revealed the information above, “Young people are not spiritually transformed merely by attending a church, knowing a few Bible stories, or being friends with the youth pastor. It takes addressing students on a much deeper, personal level – such as developing their intellect and vocational passions as well as cultivating their curiosity for the complexities of life.”
If we are to reach today’s students, we must shift the way that we communicate. This is not relying on a gimmick, or a lights and sound show…this is a new approach bridging the full reality of God with the present reality that students face everyday. Who’s up for the challenge?!
