YOUTH CAMP MEMORIES

I will be at the Power Plus Youth Camp this whole week with about 30 of our wonderful youth and courageous youth sponsors! I’m excited! I’m praying the LORD moves powerful upon us and sets all of our hearts on fire for His purposes, for His mission. I’m praying we all walk away fully realizing life isn’t about glory or pleasure for me, but instead glory and honor to Jesus! Pray with me! Pray for them! May the glory of the LORD fall on them all this week!

My experiences at Youth Camp as a teenager were tremendous and God changed my life each and every time. At camp I dedicated an entire week to seeking after Him earnestly. Youth Camp gives kids this opportunity, and if they take it seriously, they will never be the same. Why was it so powerful for me and life changing? Here is what I believe:

1. Teenagers are tired of playing religious games. They want it to be real or they want to walk away from it to find something that is real. They have an incredible need to be led, to be challenged, and to see for themselves the love and power of God. That was me years ago too, and it is the same for today’s teens as well.

2.  The principle of “seeking God earnestly” (Jeremiah 29:13) is never more intense for them than at Youth Camp. We live such busy lives that on an average day most Christians simply give God their leftover time…not quality time. There is no power there. But the power of God falls on us when we seek Him earnestly, and that takes time. Youth Camp provides that time. I still remember those moments when I heard from God and felt His presence at Youth Camp! It was just “wow!”

Making Disciples—Youth 101

Some of the most common questions pastors and youth pastors discuss when we conference together are:

“How can we equip teenagers to truly live out their faith in today’s world?”

“What is the secret to mentoring kids to own their faith by the time they leave home?”

“How should we actually disciple teens today?”

The truth is, we can use words like “disciple” and “mentor” all day long, but that doesn’t mean we are truly making a difference in their lives and increasing their faith.

I’m proud of youth leaders in our church like Galen Beck, Bre’anne Northcutt, Tyler McKinney, and Danny Himmel that are investing significant time to build relationships with our youth…for relationships are key! Youth Pastors have known for decades that the biggest players in a young person’s spiritual development are their parents. The reasons for this are simple—relationships, relationships, relationships.

Over 85 percent of Christians in America send their children to public schools (The Harsh Truth About Public Schools by Bruce Short, page 199). Imagine the alarm that would sound in these Christian homes if parents learned their children had graduated from High School without learning how to read, write, or to calculate simple math problems. I imagine you wouldn’t be able to hold back the flood of parents working to overhaul the education system. In the same way, imagine how the alarm should sound in the church and in Christian homes today with the knowledge that over 70 percent of our Christian youth are graduating High School without the ability to clearly articulate their own faith and belief system. In fact, studies show most of them (70-88% depending on which region they attend college in) will drop completely out of church by the end of their freshmen year of college (Battle Cry for a Generation by Ron Luce, page 34).

Most churches and Christian homes today are producing “moralists” but not “followers” of Jesus Christ. This means that our students may be successful at identifying right and wrong behaviors; however, when asked to articulate the fundamentals of our Christian faith, their answers are unimpressive and sometimes simply wrong. Christian Smith, a sociologist and expert on America’s Christian youth, argues that this inability to articulate their faith is crucial to discovering why so many Christian youth are deserting their faith upon leaving their homes (Soul Searching by Christian Smith, page 131).

The bottom line is: we need more people spending time with our youth, loving on them and earning trust through relationship. We must be proactive and tackle this problem head-on and urgently. And, we must pray for, support, and encourage all you parents to set a godly example for your teens at home. For, it is certainly true that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” (quote from every grandparent who has ever quoted anything)!

What are you doing to make disciples of our youth?