40 Developmental Assets
29 11 2005I just read this article about where teens are today and what they need. It was an interesting read and confirms what I see in my ministry and evens gives me some practical tips in new ways to reach out to teens.
If what this article says is true, how should youth ministry change in reaction to it?
Support
Do we provide support? I hope so, but the reality is that the support needs of teens is becoming much more diverse. Some teens only need a place to come once a week and be liked by other teens, yet some need a mentor, parent figure, or even a caretaker. The biggest area I see youth ministry able to impact teen support is in giving them a place to serve. Teens need to feel valued, just like we do, and service teaches them their value.
Empowerment
If we are doing support well, then this should happen naturally. I say this as a joke, because the thing I struggle with is empowering others. It’s hard to let people take the responsibility and sometimes the fall, but this is necessary for grwoth. Our ministries ought to be a safe place to fail.
Boundaries
This is where I see my contemporaries failing. They think that ministry has to fun all the time and discipline can’t be a part of that. Believe me, teens want boundaries! Our challenge is to provide them in nurturing ways. More later on this and internal assets
Gospel, it fits awesome into the SEB. Think of how it directs and enables all of those categories. Applying the Gospel into my ministry and into the lives of those in my ministry, really hard. Our ministries ought to be a safe place to fail, how frekin true. I’ll take a fence that keeps me from falling off cliffs and leads me from a desert to a crystal clear spring. Service, Jesus said follow me.