WHERE ARE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE COMING FROM?

Youth group is full of young people. Where do these youth come from? How do they arrive to be under your discipleship?

Research conducted by the Pew Research Center (published in September 2020) examined the religious lives of US teens. It showed that most teens attend religious services with at least 1 parent, but the majority attend with both parents. Just 7% percent of the surveyed teens reported that they attend services with other family members or friends; only 1% reported attending services alone. ^a

It is probably safe to say that students who attend youth groups mostly come from Christian homes or have exposure to the Gospel. This is excellent news when thinking about discipleship, but there is a huge gap of young people who are not being shown an accurate picture of who Jesus is. How are youth leaders going to reach young people who are not Christians if they are not showing up to church?

EMERGENCY REQUIRES ACTION AND CHALLENGE

The Red Zone of Full Spectrum Youth Ministry focuses on seeking the lost or, those in spiritual emergency. In many cultures, the color red represents action, challenge, or emergency. It is crucial that youth leaders commit time to relationships with non-Christians. This requires the challenging work of going to their turf and learning about who they are and what makes them tick. Bridges of relationship can be a trusted pathway for youth to become curious about who Jesus is and enter a relationship with him. The life of Jesus models this as he had a heart for the masses, the lost, and those entrapped in sin.

TURF THAT CONVERTS  STRANGER TO FRIEND

This aspect of youth ministry requires courage, patience, and consistency. Where can you courageously and consistently go to build relationships with young people? In a day and age where digital platforms replace many face-to-face gatherings, it can be hard to find “turf” to show up on. Here are some ideas:

Photo by Steven Abraham on Unsplash

1. Attend High School sports events and extracurricular activitiesYou likely already have relationships with young people who participate in school activities. Attending those events not only aids in discipleship but can be an opportunity to connect with other youth. Learn the names of others, recognize them, and affirm them. You can show up for teens simply by caring about their teams, organizations, etc.
2. Eat at restaurants near a high school
   
   Offer to meet one of your students for lunch at a restaurant near campus. Off-campus lunch can be short, but brief interactions can still display a Christ-like love and build blocks of trust for future investment with non-Christian youth. It can also expose you to conversations and interactions taking place that you can hold in prayer or speak into later after you’ve established a relationship and gain trust.
3. Organize time for a hobbyWhat hobbies do your current students have? Skiing? Hiking? Cards? Sports? Go do these things with them and have them bring their friends. If there are events and activities that are not church-based that non-Christians are invited to there is a higher chance they will come. You will still have the opportunity to learn about them, pursue them, and invest in relationships with them.
4. Find out who your teen neighbors are Perhaps there are young people on your block or in your neighborhood that you can get to know by proximity. Principles of being a good neighbor apply to entire families. You can notice young people, talk with them, and affirm them easily just by spending time in your own neighborhood.
5. Care about your co-workersIt’s likely that people that you work with have kids. By taking a caring interest in the lives of the people you work with, you may find opportunities to invest in their teens.

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LET GOD SHOW YOU CREATIVE IDEAS

It can take some creativity to come up with ways to be around teens outside of the church, but if you are spending time in prayer, God will lead you to them and identify those he may be calling you to pursue.

“Young people need someone who is crazy about them.” – Walter Brueggemann

This quote from Walter Brueggemann speaks into the heart of the red zone strategy. Showing up with a Christ-like love for teens who don’t understand the Kingdom of God can really impact their life and they just may become curious enough to hear the Gospel (Orange zone) and make a decision to follow Jesus and grow in a relationship with him (Green zone).

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ACTION STEPS

1. Spend time praying for the non-Christian youth in your area. Ask God to lead you to them.
2. Brainstorm a list of potential places you might find non-Christian youth near you. Pray for a doorway to spend time in these places. Be sure to be above reproach so that your trust is obvious.
3. Partner with young people that you disciple in praying for their peers who do not know Jesus yet. Make a list of their names and commit to praying for them.
4. Commit to being courageous once a week and show up on non-church turf.

^a https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/10/10-key-findings-about-the-religious-lives-of-u-s-teens-and-their-parents/ft_2020-09-10_religionkeytakeaways_03/